Journal for the Iroquois Creation Story

Jessie Akers-Bell
12/12/11

Author Quote:"Among the ancients there were two worlds in existence,"(Norton 18).

Internet Quote: "The opposite of courage in our society is not cowardice, it is conformity" (Rollo May)

Summary: The author quote is pretty straight forward. The Iroquois thought that their was a human world and a demon world. I see it as a heaven and hell put together. The the second quote is saying that by not being yourself you are not being brave and telling people you are not perfect.

My Ideas: Both of these quotes I just like. For what they are saying and the ideas they provoke in my head. For the first one, since I am a Presbyterian, it makes me think about what if heaven and hell were one and the same. That would certainly throw a wrench in the machine of Christianity. It also makes me think that maybe not all demons are bad. Since in the Iroquois always call the beings in the not human world monsters, but it was a monster who got land for Sky Woman, and she is not hurt in her fall from the human world. I just find it an interesting that it was a "monster" that saved her and not and "angel, a "being of light", or something that makes you think of feeling safe.
The second quote I just love, because I never understood why cowardice is the opposite of courage or bravery. Cowardice is just showing people that you are not perfect, which nobody is. The part of the quote that says that conformity is actually the opposite of courage makes sense to me, but at the same time it doesn't. Maybe because if it is true then our society as a whole is screwed, since we are told in the media and a lot of pop culture today that being popular and a conformist is good. Though we are starting to brake out of that mold, it probably will always be there.