Dear Gillian
Quite brilliant – as always. Breathtaking in parts – which is ironic as I am listening to an audiobook about George Mallory’s failed (?) 1924 Everest attempt. (Mick Conefrey: Fallen – George Mallory, The Man, the Myth and the 1924 Everest Tragedy, 2024, WFH). The Tibetans are referred to as primitive, backward, obstructive, unreasonable, and only temporaily occupying Everest – until the British could do something “militarily” about it. There is nothing “mystical” or spiritually “post-modern” about these people at this time (a film taken by the British at the time featured a Tibetan picking head-lice from a head – and “eating” them). The Tibetan Authorities were pissed-off as the British had used Tibetans (without permission) in a “Human Zoo” (1924-1925 Empire Exhibition) – misinforming the public that these “Sub-Orientals” were a lesser evolutionary form of humanity – still partly monkey (hence their “chattering” which “mimicked” the language of the more evolved Europeans). Mallory thought it odd that some of these “sounds” seemed to be linked to “physical objects” in the environment. Others reassured him that he was imagining it – due to the cold weather.
As the “Nationalists” had taken over China in 1911 – there is absolutely NO negative anti-China tropes at any point in the English narrative – either in the early 1920s – or from the contemporary author, which is incredible when you consider the “Nationalists” destroyed the five-thousand year-old Imperial System! The “Nationalists” evolved away from their original leftwing base (under Sun Yatsen) – and morphed into a pro-Japanese, and pro-capitalist entity – chopping-off the heads of thousands who disagreed. Tibet was part of China then as of now – but Mallory discusses only the Office of the Dalai Lama being the Authorities the British had to negotiate with (whilst in reality this Office continuously liaised with Beijing). When British explorers visited Buddhist monasteries without permission from Lhasa – the Dalai Lama (the 13th I believe) would summon the offending Abbot (Head Monk) to Lhasa to have his eyes plucked-out using the old trusty “Ceremonial Spoon” (first offense) in private. If he persisted in his criminal behaviour (defined as “promiscuous compassion”) – he would be “skinned alive” (second offence) in public – with his dead body NOT hacked-up and fed to the vultures.
As for the Sherpas, these were just ordinary men and women (many women turned up with babies on their back [like my Hakka relatives] – to work in minus 30 degrees Celsius) who live up mountains – that’s it. No different to you or me – and definitely not super-human as the British Press kept implying (simply because each was forced to carry between 50-80 ibs of kit for the lazy Westerners). Mallory reports that Sherpas (and Gurkhas) routinely slipped, fell, or just selfishly “dropped dead” at inconvenient moments! At one-point – “Younghusband” – had a deceased Gurkha NCO “reduced” in rank after he died of frostbite – “without permission”! He then charged the family the expense of returning his body.
Mallory wrote to his wife (he was bisexual) that as it was a “tad cold” – he had been forced to put on another pair of Y-fronts to keep warm. He mentions that Andrew Irvine – “a beautiful young man” (rumours abound) – kept going on and on “about science” – insisting that they both wear “oxygen” tanks when attempting to ascend the peak of Everest! Mallory thought it absurd that in the enlightened age they both lived-in – people could still believe there were places with NO oxygen! Mallory thought this indicative of the sad state of contemporary education (he had survived the Battle of the Somme using “positive thinking”). Did he reach the peak? I am inclined to believe he did – as he possessed the type of charming craziness that could just achieve such a feat (employing a certain and endearing disregard for reality). His body was found in the 1999 apparently on his way back-down – whilst Irvine has only just been re-discovered. Irvine possessed a camera – so who knows? Nothing on the camera as of yet. Witnesses at the time ssid they saw to silhouettes on the peak – which were then hidden by clouds.
Dear Adrian
On Sun, 22 Dec 2024, at 14:06, gillian wrote:
Anastasia (whose feast it is today in the East) is most definitely referreed to as Deliverer from Potions, The stories about her are very similar to those surrouding St John the Divine; that cups laced with poison were offered and that the poison was neutralised. Early Christianity was very keen to distance itself from ‘magic’ and potions, all of which were very common at the time and remain so. The Eucharist is not a concoction, whereby if the right words are spoken, the right thing is ‘made’. These stories against potions, true or otherwise, acted as teaching aids to show the non magical nature of the Eucharistic miracle. And also that life in the Eucharist defeated all magic.
Incidentally in the West, St Anastasia’s feast is on December 25 and was there long before the Nativty of Christ was ever celebrated. The two earliest purely Christian feasts are the Theophany (Baptism of the Lord) on 7th January and the Feast of St Stephen, the first martyr (26,27th December), these pre date Christmas by hundreds of years. All the other major Christian feasts piggyback onto existing Jewish feasts.
S Stephen’s is interesting as it does kick out Juvenalia… and is really the only Christian feast which lays claim to stamping down on a pagan one. Stephen being an ideal model of Christian youth as opposed to the debuachery of Juvenalia.
SANGHA KOMMUNE (SSR) 