Shadow of the Silk Road ~ Book Club Online ~Spring 2019 Starts March 11!

[BarbStAubrey]

Sometime today Jane will be closing us down frybabe and Pat - instead of putting a period on learning a bit about this part of the world all reading this book did was open up more curiosity - - -

Phrases that gave me a pause were - Shia weeping from a sense of wrong – all they do is build mosques rather than hospitals (well-being) and businesses (benefits to others) – forgetting the old songs and stories – bitterness from history is a devotion to suicide, anger grows in isolation. 

Made me question my mosques - what am I building that is singular rather than aiding my well-being or being a benefit to others - what old songs and stories am I not passing on - and do I hang onto bitterness -

It is easy when aging limits the unfulfilled dreams and the realization that in isolation anger grows - interesting because I have experienced and see other who have experienced the loss of so much as we age. The loss of friends, partners, for some of us even our children, our city is changed, we loose our pets, traditional celebrations change, doctors retire, churches close, schools we knew are torn down - we see our life changing all around so that it feels as if all is about loss - It is easy to stay alone feeling bitter that we have to start in all over and yet, if we stay isolated we risk spending our time being angry.

Interesting bits to ponder... great reading this with you frybabe... and hope your knee improves Pat.

[PatH]

Barb and Frybabe, you two have had an amazing conversation together, and proved  once again that a discussion doesn't need a lot of people to be high quality.  It's a big regret I couldn't join you, but it's not something that can be done when you can't keep your mind focussed.

Kudos to both of you.

[Frybabe]

I like books, like this one, that I can dig into and find people, places and things (not to mention different ways of thinking and philosophies) to round out or enhance what the author writes about.

This book, for me, brought me more up-to-date on the how the different groups, communities and cities are modernizing beyond the old notions of nomadic tribal areas. Some yurts have modern amenities, they watch TV via satellite, they carry around tablets and cell phones, the children go to university. There are still improverished groups and areas, but now the picture of the whole area has changed for me. Oh, and the mining, it is more extensive than I thought. That shouldn't be a surprise, but I always had the notion that all the tribal factions and fighting, internal and external, kept modernization and mining to a minimum. The fractiousness of the area still holds their economies back, but not as much as I thought.

I wonder how extensive is the notion that the religious authorities are to blame for much of the poverty and backward thinking in these countries.

Thanks for sticking with it even though the discussion ended up being mostly just you and me , Barb.

Pat, I trusts you are improving daily. I assume you have to do some sort of physical therapy taking up your time for a little while yet. Hope to see you back up to speed soon.