Reflections and Comparison

     I was amazed at how much insight into the Mayan culture I was able to achieve from reading Popol Vuh; The Dawn of Life. I had limited knowledge of their beliefs and culture prior to the reading of part of their Holy Book. It fascinated me with some of the similarities that are found in the Christian faith. The fact that there was nothing at all in the beginning until the gods got together and decided how the create it. The way that the animals were then created next. There is the difference in the fact that the Mayan gods expected the animals to be able to praise them, and the animals in the garden of Eden were similar; however, they weren't punished for not being able to praise God. There was also the way that the gods tried more than once to create man. This showed definite thought and purpose in what they were trying to do within a set time frame. One of the biggest similarities in my mind was the great flood depicted in both Holy Texts. It was brought on by the lack of remembrance of their creator. It was more violent in the Popol Vuh in my eyes. It depicted that everything raised up against the wood creatures, even the inanimate objects.

    I believe in being more spiritual than religious and enthralled in ceremonies. That there are many paths to reach a desired end result. Although the name of the gods were hard to read and follow, the content of their purpose was not. The main point of not forgetting your maker or suffering destruction came through loud and clear as their primary belief. I think that if we as the human race in general remember to embrace each other as the creation of a greater being, we will all be a little better for it. I do agree that pride and relishing riches is  corruptness to the human soul. As address with the god, Vucub-Caquix, in Chapter 4 when he claimed to be the sun and the moon although they weren't risen yet. I believe that pride and greed will usually lead to the down fall of a human when their ego is so large it explodes. 

    Although figuring out the god's names proved to be a challenge, this was a delightful read for me. I was caught up with the imagination, description, and the story line. It was easy to see the progression of the timeline. I could view it as one of the oldest action novels because it keeps you on the edge of your seat waiting to find out what happens next. It created a desire in me to read the entire book. I had the feeling of starting an adventure but having to wait for a commercial to see the next part. It was delightful in the historical overview of how they believed, and how human nature affects everything we do and our interpretation of our world.Everyone should get a chance to visit in another cultures world. We will see that even though there is great differences we are all part of the same circle of life.