Meridith Berson - Bruchko

November 10, 2010

I was reading the prologue of the class reading, Bruchko, trying to get an idea of what the book was about. It explains the nine months of captivity of the Christian Missionary Bruce Olsen and how in times of sickness he would imagine himself outside of his physical body to escape the pain that was so common in the jungle where he was. This made me think of two points. One, that the strength of his will must have been unbreakable to be able to separate himself like that. Two, when I think of primal religions I seems oddly stuck in an American primal view. I cease to imagine the tribes in the dense jungles of Columbia (where the book takes place) or the freezing environments of Canada (like we discussed in class today.) To have to deal with illness on a regular basis would dictate life in the tribe. Death seems so much more of a reality as well as the daunting idea that you will not be able to hunt (thus eat) if you are always sick. Religion would also take a front seat as it usually does when humans feel powerless. I think understanding their reality helps us understand their ways of life so much better.