The Lawrence Pilgrimage: Documentary of a Sacred Event or Outlandish Video?

I really enjoyed the Kebra Nagast readings that we had assigned. I found it really interesting the discussion that we continued in both class periods about how the book was written to explain events and give reason to the Ethiopian culture and society. It seems that we draw a lot on how or why things happen or why things are the way they are in this world. It is important for us humans to have an explanation for everything, which is a theme we continue to address throughout this class.

I also found the video on the Lawrence Pilgrimage to be interesting and not only entertaining, but enlightening as well. Since it seemed to us to be such an outlandish perception of common place things that make up Lawrence University, such as the gazelle on the crest and the random artwork outside of Briggs, it was hard to take it seriously. But it made me think and question: Is this any more farfetched of an interpretation and explanation of common everyday things in the Lawrence community as it was to explain events and things in books like the Kebra Nagast or even the Bible that we consider to hold great religious value? Someone in class made the comment that perhaps the reason we don't view the Lawrence pilgrimage video as a real explanation and something sacred is because it is too recent and hasn't had any time to develop a mystical sense to it. Would people hundreds of years from now who discover or view the video believe that a giant gazelle reigned over the entire Fox valley? Popular opinion would say, no. We know too much about the world and we have progressed too far scientifically and technologically to make that sort of an assumption from a simple, college student video. But have we? Would it be possible that in some situation we would take that video to be the truth and to be an explanation for things we don't understand? I just find it very interesting how much circumstance and situation has to play into the development and belief of a religious text and the forming of a religion.