Al-Ma'arri (973-1057), whose full name was Abu 'L'Ala Ahmad ibn 'Abdallah al-Ma'arri, was born in Ma'arra, south of Aleppo. He achieved fame as one of greatest of Arab poets. Al-Ma'arri was stricken with smallpox when four and became blind. As he grew older, he was able to travel to Aleppo, Antioch and other Syrian cities, learning by heart the manuscripts preserved there.

Al-Ma'arri spent 18 months at Baghdad, then the center of learning and poetry, leaving to return to his native town. There he created the Luzumiyyat, a large collection of verses that contrasts from traditional works by its irregular structure and in the opinions it contains. His presence in Ma'arra drew many people, who came to hear him lecture on poetry and rhetoric.

Of himself, al-Ma'arri wrote "Men of acute mind call me an ascetic, but they are wrong in their diagnosis. Although I disciplined my desires, I only abandoned worldly pleasures because the best of these withdrew themselves from me." But his somewhat misanthropic nature appears in another remark: "I was made an abstainer from mankind by my acquaintance with them and my knowledge that created beings are dust."

Al-Ma'arri remarked that monks in their cloisters or devotees in their mosques were blindly following the beliefs of their locality: if they were born among Magians or Sabians they would have become Magians or Sabians. Al-Ma'arri was a rationalist who valued reason above tradition or revelation.

Like Carvaka he saw religion in general as a human institution invented as a source of power and income for its founders and priesthood, who pursued worldly ends with forged documents attributed to divine inspiration. Like Vardhamana and the Jains, al-Ma'arri believed in the sanctity of life, urging that no living creature should be harmed. He became a vegetarian and opposed all killing of animals, and the use of animal skins for clothing. :vegan-edge:

Al-Ma'arri passed judgments with a freedom that must have offended the privileged members of his society. In Reynold Nicholson's words "Amidst his meditations on the human tragedy, a fierce hatred of injustice, hypocrisy, and superstition blazes out." Many of the extracts below are taken from Nicholson's translation.

Question of the day :lenin-cat:

whats your favorite vegetarian/vegan dish :bean-think:


The State and Revolution :flag-su:

:lenin-shining: :unity: :kropotkin-shining:
The Conquest of Bread :ancom:

Remember, sort by new you :LIB:

Yesterday’s megathread :sad-boi:

Follow the ChapoChat twitter account :comrade-birdie:

THEORY; it’s good for what ails you (all kinds of tendencies inside!) :RIchard-D-Wolff:

COMMUNITY CALENDAR - AN EXPERIMENT IN PROMOTING USER ORGANIZING EFFORTS :af:

Join the fresh and beautiful batch of new comms:

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Megathread requested by @Lord_ofThe_FLIES :vegan-edge:

  • bark [none/use name]
    ·
    4 years ago

    Anybody else ever feel like a worthless stupid lazy asshole who can't get anything done, can't learn anything, can't pick up a hobby.

    I can't even keep my house clean. The most simple fucking things in the world are just impossible for me. I can't imagine being able to actually do the work to accomplish even the most trivial of things.

    • congressbaseballfan [she/her]
      ·
      4 years ago

      🙋‍♀️

      This is your brain on depression comrade. Not diagnosing, but that’s basically where I was when I got diagnosed.

      If you’re looking for a hobby have you considered liberalism?

      • bark [none/use name]
        ·
        4 years ago

        This i most of the last 20 years.

        If you’re looking for a hobby have you considered liberalism?

        I mean this place pretty regularly affirms I'm a piece of shit so am I not already?

      • congressbaseballfan [she/her]
        ·
        4 years ago

        How do we have a Steven pinker emoji but not a Jordan Peterson emoji? Could have really used that right now...

      • bark [none/use name]
        ·
        4 years ago

        What's the point.

        Can't get any joy out of anything. This pandemic is killing me.

              • grisbajskulor [he/him]
                ·
                4 years ago

                Please don't take my medical advice seriously but it seems like hanging out with friends and family outdoors is fairly safe. I was feeling fairly depressed and didn't see anyone for a few months, but one day an old friend hit me up and we just chatted outside in the cold and it actually had a huge positive impact on me. Not to say "beat depression with this one easy trick!" especially because I'm not officially clinically depressed but it's something to consider.

                • bark [none/use name]
                  ·
                  4 years ago

                  I don't have any friends.

                  I have people I hang out with occasionally. I'm no longer convinced any of them are my friends.

                    • bark [none/use name]
                      ·
                      4 years ago

                      I'm just being bitter and refusing to accept anything decent and I should stop it.

                      • grisbajskulor [he/him]
                        ·
                        4 years ago

                        Understandable comrade. All I can offer you is faceless anonymous encouragement <3 I hope you find happiness or it finds you soon