Legit or Poser?
This post is dedicated to Brittany. May you never forget the difference between a legit camel and a poser :)
Camels. Might seem like an odd topic for a post....and it most likely is. However, it was a topic that came up in my World Civics class the other day. My professor always spends the entire class lecturing. It's obvious he possesses a wealth of knowledge and he tends to throw in random, essentially useless information, which I happen to thoroughly enjoy. I don't know if my friends really appreciate my random spouting of trivia that I learn in this class, but maybe somebody reading this will.
As I already mentioned, on this particular day my professor went off on a tangent about camels. He was talking about Muhammad and how he found himself a darling bride named Khadija. How does he go from Muhammad and Khadija's wedding to camels? Ever so carefully.
He posed the question: What's the difference between a camel with one hump and a camel with two humps? I think we were all thrown a bit and he probably regained the attention of anyone who had been daydreaming. My initial thought was that a camel with two humps would be much easier to ride, seeing as how the space between the two humps would provide a suitable place for somebody to travel securely. Maybe one-humped camels got stuck carrying the luggage while the others gloated and strutted around arrogantly because they got to carry people.
My theory was not disproved; however, it's not the difference my professor had in mind. He announced that this would be his "commercial break" and skipped over to the computer to open pictures of the two types of camel. (Okay, maybe he didn't actually skip. But he might as well have-he was that excited about sharing this camel trivia.)
After letting us gander at the lovely creatures for a bit, he finally explained. According to my professor, a camel with one hump is not actually a legit camel. It is technically called a Dromedary camel and they are found in the Arabian deserts. They're the southern gents of the camel family. Yankee camels, those with two humps, are found in Central Asia.
Why was this important? Because when Muhammad married Khadija, he received a dowry of 1,000 camels, making him a very wealthy man. This information was shared so that we would know which kind of camels Muhammad received at his wedding. And he assured us that this information would be on our final exam. (If this camel thing is true, and I were Muhammad, I might feel a little gipped, having received poser camels as a wedding gift and all. But I guess that's the kind that was customary in his area. Maybe he didn't know-or care-about the difference.)
I looked this stuff up, to check it out. Apparently camels with two humps are called Bactrian camels, and are another species of camel. (There are six total) However, I read that Bactrian camels are the ancestors of all other domesticated camels. If true, that means that they are indeed the most legit camel out there.
Other random camel facts:
As I'm wrapping this up, I can think of more than one way I could use this as an analogy. Maybe about how we should be legit followers of Christ and not "poser" Christians, or hypocrites, and live what we believe. Or maybe about how, sometimes, we miss out on the closeness of a real relationship with our Creator and Savior because we don't totally delight in Him, but rather in those things that are intended to be used for His glory. (example: church attendance, Bible studies, mission projects.) Those things are great, but unless we are consumed by a desire to know the One who is meant to be glorified through those things, they are useless. Since I've already posted one extremely long entry this week, I won't explore these possibilities. Instead, I'll just challenge you to think about what that means for you, individually. And I'll do the same.
Camels. Might seem like an odd topic for a post....and it most likely is. However, it was a topic that came up in my World Civics class the other day. My professor always spends the entire class lecturing. It's obvious he possesses a wealth of knowledge and he tends to throw in random, essentially useless information, which I happen to thoroughly enjoy. I don't know if my friends really appreciate my random spouting of trivia that I learn in this class, but maybe somebody reading this will.
As I already mentioned, on this particular day my professor went off on a tangent about camels. He was talking about Muhammad and how he found himself a darling bride named Khadija. How does he go from Muhammad and Khadija's wedding to camels? Ever so carefully.
He posed the question: What's the difference between a camel with one hump and a camel with two humps? I think we were all thrown a bit and he probably regained the attention of anyone who had been daydreaming. My initial thought was that a camel with two humps would be much easier to ride, seeing as how the space between the two humps would provide a suitable place for somebody to travel securely. Maybe one-humped camels got stuck carrying the luggage while the others gloated and strutted around arrogantly because they got to carry people.
My theory was not disproved; however, it's not the difference my professor had in mind. He announced that this would be his "commercial break" and skipped over to the computer to open pictures of the two types of camel. (Okay, maybe he didn't actually skip. But he might as well have-he was that excited about sharing this camel trivia.)
After letting us gander at the lovely creatures for a bit, he finally explained. According to my professor, a camel with one hump is not actually a legit camel. It is technically called a Dromedary camel and they are found in the Arabian deserts. They're the southern gents of the camel family. Yankee camels, those with two humps, are found in Central Asia.
Why was this important? Because when Muhammad married Khadija, he received a dowry of 1,000 camels, making him a very wealthy man. This information was shared so that we would know which kind of camels Muhammad received at his wedding. And he assured us that this information would be on our final exam. (If this camel thing is true, and I were Muhammad, I might feel a little gipped, having received poser camels as a wedding gift and all. But I guess that's the kind that was customary in his area. Maybe he didn't know-or care-about the difference.)
I looked this stuff up, to check it out. Apparently camels with two humps are called Bactrian camels, and are another species of camel. (There are six total) However, I read that Bactrian camels are the ancestors of all other domesticated camels. If true, that means that they are indeed the most legit camel out there.
Other random camel facts:
- The average life expectancy of a camel is 40-50 years
- A fully grown adult camel can stand at about 6' 1" tall (at the shoulder)
- The hump rises approximately 30 inches
- They can run up to 40 mph in short bursts
- They can sustain a speed of approximately 25 mph
As I'm wrapping this up, I can think of more than one way I could use this as an analogy. Maybe about how we should be legit followers of Christ and not "poser" Christians, or hypocrites, and live what we believe. Or maybe about how, sometimes, we miss out on the closeness of a real relationship with our Creator and Savior because we don't totally delight in Him, but rather in those things that are intended to be used for His glory. (example: church attendance, Bible studies, mission projects.) Those things are great, but unless we are consumed by a desire to know the One who is meant to be glorified through those things, they are useless. Since I've already posted one extremely long entry this week, I won't explore these possibilities. Instead, I'll just challenge you to think about what that means for you, individually. And I'll do the same.
First of all, ever since we had this conversation last night, I have had "my humps" by the black eyed peas in my head.
ReplyDeleteSecond of all, I think I'd still like to ride a two-humped camel.
Third of all, even posers need love. Let's adopt a one humped camel and raise their self-esteem.
First of all, you would have that song stuck in your head.
ReplyDeleteSecond of all, have Clint take you to Asia for your honeymoon. I'm sure that can be arranged.
Third of all, I totally agree. This house you and Clint bought...it has a big yard, right?
ive had Arabian Nights stuck in my head off Aladdin...and it comes on Fam channel tomorrow night. Ill have to watch and see if the camels are posers
ReplyDeleteYeah, we should have a watch party!
ReplyDelete