The reading on primal religions started off pretty tough for me. I was very unsure of what the author was talking about, and the overall point of the chapter. As I read on, it became more clear. I went from stumped, to fascinated in a very short amount of time. The part of the chapter that stuck out for me the most was the section in which Smith discussed the role of "place" in primal religions. Place is what makes a specific object (whether animate or inanimate) significant. In primal religions, an object is not admired for what they are or their function, but instead for its permanent location. It is the location that memories and legends are built off of. After understanding how primal religions viewed "place," I thought about whether or not there is anything in my life that is comparable to this idea. Quite the contrary, I concluded that the idea of "place" exists nowhere in my life. In my life, for example, a picture frame is not important because of its specific location on the wall of my room; the significance lies with the memories that it has captured. I cannot speak for the rest of our community, but I think that most will agree that people act as the driving force in our lives. The geographical location means close to nothing.
