Why does one understand East as such and its opposite as West? If one direction is to East and its opposite is to West, then surely East and West will meet at a point in our rounded/spherical Earth.
As the Earth is not static, this is not so and East to West moves on eternally. But it does meet in our minds if one unnaturally fixes them to definite points to understand some aspects of physical reality. So, there are Eastern and Western societies.
Linguistically, every language must have an analogical term/concept for East and West if the Sun rises in the East and set in the West. That has set regularity for all of us as the Earth revolves round the Sun and itself in the clockwise direction only.
But that does not solve all the doubts of minds in the case of categorization, for instance, American continents could be in Eastern direction to Far Eastern countries like Japan or in that sense, the whole world could be Japan's East or West as when we humans perceive from a particular fixed standpoint.
And hence, we have the issue of acceptable standard- a breeding ground for politics.
Beyond hegemony, we hope and still have ground for sane agreement for everything rational, even disagreement, to have mutually respectable- fruitful interpretations. So, there could be different interpretations of one point depending on various possible perceptions.
And here, it will be more interesting/relevant to investigate 'where do you stand' and the contradiction and compatibility with the question 'who you are' which is also susceptible to endless scrutinizes and questionings.
One may have different answers to 'who you are' with different perceptions conditioned by virtue of situating at different contexts/situations and encountering certain stimulus that could also have different interpretations.
And you may think that you end up with a blurred reality or sharp and crystal clear reality.
Or you could conclude there is no single/definite reality but thousands-millions-billions depending according to one's imaginative capacity or pathological illusion and delusion or treated disillusionment.
There is no end, just only urge to change for the better as Richard Rorty would argue for better and richer activity rather than stuck upon a fixed rational criteria set by supposedly impersonal truth/objectivity (in the context of Science and Pragmatism).
To continue, I, a darker Yellowmen, could have different realities and falsely/truly perceived experiences from time to time in response to countless stimuli engendered by virtue of my situating in different environments/circumstances.
But that is not going to change my real condition of being a Yellowmen belonging to a specific collectivity and my interest in the investigation of this collectivity's requisite activities for a better and respectable state in the present and the future in the context of comparison of similarly constituted collectivities- implicit or explicit.
This is just one realm of many realms imagining from micro to macro levels and multiple dimensions in each level which you cannot get rid of unless you do self-negation and make a choice, if possible to switch to another state in the same dimension. If it is well-informed and self-chosen one, there is nothing wrong in it.
There is a danger and an inherent sickness if it goes along an alarming mass proportion supposedly aided by institutional instruments.
The issue matters much if one imagines about it in the long-term perspective with its cumulative effect. But if the collective force desires so in the long run with well-informed interest, let it be so.
Otherwise, it warrants of intending to negate an entity. And the necessary corollary of one's survival is another peril follows. If it is the case, then the byproduct will inevitably be the inbuilt violence and counter violence- the vicious cycle.
This way of looking is not negative in the sense of being only for self protection and preservation and not in anyway offensive. If it is racist then everybody is guilty of it because everybody love thyself.
One could be more illumined if sees in the light of the movie 'X-Men'. There a mutant works for co-existence with the humans and another becomes xenophobic.
One only strives for better outcome. It is just a race. You may find yourself far behind in the race. It seems possible that there is one consolation that the race is not going to end and it is perpetual.
And hence, there is always a possibility to keep up one's position at some point of time provided you have a fair rule of the game- a rule minimally acceptable to all. That is when you will not need to knock down a fellow participant to move beyond.
It should be a fair race in the sense you increase your position in proportion to your effort. We live to hope. And we try and work on until life ceases and transfers the burden to posterity.
A life for progress is all about struggle to better- finer- decent tastes in different possible ways with a caution not to get trapped in the valorization of stagnancy which will inevitably endorse to be filthy and ignorant is good if one chooses to or if it is what one is.
And we ourselves analyze, decide and agree with others what is filthy and ignorant keeping in mind that we have to be extra alert about the space available for hegemonic politics by its game of identification. It should be all about struggling and refining for the better.
Everybody has bad and fairer side and thus, has the potential to ascend forever provided an appropriate effort is invested.
In conclusion, it happens when somebody feels something grave wrong or injustice is done to them and when they have not learnt the art of rational ways of expressing it or is prohibited to do so to get justice, emotional outburst becomes the natural outlet.
* "Yellow Pony" contributes to e-pao.net for the first time . The writer can be contacted at [email protected] .
This article was webcasted on January 02nd, 2007
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