There are indeed parallel existences in our world. There are people who exist on Earth that in effect, don't exist to me outside of a concept. For example, Kazakhstan (which I had to Google to spell correctly) is very much a real country with real people leading very, very real lives.
However, to me, they exist outside my own reality. They are only real to me as a concept of "Kazakhstani people" which is an empty concept as I know nothing of their culture or even exactly where they are (I will learn as soon as I finish typing this).
The point is, that they exist in a parallel reality to mine. To them, I am not real, and neither is my life. Our lives evolve simultaneously, and to some degree I am sure affect each other, yet our realities are not the same.
A concept of something, or someone, it's not the thing or person itself.
Wednesday, 16 January 2013
Sunday, 2 September 2012
Posthumous
When I die, I don't want a tombstone with my name on it.
I don't normally go about having preferences for a future that effectively will never exist for me, but I was mindlessly scrolling through the internet and I glimpsed the line "When I die, I want my tombstone to read..." and it got me thinking.
Everyone has different beliefs and I don't know this as a fact, but I think that I exist inside my body, and although my body is a part of me, once I die, my body and I will be separated.
Nothing of who I am will be in a coffin underground. My body is not what will remain of me.
What's going to be left of me in this world after I die, the part of me that will continue existing and representing who I am now, are all the things I've written and all the memories, however petty, that people have of me.
I don't want a tombstone with my name on it standing on a piece of ground that is completely unrelated to me. Even if my body is buried underneath it.
Perhaps what would be best for everyone is a world without tombstones, where we recognize that our bodies have borrowed their essense from the earth and are then returning the essence and returning to the earth. We shouldn't mark a spot on the earth and pretend that a larger part of what a person was can be attributed to it. Do we not all believe that atoms don't die, they transform? We probably shouldn't embalm people and delay the process of dust to dust either.
I think embracing the return to our origins, to the earth, would help ease the mourning and the fear we all seem to have of death. But we won't know unless we try.
I don't normally go about having preferences for a future that effectively will never exist for me, but I was mindlessly scrolling through the internet and I glimpsed the line "When I die, I want my tombstone to read..." and it got me thinking.
Everyone has different beliefs and I don't know this as a fact, but I think that I exist inside my body, and although my body is a part of me, once I die, my body and I will be separated.
Nothing of who I am will be in a coffin underground. My body is not what will remain of me.
What's going to be left of me in this world after I die, the part of me that will continue existing and representing who I am now, are all the things I've written and all the memories, however petty, that people have of me.
I don't want a tombstone with my name on it standing on a piece of ground that is completely unrelated to me. Even if my body is buried underneath it.
Perhaps what would be best for everyone is a world without tombstones, where we recognize that our bodies have borrowed their essense from the earth and are then returning the essence and returning to the earth. We shouldn't mark a spot on the earth and pretend that a larger part of what a person was can be attributed to it. Do we not all believe that atoms don't die, they transform? We probably shouldn't embalm people and delay the process of dust to dust either.
I think embracing the return to our origins, to the earth, would help ease the mourning and the fear we all seem to have of death. But we won't know unless we try.
Sunday, 12 August 2012
"The Philosyphy of one century is the Common Sense of the next."
That was on my fortune cookie on facebook. Appropriately.
What's wrong with this picture?
Erick Barrondo wins Guatemala’s first-ever Olympic medal, then pleads for peace in his country
Erick Barrondo's win has affected me in unexpected ways.
When I heard about his silver medal, at first I was surprised. First ever Olympic medal for Guatemala? It dawned on me that I had never before cared to know how my homecountry did in the Olypics, even though I've seen other countries compete and probably know of a few famous athletes. My family are all men and women of the books, I don't harbor an inclination for sports in general, and as I've said before, I haven't lived in Guatemala for a very long time.
But I still felt it was strange that I never even thought about it before.
I heard about Barrondo from my Guatemalan friends on twitter and facebook. And it started to bother me.
While I infinitely admire Barrondo for the determination and charater which led to his silver medal, it was the general reaction of the people that was making me feel uneasy.
"Did you hear about Barrondo?" my mother asked. "Finally something good came out of Guatemala."
Ah, there it was. There was the problem.
Guatemalans have this tendency to self-deprecate on a level that would definitely give us the gold if it was a competition.
There's this painful idea embedded within each Guatemalan psyche that says everything foreign is better. Especially anything North-American or European.
I'm not an anthropologist, but it's obvious that this sentiment is the result of colonialization and racial divides and discrimination that the country has suffered.
When I was in primary school in Guatemala, we were learning about national identity. Every country has a national hero, someone who represents the fighting spirit of the country and in a way, solidifies that country's identity and sovereignity. Guatemala's hero is K'iche' prince Tecún Umán.
Erick Barrondo's win has affected me in unexpected ways.
When I heard about his silver medal, at first I was surprised. First ever Olympic medal for Guatemala? It dawned on me that I had never before cared to know how my homecountry did in the Olypics, even though I've seen other countries compete and probably know of a few famous athletes. My family are all men and women of the books, I don't harbor an inclination for sports in general, and as I've said before, I haven't lived in Guatemala for a very long time.
But I still felt it was strange that I never even thought about it before.
I heard about Barrondo from my Guatemalan friends on twitter and facebook. And it started to bother me.
While I infinitely admire Barrondo for the determination and charater which led to his silver medal, it was the general reaction of the people that was making me feel uneasy.
"Did you hear about Barrondo?" my mother asked. "Finally something good came out of Guatemala."
Ah, there it was. There was the problem.
Guatemalans have this tendency to self-deprecate on a level that would definitely give us the gold if it was a competition.
There's this painful idea embedded within each Guatemalan psyche that says everything foreign is better. Especially anything North-American or European.
I'm not an anthropologist, but it's obvious that this sentiment is the result of colonialization and racial divides and discrimination that the country has suffered.
When I was in primary school in Guatemala, we were learning about national identity. Every country has a national hero, someone who represents the fighting spirit of the country and in a way, solidifies that country's identity and sovereignity. Guatemala's hero is K'iche' prince Tecún Umán.
In summary, Tecun Uman fought to the death defending his land and his people, the K'iche', from the invading Spanish forces of Don Pedro de Alvarado. Tecún Umán's nahual, the beautiful Quetzal bird, accompanied him to the battle. As legend has it, eventually things came down to a one-on-one between our hero and Alvarado. The spaniards rode on horses, but the K'iche' didn't have any animals to ride, which gave Alvarado the advantage, because Tecún Umán's first blow killed his horse, giving Alvarado de opportunity to pierce through Tecún Umán's chest with his spear, puncturing his heart.
As our hero fell, his nahual (animal kindred/familiar spirit, spirit guide, totem) alinged their hearts by resting on Tecún Umán's chest, staining his green feathers with blood forever. According to legeng, for this reason the male Quetzal bird has a crimson chest, and his song was never heard again.
I think I was somwehere between 3rd and 5th grades when we discussed the cultural importance of national heroes, and I remember quite vividly my teacher commenting "in the case of Guatemala, ours is a fallen hero."
It's not wrong to say that the average Guatemalan considers his own identity and culture to be inferior to say, American or European culture. There's just this general attitude that gets passed around in general every day observations that constantly imply that nothing good can be expected from a Guatemalan. I don't quite it grasp it yet myself, it's rather intricate.
But what about me? I don't want to be made to feel as if I have accomplished nothing in my life. I don't really accept the assumption that my life is worthless and isn't in the best service of the country I came from. Sure, I may not have done anyhing heroic yet, but I'm definitely not less worthy than my European neighbors with whom I interact every day. I'm not in the habit of comparing but I really don't see any essential difference between my Guatemalan friends and those from any other nationality.
It's almost impossible for me to untangle the intricacies of this situation in order to truly understand it, but what I'm trying to get at is that it really is no surprise that no Guatemalan had ever won an Olympic medal before, when fellow Guatemalans have painfully low expectations and support for each other and themselves.
It's almost impossible for me to untangle the intricacies of this situation in order to truly understand it, but what I'm trying to get at is that it really is no surprise that no Guatemalan had ever won an Olympic medal before, when fellow Guatemalans have painfully low expectations and support for each other and themselves.
Guatemalans have this defeatist attitude and it's aparent in every day encounters and reactions, and also on the bigger scale. I read an article about how little financial support Guatemalan athletes get, even after having won medals for the country. It seems the attitude is that it's not worth it to spend money on Guatemalans if after all, we never accomplish anything.
Barrondo is of course, the exception.
Thursday, 9 August 2012
Pilarism #2
Don't let anyone define you or your experiences but yourself. Don't let others tell you who you are, where you've come from, what you're doing and where you're going. You do know better.
Saturday, 14 July 2012
"It's more important to be nice, I guess, than being wise."
(Title quote: Julian Casablancas)
Even though I am, on a philosophical level, against the idea of Zoos, I will admit that I love visiting them. I enjoy spending time around animals, and observing their behaviours and anthropomorphising their interactions.
One thing that gets me, though, is how this experience is obviously one Zizek would class under "fake passion for the real", it's a watered-down, sanitized experience, just like everything else in our lives.
We want to go so that we can see these magnificent Earthmates, because we are fascinated by their habits and their lives. Except that it's never about those particular individuals.
I'm talking about, for example, those little information boards they have in front of the cages (or habitats, or houses... semantics). The information is usually about the species inside the cage, but all the details are about how that species lives in the wild. We want to see a strong panther, and we visualize them running around the jungle and hunting, but the panther in front of us at the zoo has probably never hunted in its whole entire life, and it's very likely that many of its ancestors were already born in captivity. The animal inside lives a cushy, controlled, lazy life. It doesn't do anything of importance to its environment, it probably doesn't even have that much about its life that it enjoys.
All their majesty is artificial: their muscles come from playing with toys provided by their keepers, their shiny hair is a result of a controlled diet. These are strong, healthy animals... wasting away in a box.
Their muscles may be strong, but they will never be put to any use. The above-mentioned panther wont ever feel its muscles push to the extreme in order to catch the prey that makes the difference between life and death.
It's shiny coat will never be admired by those in the wild with less shiny coats, and it won't help it attract a mate because the mate will be chosen probably by the zoo keepers.
But this isn't about the animals.
I see people going to the gym and running on a threadmill for hours and keeping a healthy diet to keep their body in ideal condition. But isn't it pointless, if outside of the gym you never have to run, or lift anything?
We want to create a perfect human being, but what is it for?
I see people working extra hours to get a promotion to get more money or more praise.
All everyone is doing with their life is going to work in order to buy things and be a respected (accepted? not even...) member of society. People study for years and accumulating knowledge that never benefits anyone because these people end up working a job where no one cares what they think.
And that is my problem.
Do you people realize that you won't ever get all those hours spent at the office and spent at the gym back? Never. Those hours are gone. Everyone needs to stop acting as if this lifetime is the waiting room for something else, because while you're waiting, life is happening.
If your entire life does flash before your eyes at the moment of death, what would you see? Hour upon hour spent on Facebook, working, watching TV. Here and there something meaningful, but considering the speed necessary to flash 60 (on average) years in a matter of seconds, I doubt you'd even get a chance to register those milliseconds of meaning.
We as humans hide that pointlessness behind man-made activities, such as sports competitions, academic conferences, and status symbols. But at the end of the day, all your life amounts to is many hours at the office and no one to even remember your name. When those who knew you die, you die with them.
You can choose to believe you're special enough, but think about it. There's billions of people on earth, how many of them have you actually heard of? How many of them could die without affecting your personal life?
I've read about natural disasters (etc) where the amount of people who lost their lives was larger than all the people I could think of in my life. Billions of people, living and dying and being forgotten.
So why are we still wasting this time? Why are we still treating ourselves like animals in the zoo, living in our "houses" and trying to control every aspect of our lives?
Do you really want to spend your time on this earth creating a zoo exposition of yourself, for a world that will never even get to see it, let alone react with anything but apathy? I bet you can have the fittest body, the nicest cage and the shiniest coat. And it doesn't really matter in the world, at all.
Then that's your choice.
It's a shame, because what we have done to nature is only a fraction of what we have done to ourselves. We have taken our majesty and beaten it to submission, we have negated it and turned ourselves into slaves to our own pointless pursuit.
Wouldn't it be great to get out of the zoo? Wouldn't it be great to not only look your full potential, but also live to it?
I think humans are capable of amazing things. But we need to stop caging ourselves in zoos, depriving ourselves from everything that is natural and healthy to us. We need to stop spending so much time doing things like working and going to school. We need to all, one by one, just decide to stop pursuing this pointlessness and start pursuing our passions.
So, are you going to stay lazying about in the zoo, proud of your display, or are you going to courageously break yourself from the bondage and pursue your full potential? It really is your choice.
Even though I am, on a philosophical level, against the idea of Zoos, I will admit that I love visiting them. I enjoy spending time around animals, and observing their behaviours and anthropomorphising their interactions.
One thing that gets me, though, is how this experience is obviously one Zizek would class under "fake passion for the real", it's a watered-down, sanitized experience, just like everything else in our lives.
We want to go so that we can see these magnificent Earthmates, because we are fascinated by their habits and their lives. Except that it's never about those particular individuals.
I'm talking about, for example, those little information boards they have in front of the cages (or habitats, or houses... semantics). The information is usually about the species inside the cage, but all the details are about how that species lives in the wild. We want to see a strong panther, and we visualize them running around the jungle and hunting, but the panther in front of us at the zoo has probably never hunted in its whole entire life, and it's very likely that many of its ancestors were already born in captivity. The animal inside lives a cushy, controlled, lazy life. It doesn't do anything of importance to its environment, it probably doesn't even have that much about its life that it enjoys.
All their majesty is artificial: their muscles come from playing with toys provided by their keepers, their shiny hair is a result of a controlled diet. These are strong, healthy animals... wasting away in a box.
Their muscles may be strong, but they will never be put to any use. The above-mentioned panther wont ever feel its muscles push to the extreme in order to catch the prey that makes the difference between life and death.
It's shiny coat will never be admired by those in the wild with less shiny coats, and it won't help it attract a mate because the mate will be chosen probably by the zoo keepers.
But this isn't about the animals.
I see people going to the gym and running on a threadmill for hours and keeping a healthy diet to keep their body in ideal condition. But isn't it pointless, if outside of the gym you never have to run, or lift anything?
We want to create a perfect human being, but what is it for?
I see people working extra hours to get a promotion to get more money or more praise.
All everyone is doing with their life is going to work in order to buy things and be a respected (accepted? not even...) member of society. People study for years and accumulating knowledge that never benefits anyone because these people end up working a job where no one cares what they think.
And that is my problem.
Do you people realize that you won't ever get all those hours spent at the office and spent at the gym back? Never. Those hours are gone. Everyone needs to stop acting as if this lifetime is the waiting room for something else, because while you're waiting, life is happening.
If your entire life does flash before your eyes at the moment of death, what would you see? Hour upon hour spent on Facebook, working, watching TV. Here and there something meaningful, but considering the speed necessary to flash 60 (on average) years in a matter of seconds, I doubt you'd even get a chance to register those milliseconds of meaning.
We as humans hide that pointlessness behind man-made activities, such as sports competitions, academic conferences, and status symbols. But at the end of the day, all your life amounts to is many hours at the office and no one to even remember your name. When those who knew you die, you die with them.
You can choose to believe you're special enough, but think about it. There's billions of people on earth, how many of them have you actually heard of? How many of them could die without affecting your personal life?
I've read about natural disasters (etc) where the amount of people who lost their lives was larger than all the people I could think of in my life. Billions of people, living and dying and being forgotten.
So why are we still wasting this time? Why are we still treating ourselves like animals in the zoo, living in our "houses" and trying to control every aspect of our lives?
Do you really want to spend your time on this earth creating a zoo exposition of yourself, for a world that will never even get to see it, let alone react with anything but apathy? I bet you can have the fittest body, the nicest cage and the shiniest coat. And it doesn't really matter in the world, at all.
Then that's your choice.
It's a shame, because what we have done to nature is only a fraction of what we have done to ourselves. We have taken our majesty and beaten it to submission, we have negated it and turned ourselves into slaves to our own pointless pursuit.
I think humans are capable of amazing things. But we need to stop caging ourselves in zoos, depriving ourselves from everything that is natural and healthy to us. We need to stop spending so much time doing things like working and going to school. We need to all, one by one, just decide to stop pursuing this pointlessness and start pursuing our passions.
So, are you going to stay lazying about in the zoo, proud of your display, or are you going to courageously break yourself from the bondage and pursue your full potential? It really is your choice.
Friday, 13 July 2012
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