lone traveler had a very good point in her comment for "My World, Your World". She pointed out that even though she felt good being with people similar to her, in thoughts and views and all that, she sometimes resented the fact that some people did look like her, dress like her, or talk like her. How paradoxical is that! Well, it does make one wonder, but maybe it's not really paradoxical.
It's a definite fact that all humans, just like every other living being, are preprogrammed. No doubt that this is very upsetting, especially when you're a firm believer of "free will". However, for the sake of this particular argument, let's just drop the philosophical debate and save it for another occasion. So, not only that our program--our genes--defines physical aspects like hair color and such, but it also determines our "behavioral pattern" (I think that's how they call it). It's hardly surprising that humans everywhere are keen on food and sex, even though they might not readily admit it! After all, we, as a species, need food and sex in order to survive. And the survival of our species, my friend, is what our genes are most concerned about.
And it is also a definite fact that humans are weak. That's why we need clothing and housing. We need society too, because without them there's no way we (well, our ancestors) could win against mastodons or bison or sabertooth tigers or other gigantic animals that you care to mention. It's true even to this day: hunters-gatherers go about their business in groups, not individually.
At any rate, it's safer for an individual to be in a large group instead of being alone, survival-wise. Hard to believe as it is, we're still very much governed by this primitive instinct, perpetually imprinted on our genes. That being the case, despite the situation being so much different from that of our ancestor's some millennia ago, humans still find being in the company of people where they can just blend in very comforting.
Humans' obsession with the sense of uniqueness, the reason why being "one amongst the masses" irks us so much, is rooted from something completely different. It comes from the soul, the consciousness, or whatever it is that you call that nonmaterial entity within you. For our soul, the survival of our species is far less important than our existence. It observes itself and its surroundings, categorizes the world into "me" and "others", and asks those existential questions: where I came from, why I am here, where I'm going.
It's important for the soul to recognize that it is different from everybody else because otherwise, its existence is futile. Imagine this: if you're just one of those people, if you're not one of a kind, it means you are not special and thus, replaceable. What's the point of living then, when you exist simply for the purpose of becoming some sort of ecological spare part, so to speak? Most people might not know this, at least not in the conscious level, but I believe that deep down everyone realize it. No wonder humans crave uniqueness.
Writing this piece, it occurred to me that it's unnecessary for me--or everyone else for that matter--to deny these tendencies. All I have to do is embracing them because, really, that's what becoming human is all about.
Notes: Dedicated to lone traveler, in response to her question. It might not suit your taste very much, but it's the best explanation I can offer at this point.
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Sunday, December 21, 2008
My World, Your World 12/21/2008 01:29:00 AM
Heterogeneity is good, that much I know. Besides, could you imagine a world where everyone dressed alike, talks alike, thinks the same way? It'd be very boring, I believe. I can't think of anything more interesting than learning all kinds of cultures and ways of life--it gives color to our (my) at times mundane lives, don't you think?
That being the case, it really was a paradox when I found out that being with people who were different from me was extremely hard. It took a constant effort that it's tiring. "Different" here might mean differences in culture, interest, worldview, or even generation (well, I've always known that I'm not good at mingling with older people and kids).
Watching and listening to a variety of people as they reveal their uniqueness was an eye-opening experience and I loved it. But when the time came for me to jump in at it, I'd feel uncomfortable and awkward, big time.
It's like this: how can you relate to people when it seems like you have nothing in common? That's non sense, of course, because humans can always find something in common in one another, no matter how dissimilar they are. But what those similarities are, sometimes it's impossible to tell, and you can only scratch your head in frustration.
Like a particular scenario when I was in a place full of foreigners and someone started to tell a joke that made everyone roared with laughter. I smiled sourly; to me it was obscene, to them it was witty. How should I react in this highly uneasy situation?
And do you know what I wanted to do when things went in that direction? I wished I could just get out of this unknown territory and be with my closest people, talking about our hopes and fears, cursing the government for not doing their job well, singing our praises to that new movie, or just having some idle chatter. Does that make me a narrow-minded person? Or yet another proof that I need to improve my terrible social skill?
That being the case, it really was a paradox when I found out that being with people who were different from me was extremely hard. It took a constant effort that it's tiring. "Different" here might mean differences in culture, interest, worldview, or even generation (well, I've always known that I'm not good at mingling with older people and kids).
Watching and listening to a variety of people as they reveal their uniqueness was an eye-opening experience and I loved it. But when the time came for me to jump in at it, I'd feel uncomfortable and awkward, big time.
It's like this: how can you relate to people when it seems like you have nothing in common? That's non sense, of course, because humans can always find something in common in one another, no matter how dissimilar they are. But what those similarities are, sometimes it's impossible to tell, and you can only scratch your head in frustration.
Like a particular scenario when I was in a place full of foreigners and someone started to tell a joke that made everyone roared with laughter. I smiled sourly; to me it was obscene, to them it was witty. How should I react in this highly uneasy situation?
And do you know what I wanted to do when things went in that direction? I wished I could just get out of this unknown territory and be with my closest people, talking about our hopes and fears, cursing the government for not doing their job well, singing our praises to that new movie, or just having some idle chatter. Does that make me a narrow-minded person? Or yet another proof that I need to improve my terrible social skill?
Sunday, December 14, 2008
Picture Perfect 12/14/2008 10:45:00 PM
I’ve long realized that I don’t take a fancy to cameras. Be it photographs taken for official purposes or simply for fun, most of the times I feel less than enthusiastic to pose in front of the camera. I always feel stupid every time I do so, all smiles and stuff. Even when I did willingly participate in all the silly proceedings of photo-taking, it was because I felt like I had to, for somebody else’s benefit or for mine (I certainly didn’t want to be left out), not because I couldn’t help seeing someone take a picture without me in it.
Of course, when people are having such a good time, it’s only normal for them to want a memento of some sort. A reminder of the good ol’ times, so to speak. And for quite a long time, that’s what photographs are all about. They capture the best (and sometimes the worst) of times, showing us a glimpse of reality as it was. And despite my reluctance for having my picture taken, I don’t see anything wrong with that. Besides, pictures can speak more than a thousand words. Or something like that, as they say it.
There were times when photographs were only taken on special occasions like weddings, births of children, and family gatherings. But now, since digital photography has made everything so easy, one can take pictures as many as he wants anytime and anywhere. Gone are the days when people were taking pictures with such care and precision (or else they’re just wasting their films), replaced by sloppiness and redundancy and narcissism of the extreme kind. Gone are the days when people actually dressed up before having their pictures taken; hell, people would gladly strip naked in front of the camera anytime these days, and for free, mind you (plus, they upload their own pictures to their personal website for everyone to enjoy them).
What concerns me is the fact that now, it seems, photographs have become more important than the moments they capture. People are so busy taking pictures and putting on their camera faces than living that precious moment. Or, as GIGI (or was it Slank?) said upon returning from a concert in Japan several years ago, “Everyone was taking pictures with their cameras and handycams that it seemed like they didn’t really pay attention to our performance.” Get what I mean?
Of course, when people are having such a good time, it’s only normal for them to want a memento of some sort. A reminder of the good ol’ times, so to speak. And for quite a long time, that’s what photographs are all about. They capture the best (and sometimes the worst) of times, showing us a glimpse of reality as it was. And despite my reluctance for having my picture taken, I don’t see anything wrong with that. Besides, pictures can speak more than a thousand words. Or something like that, as they say it.
There were times when photographs were only taken on special occasions like weddings, births of children, and family gatherings. But now, since digital photography has made everything so easy, one can take pictures as many as he wants anytime and anywhere. Gone are the days when people were taking pictures with such care and precision (or else they’re just wasting their films), replaced by sloppiness and redundancy and narcissism of the extreme kind. Gone are the days when people actually dressed up before having their pictures taken; hell, people would gladly strip naked in front of the camera anytime these days, and for free, mind you (plus, they upload their own pictures to their personal website for everyone to enjoy them).
What concerns me is the fact that now, it seems, photographs have become more important than the moments they capture. People are so busy taking pictures and putting on their camera faces than living that precious moment. Or, as GIGI (or was it Slank?) said upon returning from a concert in Japan several years ago, “Everyone was taking pictures with their cameras and handycams that it seemed like they didn’t really pay attention to our performance.” Get what I mean?