meanderings

individualism

2008-03-02T19:31:00.000-08:00

People quite clearly divide along this line. those who hail individualism as modern day achievement, and those who denounce it as the root of what has caused meaninglessness in our lives. which side is correct?

Charles Taylor writes in Malaise of Modernity that they are both wrong. The 'narcissism' that people see in 'individualism', and attribute to the 'me first' attitude is a distorted interpretation because they do not take the concept of 'self fulfillment' to mean 'being true to oneself' or being 'authentic'. They perceive individualism as the force causing loss of morality and value to human life. However, this is because they fail to see 'individualism' and its call to 'be true to oneself' as a moral value in itself.
This group feels that the 'me first' attitude makes the other in a relationship a tool of self actualisation. A relationship, therefore, works only as long as the individual self is gets what it wants. The moment this stops the relationship withers away.
The flaw in this argument is because they believe self development and identity creation to be a 'monologue'. Something formed through inward self reflection. Taylor states that the growth of our self or formation of identity is not due to 'monologues' but 'dialogues' with significant others. It is in conversation with those we are close to that we discover who we are and what we want. For this reason it is wrong to state that individualism is the cause of the break up, and dismantle of human relationships.

As for those who sing in praise of it, their views are anything but bang on target. Far from it, their very belief in 'relativism' (of truth, values, identities) causes an inability to discover the moral foundation of 'self authenticity', rendering them incapable of communicating and discussing their stance. For them, if Mr. A's values are different from those of Mr. B, then we need to respect them as they are. There is no basis of having a rational discourse here precisely because morals and values are relative. Rationality and morality have no meeting ground. Each is exclusive of the other. Mr. A is right because he believes so. Mr. B is also right because he stands firm in his convictions. Their beliefs are internal to them and as such beyond the arena of debate.
This refusal to see something that is transcendental to the Self - be it religion, history or politics - is what is causing the hollowing out of man. There are no significant horizons beyond those that we create for ourselves. Consequence - The world is flattened and stripped of its meaning...unless it is the meaning we ascribe to it. In such a world participation in causes beyond those of the Self has become increasingly difficult, relating to people harder and communicating feelings a prospect that may invite ridicule.

...to be continued

random thoughts

2008-02-20T06:38:00.000-08:00

around and round
i run around
my mind s a spinning wheel

why are all my thoughts unrelated? why is my past snap shots of images that 'don't add up' but im cool with that because all of them are threaded together my this little word - 'me'
there is a whole universe right there. in this tiny tiny word.....

2007-11-02T07:26:00.000-07:00

You need to be willing to be completely miserable to feel happiness

completely unconscious of yourself to find yourself

2007-09-23T11:37:00.000-07:00

Does a quiet person not have thoughts?
A non-expressive person no emotions?
And is someone who doesn't try to constantly prove their "self" a non-person?

2007-05-10T09:23:00.000-07:00

Purpose...whats that?

Is there a purpose behind our action or is it something we like to invent as an after thought....

Is purpose the glossed-up "larger than life" bait we like to tempt ourselves with? Is it an idealists dream...an illusion by the trickster? Or is it the yard stick to give ourselves direction in a world where everything is reletive.

Reletive space, reletive time, reletive mass, relative existence

People try to grasp the abstract and move towards the world of "concrete". Only a few know the world of the "concret". they are the ones who ran-away from it to take refuge in the world of the abstract.

what if concret was the creation of the abstract.
My mind is the abstract and the "concret" world fits snuggly inside it.

If you follow the thread long enough, in the end you will discover
the other end of the thread.

Tangled up

2007-05-05T11:53:00.000-07:00

trying to study...
the words are blurry and merging in to one another. i read a sentence and it sort of spirals on and on until where i started from isn't recognisable any more. too many "why" and "how" cluttered in the mind and the thread of clarity that i desperately grope around for is all but invisible.
why is my rationality failing me now? why is it that my mind must wander where i can't be?

At the end of a day

2007-05-04T11:00:00.000-07:00

at the end of a day...

a smile breaks out at the most random thought about the day
the street, with not a soul on it, seems as if it was inviting me for a walk
a msg from a friend awaits on my screen...or better yet, i get to hear their voice in person
there is a book on my table waiting to be read
and,
if i get to sink in my bed and just melt in to a deep sleep

...then i know its been a great day!