tsoul

A Thought: Microprogressions

Sacrifice: the offering of a possession in exchange to a higher purpose

shall i consider my conscious decisions sacrifices
exchanging a prospective lifestyle for a chance

yet, was that lifestyle ever within my possession
offering an intangible, inconceivable me

thus, was it a sacrifice or a justification
to avoid a crux i never wanted nor desired

an easy fix replaced with a palette of rewards
all an excuse for a higher i do not see

These kids give me hope. To see where they’ve come from and to see their dreams only pushes me harder and harder to achieve my own.

Thanks APALC. 

Men who are Men and Men who are Ideas

I try to build myself an image as a progressive individual. By that, I mean I wish to respect those who have adopted, constructed, maintain minority identities that are often ignored, subjugated or demeaned in popular culture. However, for the language of this think piece, I will be using a heteronormative point of view in order to represent my thoughts as naturally as possible - for I am a heterosexual male. 

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I’ve become enthralled with the idea of a man becoming an idea, rather than a human. When we think of men such as Karl Marx, Dr. King, Malcolm X, and other intellectuals, we think not of who they were as individuals, but their ideas, philosophies and theories. The consequences of themselves transforming from men who are men into men who are ideas is what maintains them in our literature and discourse today. Or rather not them as men, but them as manifestations and bodies of ideas. So, how does one become an idea rather than a man? What are the consequences?

From man into idea.

All men have ideas. To deny this postulate is to strip all men of their power to decide, live and be rational beings. Furthermore, it is unfair to say that men who are remembered as ideas are purely ideas. To deny this is to strip them of their humanity and history, allowing the interpreter to disregard the importance of context. So, how does a man come to the point where he is remembered for his ideas rather than his personal history?

1) His ideas must be popular and contextually relevant.

             He must be able to address current and prevalent issues so that both others will come to understand what he stands for and will stand alongside him. 

2) He gives total devotion to the spread of his ideas.

             Discourse is a representation of the ideas of humans and society, thus it is impossible to  believe one’s ideas can spread without the support and influence on humans and society. Thus, he must devote his life to the spread of his ideas and entrust others to carry the majority of the burden of seeing them to fruition.

3) He becomes the embodiment of his ideas.

             Through a natural process, he will become the embodiment of his ideas. As he seeks to spread them and live them, he will become them. If he preaches pacifism, he will become a pacifist. If he preaches anarchy, he will become an anarchist. 

Beyond these three transformative observations, I have also made observances about the ideas themselves.

1) His ideas are not necessarily “good”.

              Popular ideas are not necessarily “good” ideas. I use “good” in a utilitarian point of view, in which what amounts to the greatest benefit for the greatest number is perceived as “good”. There are many examples to this, I need not point one out.

2) The perception of his ideas change with time, space and community. 

               Communities have different values, morals, expectations and ideals. Thus, it is appropriate that different communities in different times, spaces, and communities will perceive and idea and an individual who embodies that idea differently. For one community in a specific time and space, one idea may be popular which would be unpopular in a different time, space, or community.

3) He does not have to be the creator of an idea.

                However, he must be its strongest advocate. Minds are shaped over time and ideas are constructed as reflections of time, space, events and relationships. Thus it is fair to argue that ideas are not isolated, but rather a result of countless interactions. So, he is not necessarily the creator of his ideas, but has the duty of bringing his ideas to the forefront of discourse. This is done by becoming his ideas strongest advocate. 

Consequences

The power to shape other’s minds and will is undoubtedly the most powerful ability one can have. All individuals interact and understand the world through their personal philosophy and ideology, if one is able to shift or take control of that, then they have the power to shape the image of one’s world.

Is this power evil? No. Not all individuals may have the same education or understanding of the world available to him. If his intentions and ideas are beneficial to society then he will bring them more good than they would have been able to understand on their own.

Should this power be limited? Yes. First and foremost, I believe the greatest evil to society is hegemony. The oppression of minority ideas by creating a “norm”. Thus, I believe dialogue within discourse is the most necessary concept needed within society. I believe that all ideas should be given the opportunity to stage themselves within discourse and that all ideas, no matter the time and place, should be critically analyzed and evaluated. By not limiting an individual’s ability to become an idea and spread that idea, there is the possibility that they will become a hegemonic oppressor. 

It seems I have strayed from my original argument of how men become ideas into how men can effectively control others. A dangerous thought to become, as I said earlier, enthralled with. Especially for a political scientist. 

I shall keep a watchful eye on my own quest to understand the world, politics, hegemony, ideas, and discourse. 

During these past two weeks two of my Professors (current and former) have began to express their interest in helping me go to Graduate School. 

I found out that one of the Professors was actually the other’s Professor and Mentor in undergraduate and graduate school. Perhaps I am next in the line? Hahah I just kid I just kid.

But seriously i’ve been thinking about becoming a Law Professor. Something about teaching others and sharing knowledge with others excites me. We’ll see what the future holds. The only thing demanded of me is to keep all doors open by getting the best grades as possible.