Wars have always been the most interesting and insightful topics all through my life. I never really cared to judge who was right and who was wrong. The vested interests of a very few change the courses of thousands of lives, and in few cases, millions. The stories of people involved in the war, whether it is the fighters, the survivors or the victims, never fails to intrigue one. History has always been the story of the so called ‘winners’.
So easily do people (including myself) who have little knowledge or insight into the real situation utter nonsensical judgments that we form by reading a story here and there. People take pride in the downfall of a particular community, country or a religion. How shallow are we to condemn someone by race, sex, religion or region? We are easily aggravated by a silly thought one expresses on a website. We renounce our tolerance, our intelligence, and our openness, to counter an uneducated comment. We fight for a reason known to none. We mask ourselves in illusions created by others; sometimes, unfortunately, by ourselves. We enjoy flattering ourselves with our own beliefs, while blocking our view to others’. What a life we lead, and yet we take pride in our mere existence.
It is not about any of those specific comments that I’ve read or those thoughts that people have expressed. It is about our views and ideas as humans. It is the idea of wanting to see only that, which we want to see. It is the sickening thought of not being able to acknowledge every person’s struggle, emotion, perception, and much more. It is about those answers we never try to explore behind them. It is about the ease with which we form our opinions, which seem so strong, that it could be shocking. It is an interestingly ‘sane’ world that we live in. That’s probably the reason why we fall in love with occasional glimpses of love, pain and sorrow.
About Me
- Enigma©
- Columbia, South Carolina, United States
- On a journey to discover life. Where the journey is more exciting than the destination.
1 comment:
Very insightful, Enigma. A few questions:
Is anyone person right or wrong? Isn't everyone right and wrong depending upon the lens through which it is viewed and who's perceptions are being taken into consideration?
Is it about seeing only that which we want to see, or, in addition, that which we are trained to see through up-bringing, media, and peers? It is much easier to be complacent and follow an already conceived idea than it is to think for oneself and develop new ideas or compilations of varying views (especially when such thoughts could directly challenge the mainstream). And it is much easier to latch onto a belief even when one knows he is wrong, in order to protect one's pride, than to fall to one's knees and admit an error or ignorance.
E. E. Cummings said, "It takes courage to grow up and become who you really are." Why? Most likely for many of the reasons you stated: It is all too easy to mask ourselves in the illusions created by others or ourselves. That is easier than questioning or going against the grain.
Emerson aptly stated one means for achieving what you discuss: "Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail."
Thank you for thinking for yourself and for inspiring such actions and provoking a more thoughtful, humble, and compassionate life. As your personal quote acknowledges, the journey is more exciting than the destination. Particularly when one begins to consider and live as you propose in this blog post, "Pride in Blindness."
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