Extreme views: Seeing the world from the edges, or rooted in a view S K Ditta

The greater the sense of confusion grows, so grows the desperation to find answers. Finding oneself unable to compete in a world of ever-growing divides, even those with experience find themselves thrown off-balance. Falling down the slippery slopes of divided views, people find themselves secure at the very edges. From the very edges they establish viewpoints, hanging on to the very slightest semblance of reason. That reason is founded in misunderstandings and errors, and hence extremes find easy control over the views.

In order to advocate their own brand of reason, people are willing to believe the most fanciful stories. And once the willingness to believe has already started to move in a particular direction, evidences start to appear and confirm notions. Those notions start to look as facts. Materializing of notions starts to turn into proof. When sufficient proof has accumulated in the mind of a person, he is willing to stand up for some claims to truth. Seldom to a point and then never after a point does it occur that, the very pursuit was based on something that was fundamentally flawed. Greed, self-interests, and selfishness can blind humans very easily!

IF the presentation of truth is convincing, the person starts to have a following. Yes, the style of presentation and manner has a big impact on humans. When the manner is seen as calm and reasonable, people seeking stability are more inclined to believe. They start to believe, this person is calm and reasonable, so calmness and reasonableness must dwell deep within him. The calmness and reasonableness might be deep, but it may really only be a learned “technique of influence”. Humans have successfully learnt to pretend, and to be “hypocrites for a cause”. When the cause is fulfilled, the hypocrisy disappears, or it defends itself with violence.

On the other hand, there is likely a person with a very different style and presentation. There is fire and there is zeal. It might again be a learned technique, but it has an effect. Those seeking release from the mundane, apathy-filled existence, looking for excitement are then more easily influenced. These humans find their own following, and exert influence over their followers.

All these different styles and contents of presentation have an effect on the interested observer. The presenter very obviously to the neutral person is, attempting to hold the interest of the biased observer. It is very clear, most presenters are simply seeking to restrain/control/hold the interest of their observers. When there is the possibility of seeing different presenters from different points of observation, the commitment on any one view becomes difficult. Views can start to become irrelevant.

It is also important to remember that, humans are conditioned to respond to a matter or a presentation. No one is really impervious, and the most vulnerable are the overconfident and arrogant. Some are attracted by strength, some are attracted by weakness, but we are pulled in some direction by reasons that we neither know, nor understand.

What we see in extremism is, the proof of the insecurity of humans who must live life as bound to a view. In this, they become like trees and not men. Trees must stand in one place and view the world. Men can travel in the garden of the world, and see all the trees they want. What do you wish to be – a tree, or a man?

There is a kind of person who knows without learning. There is a kind of person who is raw. There is a person who is not confounded by and trapped in knowledge of deceivers, elaborating foolishness in books that keep changing. I too am a fool! There are books though that, do not change. People change, and find reflections in unchanging books. It is good to have books that, do not change. Who wants a mirror that is fluid, and changes reflections day-after-day! It might satisfy, please, or disappoint the one peering into it. When people don’t like mirrors, they are known not to look into them or break them down entirely. Looking at one’s own dishonesty and being compelled to admit one’s own limitations is, deeply painful.

Looking at one’s own dishonesty and being compelled to admit one’s own limitations is, deeply painful.

Humans are influenced by their perception, and each person is entitled to his own. The arbitrary declaration of one perception as right and another as wrong is, fundamentally a very anti-individualistic concern. At the same time it also shows a hidden desire to establish a relationship where, the one making judgments keeps himself in power. There should ideally, not exist such competitions of power among humans. What is, is! People find it very unsatisfactory, especially those who have fully adopted the view of life being a competition among animals. The adoption of this view is also rooted in a perception that, has gone through the layers of understanding and made a place for itself in the psyche.

There should ideally, not exist such competitions of power among humans. What is, is!

The basic reason behind all this contemplation and writing is this: we find what we search for. We can find the “evidence”, and then subject the evidence to testing. We make the laws, we take the measurements, we make the instruments, we interpret the findings, we seek to replicate our findings, we succeed or fail to varying degrees in replications and interpretations….and during all this, we forget how self-centered we have become in the process. Step back and see! There is life and creation beyond the experiments of science, and the pursuit of knowledge.

I have to wonder, if the choice to go down a certain track is really all that conscious to begin with. And what is consciousness? There might be a pure consciousness, but as soon as it starts to use the languages available to us as humans, we have started to direct the consciousness by the vocabulary we have adopted. The language or languages a child is exposed to start very early to shape the perceptions that arise from that consciousness; many believe, even as early as when the child is still in the womb.

We were all born in a cage. Even a tree is tightly packaged within the seed, and no matter how free the tree becomes, it must be rooted to where the seed broke open. Humans are also the same way. Before we become aware of freedom, choice, decision, perception, or consciousness we have already been subjected to forces that will shape what we become. The only hope a person has is, if a higher power is protecting the encaged person. This always makes me think of the narrative about Jesus. Similar narratives exist, for instance about Abhimanyu in the Mahabharata.

In our time

During this time of insecurity, we find security in extremes, away from balance. If someone or something tries to move toward balance, the insecurity within others immediately tries to push it toward the edge. OR think of a tree, made to stand firmly in the strong winds of change. The tree must sway and stand at the same time….or it must grow feet.

In our time

Therefore, in the interest of surviving in a world of changes, ask yourself: Do you want to be a tree or a man?

At SKDitta