The world is all-encompassing, inculcating a large swath of diversity; that is, “we,” or in other words, “us,” are just a finite entity in a gargantuan cosmos; such a fact is vividly elucidated by the image known as the Pale Blue Dot. Yet, ambiguously instilled in “us” is a distinctive, and yes, a peculiar attribute: the ability to reason. At this juncture, last year, I envisaged transcribing my views pertaining to whatever is transpiring in the world; I neither had any credential to substantiate my writing nor the required self-esteem; hitherto, the persistence and solidification of my resolve to partake in a bewildering journey dissipated any preconceived doubts.
Ironically, as the name of the site ostensibly tends to exclaim, I had deemed to conform my writing under the paradigm of foreign policy; however, its (the site) intrinsic meaning transmogrified over the span of a year: shedding away the veneer of the society by a singular aspect—foreign policy—and immersing into, bluntly speaking, literally anything: from dissecting the zeitgeist to transcribing a prose on a Hindu hymn and to recently shedding light on the importance of weaving a moral framework, albeit an abstract principle.
To be candid, during the overarching period, I had been extremely ossified by the perilous nature of politics. For a truism, its contemporaneous state certainly is a symptom. The corrosive nature stems from someplace, after all. The problem has to be demarcated by social observers; such a mantle of being perceptive, then a commentator that pontificates their own dogma, is pivotal in times, especially when there is polarity in a litany of aspects: creed, color, religion, and gender. As previously stated in the treatise “The Bubble Bursts—The End of Illusion”: “With the riddance of the old order, regrettably, it has inadvertently embroiled the homo sapiens with the idea of the ‘I’ at the expense of the ‘us.’”
At its core, in the recent past, I succumbed to a realization that folks that do not don a political lens are dismal; correspondingly, each action, even of goodwill (and ill will), is signaled vis-à-vis a degree of zealous adherence to an idea, value, norm, or ideology; in extreme cases, it skews towards astronomical sycophancy, just gauge upon the apologist in the intelligentsia for political malfeasance.
Over the past year, I have been inundated by colloquial ways to explain nuances; hence, personally, I vociferously detest a phenomenon commonly denoted by psychologists as “splitting.” In essence, it implies the categorization of any phenomenon, as modicum as it may be, into the compartments of good versus bad, oppressed versus oppressor, and us versus them.
In addition, I have also learned that, not being unbeknownst, “we,” in no sense whatsoever, exude the intellectual prowess of Aristotle or Nietzsche; however, insofar as the intrinsic attribute that permeates us homo sapiens—to think and discern—need not be forfeited to algorithms, be they chatbots or the formation of our reality under the guise of content on social platforms.
In part, it is our civic responsibility to be cognizant of global discourse. That being said, the commonly reverberated retort to knowing is not knowing due to “cynicism” from many qualms in society. Though, “we,” without a sliver of doubt, have a pair of eyes. That is why we should engross ourselves (physically) into a community, be it religious or secular; such an endeavor does not only shed a new facet in an already diverse social world but, importantly, it is human experience that augments empathy.
Above all, as I reflect on the journey of the past year, it has been fulfilling, since, as proclaimed by Socrates, “The only true wisdom is in knowing you know nothing.”
Similarly, to ponder about our social reality should be a continuum.
Finally, as I end this short essay reflecting on the work of the past year, it may seem that my writing is just another hue of convoluted jargon, embroiled in an ornate lexicon. The axiom “pity the reader” has merit, but I reckon—why not challenge the reader? As the process of garnering knowledge, surely an insurmountable hurdle it may be, is equally as important as knowing the unknown.
An optimist I will always remain, and the process of questioning will linger as long as my mental acuity allows me; to be encumbered by thought is the capitulation of both the physical and mental self.
