Sexism, Racism, Donald Trump: Division
Hey Steemit,
I wrote this piece with the intention of submitting it as an editorial to my local, small-town newspaper in response to a notable pattern of neo-feminist-leaning columns. I've had enough; I think I channeled by irritation constructively. Any feedback is welcome, I appreciate the readership.
Thank you,
Calvin
The following is inspired by an editorial in the Grenfell Sun that was recently published by a regular columnist.
This author’s intention is not to argue, antagonize, or offer a personal opinion on the topic of sexism, or neo-feminism, or Donald Trump. The purpose of this editorial is to gesture the reader in an alternative direction.
One wonders why things aren’t simple, why life can’t be simple, why we can’t get along. There is an answer, but do we want to know?
Why is it that we are looking for something, always searching? There are layers to our searching; everything from and between the relatively shallow, physical areas of concern, like trying to find the right diet, to deeper questions of philosophy, spirituality, and our obligation to one another. We look to the experts for answers; the ministers, our books, this or that politician, the television, etc. We are bombarded with mixed messages, conflicting ideals, and hidden agendas.
Do the ideas that we gather from these trusted sources fit in with our reality? Do these ideas align with what we actually experience in life, or is there a division between the two? If there is a division, this makes for a conflict inside the mind. Conflict is produced by holding two or more contradicting ideas at the same time; the ideas do not fit together, but we force them together. This forcing together of incompatible concepts is called belief. Belief is how we reconcile our incompatible ideas, how we help ourselves feel better. The planet is shrouded in belief. Religion, nationalism, and government are examples of belief; systems of reconciling the discrepancy between what we’ve been taught and what we actually see in front of us.
If such a conflict exists within us, between what we “know” from listening to the “experts” and what we actually experience as individuals in daily living, could this lend itself as an explanation for the unrest and suffering in the world? This is to suggest that the outer is reflecting the inner in real-time. When the “outer” world is in a state of war, of perpetual conflict, this is a projection of the individual’s internal conflict.
We are a species with a unique, specialized way of being awake. To be awake is to be conscious. Just as all birds or all fish have a certain form of wakefulness in common, human beings have a form of their own. This commonality defines a species, and human beings are a species, one species. We are one because we are sharing the same form of consciousness at this very moment; we are all functioning within the same stream of consciousness. Our beliefs about gender, race, nationality, and culture establish the division of our species, even though it is not divided in actuality.
It can be taken for granted that somewhere, at this precise moment, someone is being murdered as a symptom of our division, as a result of our belief systems. Through understanding our internal division and its relationship with belief, we can see the actuality of war, which is that we are choosing to commit suicide. The actuality is that a handful of us are murdering millions of us in horrific ways. Our beliefs prevent us from seeing this actuality. The outer is reflecting the inner: The individual’s internal division results in belief. That belief results in external division, which results in external conflict, and that external conflict will eventually result in our extinction.
Mainstream news sources are filled with that which divides us, and it is frustrating to see that division permeating even a local publication like the Grenfell Sun. The reader is urged to habitually question the ideas that are presented. Do the ideas align with reality? One determines the value of an idea, the truth of an idea, by observing the action it inspires. What is the value of the action being inspired by our ideas about feminism, or racism, or Donald Trump? Are these ideas creating division?