Good afternoon!
It's good to be back. The life we live is like a massive ocean and we're surfing on the waves trying to keep our heads above the water. Some of us are just surviving and some are up on the high tides and some are sinking deeper with each passing wave. And we dont stay in one place, one minute you could be sinking and the next minute you are elevated to take a breath of air.
I would like to announce that in my current state (and for a few days now) I've been surfing on the high tides. It is really quite exhilarating. Things are going well, I feel extremely alive and sociable and snarling and ready to take any challenge that meets me. My social circles are expanding exponentially and I am beginning to really culture some of my skills to my benefit.
I am on the pinnacle of youthfulness.
I know it sounds so manic or perhaps hypomanic, and so what? Even if it is, as long as I'm functioning and I'm Ok with it then that's all that matters.
I know of course that this state of being on the pinnacle wont last for too long, because nothing we experience is ever permanent. We have to rise then drop then rise again...then stagnate for a while and so on. So I wont attach to this feeling of awesomeness, because I know that it'll slip through my fingers as soon as I try to grasp it.
It's alot like grains of rice...they will stay in your hand if you just gently let them stay...but as soon as you clench your fist to grab them hard, they'll slip through the cracks between your fingers.
It's not worth the trouble. It is alright to just experience the moment and enjoy it while it lasts.
I have also come to realize that being anhedonic is really not all that bad. To be completely present and living in the moment.
The past is gone and the future is still to come...so just focus on what you have now.
Another thing that happened yesterday that made me realize how humans have this inherent impulse to provide comfort or justification. It is a good thing however in other times it is entirely inappropriate and counter-intuitive.
In times of crisis or emotional volcanos one of the ways to deal with people experiencing it, is to just give them space. To not speak a word. To not provide comfort or justification. To frankly just shut the hell up and just be present.
Realize, that no matter how logical your words are, they will do NOTHING to help a bereaved person. They will do nothing to lighten the blow for a person who has just recieved acutely distressing news. Or a person who is reflecting melancholic-ally.
I entered the ER as an intern and, as I often like to do, stand in the corner and observe the movements and behaviour of the people inside. The injured, their families, the doctors, nurses, interns, the security guards. Everything! The dynamics inside the ER is a rich and nutritious medium for any keen observer.
So I decided to focus my attention on the resusitative attempts made on a thin, frail, 60 something year old man who had just sustained injuries as a result of motor vehicle accident. The doctors and nurses were swarming around him, inserting tubes and attaching monitors and all those medical things. He was mumbling and kicking and slightly combative.
When suddenly the monitors went flat and everyone was alerted that this man has just gone into cardiac arrest.
And so the cardiopulmonary resuscitative measures started. Young muscular interns standing on chairs opposite the patient's bed and taking turns to compress the heart. It looked like a desperate attempt to awaken the dead. Futile. But they continued on anyways, for around 15 cycles. Which, according to my limited knowledge is a few fold above the recommended cycles to be attempted. Injection of adrenaline. Hema-gel infusion. A little something here and a little something there and finally they stopped. Nothing worked and the man was declared dead.
As soon as the declaration was made the swarms dissolved. It was a brilliant show! The appeared so quickly and seemed so vigorous and suddenly when the curtains closed they evaporated.
And they arent wrong to do so. This is a dead human who no longer requires the service of the living. They cant help him and he cant respond to them. And not forgetting that humans, by nature are very uncomfortable with the idea of being in the vicinity of the deceased. Perhaps because it reminds us of our own mortality and finity.
I continued to stand there to watch the aftermaths.
I watched the process of the policeman coming into to document the death, the sons of the man arriving and seeing their father dead. One of them was tearful and unable to withstand to look at his father...he looked once or twice then turned his face to one side and covered his eyes and weeped quietly. The other son was full of anger and began to shout to the policeman to tell him, that who ever did this to his father will pay for what he did and that we shouldnt let this pass...etc.
Both men are hurt and disturbed but each one represents it in a whole different way.
I think that perhaps the one that weeped will be the one who recovers and accepts it, quicker. I dont know, just my hypothesis.
Then I watched as the nurse gently tied feet and hands together to prevent his limbs from expanding laterally after the process of rigor mortis and the process of covering him up.
I touched the old man's arm, as I was curious about whether he'd gone stone cold, as I read in scary books. He was cool, room temperture. Then I realized that now that he is dead, he is no longer warm-blooded mammal. His temperture is a reflection of the external temperture, similar to a reptile which we refer to as cold blooded.
The dead are so docile and non-defensive. It does seem morbid and dark of me to make such an observation, but I couldnt help but think that way. He is no longer defensive. You can say anything to him and you can inflict any injury on him and he won't flinch in defense. His face wont colour up with frustration and his words wont get offensive and vulgar...or at least he wont cross his arms in physical defense. He will lie there, submissive.
It is our natural state. We were born completely helpless and submissive and we return to that state at the end of our lives.
Living is a sandwich, of submissive helplessness on each pole and a fire of strife and struggle in between.
As I was standing there looking at my deceased friend with cloudy eyes and total disconnection from the buzzing around me in the ER, a colleague approached me and I nearly jumped out of my skin from being startled.
He looked at me right in the eye and seeing that my eyes were clouded with a thin film of tears and a strange mesmerized facial expression he asked me if I was alright. I smiled and nodded. "Why are you standing like that? Don't be upset about it...we are all going to die and turn to dust anyways...it's not a big deal"
I was thinking...so you come and disturb my thoughtful tranquillity with your bullshit justifications and comforting? I started to feel myself getting defensive and angry...however I realized that he was not worth my time or words.
I nodded... "yeah, I know...it's alright I know"
He looked at me right in the eyes and said.. "Well, my name is David anyways"
"Nice to meet you David, I'm Wegdan"
His smile was a concerned smile, but I didn't care. I just needed him to go away, because with every passing second I was getting agitated from his insensitive disruption.
And then I realized that David wasn't the bad one. David was just a human being, doing what all human beings do on autopilot when they see someone who's upset or disturbed or whatever. They say bullshit and empty justifications.
It made me ever-more aware of what I say when I'm faced with disturbed and upset people. I'll tape my lips together and only speak if I have something meaningful to say. No autopilot comforting.
Tuesday, May 26, 2015
Friday, May 22, 2015
The Wind. Park Wang Kyu
Today's blogpost is gonna be simple. It is something I'd like you to listen to. This is from the soundtrack of a pretty amazing kdrama called Empress Ki. Park Wang Kyu's voice is absolutely amazing here, so throaty and expressive. I particularly loved the ending which was escalating and emotional.
Thursday, May 21, 2015
Love in the ICU
On the verge of death, he was.
He knew he was dying. The beeping machines were reminding him of every time his heart beat. The pulse oximeter on his finger. The wires attached to his chest.
The beeping was so continuous and so persistent that it began to sound like a countdown timer. A countdown in which we didnt know when it'd stop, but we were sure it'd stop eventually.
He opened his eyes and asked me the time.
"It's 2 oclock in the morning, father"
He nodded. "2 oclock in the morning.." he repeated thoughtfully.
I wondered what he was thinking and whether 2 am meant anything to him. In that intensive care unit, day was like night.
Even daylight doesnt dare enter such places.
Not because it's scary. But because it's the place where most human beings die slowely. In nature, these people would have died long ago. It is their natural course. However, human 'advancement' has allowed people to live longer and die slower.
He cleared his throat. "Do you know that I taught my children to love...to truely love. Do you know that?"
I smiled and asked him how. He went on to say, "I'm talking about unconditional love. The love that isnt associated with what you do or what you look like. For example, you are standing here a beautiful young girl...that's not the reason to love someone. But real love is to love for everything a person is, as a whole. Just like that."
I nodded again.
"My children love just the way I taught them, I'm not a philosopher but I've seen a lot from life..." he stopped and I could instantly read his face changing and crumpling with emotion.
I looked down to give him a chance to regain his composure.
He said gently "You can go now, please"
I nodded without looking up and walked away.
After a few minutes I returned to tell him that if he needed anything, I'll be waiting a few meters away.
He didnt answer and his eyes were closed, but I am certain he heard me.
I wonder if I'll find him in this state tomorrow.
It is intruiging that most of the patients I speak to in the hospital, when they know they are ill or on the verge of death, they never speak about their financial accomplishments or what they've won or the positions they have reached.
They talk about family and love and mercy and God.
They speak of loved ones who have stood by them, or have died. Their eyes overflow with tears and they bite their lips trying to control their emotions.
They speak of God's blessings and how they were saved or looked after by God.
They give advice like "keep your heart pure" "forgive" "love openly" "submit to God" "always be grateful"
They'd say "alhamdulilah" and sigh.
They feel self pity, some of them. And some, feel as if they've been given a pass to a new level of spirituality.
I treasure my moments with the terminally ill.
I wonder if I'll die a slow death and get the chance to reflect and give advice too. I wonder what I'll say or what I'll cry about.
What memory will make me bite my lip and look away and fight back tears?
As I write this, I am fighting tears already thinking about what I might cry for. I might cry for how I've lived so well and been blessed so much yet not giving enough to pay back some of the debt.
I might cry for the gentleness and love of my parents for me and how I sometimes returned it with harshness and how I regret that.
I might cry for not being grateful when the whole world was at my feet.
I might cry for not asking for forgiveness when I should have done so, to someone I have wronged
It the things we didnt do, that would make us cry.
I'll try to remember that.
He knew he was dying. The beeping machines were reminding him of every time his heart beat. The pulse oximeter on his finger. The wires attached to his chest.
The beeping was so continuous and so persistent that it began to sound like a countdown timer. A countdown in which we didnt know when it'd stop, but we were sure it'd stop eventually.
He opened his eyes and asked me the time.
"It's 2 oclock in the morning, father"
He nodded. "2 oclock in the morning.." he repeated thoughtfully.
I wondered what he was thinking and whether 2 am meant anything to him. In that intensive care unit, day was like night.
Even daylight doesnt dare enter such places.
Not because it's scary. But because it's the place where most human beings die slowely. In nature, these people would have died long ago. It is their natural course. However, human 'advancement' has allowed people to live longer and die slower.
He cleared his throat. "Do you know that I taught my children to love...to truely love. Do you know that?"
I smiled and asked him how. He went on to say, "I'm talking about unconditional love. The love that isnt associated with what you do or what you look like. For example, you are standing here a beautiful young girl...that's not the reason to love someone. But real love is to love for everything a person is, as a whole. Just like that."
I nodded again.
"My children love just the way I taught them, I'm not a philosopher but I've seen a lot from life..." he stopped and I could instantly read his face changing and crumpling with emotion.
I looked down to give him a chance to regain his composure.
He said gently "You can go now, please"
I nodded without looking up and walked away.
After a few minutes I returned to tell him that if he needed anything, I'll be waiting a few meters away.
He didnt answer and his eyes were closed, but I am certain he heard me.
I wonder if I'll find him in this state tomorrow.
It is intruiging that most of the patients I speak to in the hospital, when they know they are ill or on the verge of death, they never speak about their financial accomplishments or what they've won or the positions they have reached.
They talk about family and love and mercy and God.
They speak of loved ones who have stood by them, or have died. Their eyes overflow with tears and they bite their lips trying to control their emotions.
They speak of God's blessings and how they were saved or looked after by God.
They give advice like "keep your heart pure" "forgive" "love openly" "submit to God" "always be grateful"
They'd say "alhamdulilah" and sigh.
They feel self pity, some of them. And some, feel as if they've been given a pass to a new level of spirituality.
I treasure my moments with the terminally ill.
I wonder if I'll die a slow death and get the chance to reflect and give advice too. I wonder what I'll say or what I'll cry about.
What memory will make me bite my lip and look away and fight back tears?
As I write this, I am fighting tears already thinking about what I might cry for. I might cry for how I've lived so well and been blessed so much yet not giving enough to pay back some of the debt.
I might cry for the gentleness and love of my parents for me and how I sometimes returned it with harshness and how I regret that.
I might cry for not being grateful when the whole world was at my feet.
I might cry for not asking for forgiveness when I should have done so, to someone I have wronged
It the things we didnt do, that would make us cry.
I'll try to remember that.
Wednesday, May 20, 2015
The graciousness struggle
"courteous kind, and pleasant, especially towards someone of lower social status."
| synonyms: | courteous, polite, civil, chivalrous, well mannered, decorous, gentlemanly, ladylike, civilized, tactful, diplomatic; |
Such beautiful adjectives. I beg to differ, however on the "towards someone of lower social status" part. I think that in our day and age, the idea of being courteous and pleasant is considered gracious even if you are dealing with your equal. I think that graciousness is more towards "especially to those who have wronged you" rather than those of lower social status.
I have always had this central gravitation towards a life of graciousness. In my perfect and untainted state, my core is graciousness. I try to become as courteous and as benevolent as I possibly can. There are times when those traits falter and I can be the absolute opposite of courteous.
A monster.
synonyms: rude, impolite, uncivil,
discourteous, ill-mannered,
bad-mannered, unmannerly, uncouth,
disrespectful, ungallant,
insolent, impertinent,
impudent, churlish,
boorish, gauche, cavalier,
offhand, unladylike, ungentlemanly,
blunt, gruff, curt, terse, sharp,
short, surly, unfriendly,
hostile, unkind,
inconsiderate, insensitive
Notice how the words 'being blunt" and "being sharp" have exactly the same meaning despite being in descriptive terms, the opposite?
I find it intruiging!
So clearly is there is two poles of anything inside a single body, there is a conflict...a sort of 'tearing apart' sorta conflict but the idea is that, the dominating, most treasured pole is the one with the upper hand control. And I believe that this sort of struggle between gracious vs ungracious is one I'm willing to experience daily until my graciousness muscles have hypertrophied and my ungracious muscles have atrophied.
They wont dissapear, but they will atrophy with the right amount of effort and time.
Monday, May 11, 2015
Knock and run
Some one knocks on the door.
You, having learnt that knocking on the door is often associated with uncomfortable news ignore the first few knocks.
Despite so, the knocks continue.
You have no choice but to approach the door, hoping with each step that the person on the other side will give up and walk away...but they dont.
You stand at the side of the door and cautiously ask "who's there?"
And a nervous, yet determined voice introduces themself to you, asking you to open the door for them.
You hesitate.
Then with some effort you manage to creak the door open slightly so you can peek over and see the knocker, personally.
He is standing there, with friendly eyes and a smile that is so welcoming. The stranger reaches out their hand and asks to come in. They tell you to take your time and to think carefully and they dont mind waiting out there just a little until you trust them enough to let them in.
After some thought and emotional negotiations within yourself you decide to let this stranger come in.
I can trust this person, I hope. I think this might be safe and worth it.
You cautiously open the door gradually until it is wide enough to let them in.
You see the person at the door face to face and it dawns on both of you that both sides had made the right decision. He was glad he summoned up the courage to knock and she was glad she summoned up the confidence to let this warm stranger in.
"Come in", you say "It's pretty cold outside, it'll be nicer here"
The stranger smiles with delicate wrinkles around his eyes and just as he is about to step in exclaims "Oh, I dont think I can." and he walks away just as abruptly as he has come.
You stand at the door, dumbfounded.
Why? What happened? Did I do something wrong? Why did they leave just as I opened up the door?
After I had put in that much thought and consideration into the topic, the stranger that I (sort of) trusted walks away!
After overcoming the speechless shock, a shade of anger rises up within you and you slam the door shut. Who is he to do this to me? It's totally my fault for opening that damn door! Without even an apology or a word of consideration! Despicable!
The echos of the slamming of the door reverberate in your ears and after the anger calms down another thought crosses your mind...what if they come back at the door? Will I open it again? Or will I keep it shut?
You are filled with this curiosity that conflicts a bit with your ego and you dont know what you would do. You creep over to the peephole every now and again to see if they've returned. And surely, there is no one.
It is a curious thing indeed.
He should have never knocked in the first place...
You, having learnt that knocking on the door is often associated with uncomfortable news ignore the first few knocks.
Despite so, the knocks continue.
You have no choice but to approach the door, hoping with each step that the person on the other side will give up and walk away...but they dont.
You stand at the side of the door and cautiously ask "who's there?"
And a nervous, yet determined voice introduces themself to you, asking you to open the door for them.
You hesitate.
Then with some effort you manage to creak the door open slightly so you can peek over and see the knocker, personally.
He is standing there, with friendly eyes and a smile that is so welcoming. The stranger reaches out their hand and asks to come in. They tell you to take your time and to think carefully and they dont mind waiting out there just a little until you trust them enough to let them in.
After some thought and emotional negotiations within yourself you decide to let this stranger come in.
I can trust this person, I hope. I think this might be safe and worth it.
You cautiously open the door gradually until it is wide enough to let them in.
You see the person at the door face to face and it dawns on both of you that both sides had made the right decision. He was glad he summoned up the courage to knock and she was glad she summoned up the confidence to let this warm stranger in.
"Come in", you say "It's pretty cold outside, it'll be nicer here"
The stranger smiles with delicate wrinkles around his eyes and just as he is about to step in exclaims "Oh, I dont think I can." and he walks away just as abruptly as he has come.
You stand at the door, dumbfounded.
Why? What happened? Did I do something wrong? Why did they leave just as I opened up the door?
After I had put in that much thought and consideration into the topic, the stranger that I (sort of) trusted walks away!
After overcoming the speechless shock, a shade of anger rises up within you and you slam the door shut. Who is he to do this to me? It's totally my fault for opening that damn door! Without even an apology or a word of consideration! Despicable!
The echos of the slamming of the door reverberate in your ears and after the anger calms down another thought crosses your mind...what if they come back at the door? Will I open it again? Or will I keep it shut?
You are filled with this curiosity that conflicts a bit with your ego and you dont know what you would do. You creep over to the peephole every now and again to see if they've returned. And surely, there is no one.
It is a curious thing indeed.
He should have never knocked in the first place...
On emotional decisions
Today's been a mentally eventful day for me and the theme for tonight is: how to cope with taking harsh emotional decisions.
Well first of all, it is most wise to NOT take emotional decisions, target have them be decisions based on objective information and logic.
Feelings aren't made to take the upper hand in decisions, sure they have a helping role but essentially we have been granted with a 'logic' evidence based system to make decisions with.
So it's quite normal that we allow ourselves to get so overwhelmed to the extent that nothing really matters other than how you feel about something and taking rash decisions in accordance.
Today I've done the same... Unfortunately
I despise emotional decision days cuz they're much harder to fix...however with a little effort their effects can be ameliorated
First one must spend time alone and figure out the LOGICAL reasons why they took such a decision
Second one must spend time to find out how they could have misunderstood or read the signs wrongly or misunderstood the person (this is tough)
Third one must evaluate whether their decision will make conditions better for YOU and for the person involved...and why?
Fourth eventually you must break the silence and communicate your decision..have a sound explanation for it...find sound justification for it (if it's justifiable)
If not then you gotta find a way to apologize
Hmmmm that's all my input for now
As for my dilemma, I have found my logic and reason and on my way finalizing it.
I am an agreeable person most of the time but when it comes to some issues I have, I can become the bitchest, nastiest creature alive.
Inshaallah all will be well in the end
See you around folks :)
Well first of all, it is most wise to NOT take emotional decisions, target have them be decisions based on objective information and logic.
Feelings aren't made to take the upper hand in decisions, sure they have a helping role but essentially we have been granted with a 'logic' evidence based system to make decisions with.
So it's quite normal that we allow ourselves to get so overwhelmed to the extent that nothing really matters other than how you feel about something and taking rash decisions in accordance.
Today I've done the same... Unfortunately
I despise emotional decision days cuz they're much harder to fix...however with a little effort their effects can be ameliorated
First one must spend time alone and figure out the LOGICAL reasons why they took such a decision
Second one must spend time to find out how they could have misunderstood or read the signs wrongly or misunderstood the person (this is tough)
Third one must evaluate whether their decision will make conditions better for YOU and for the person involved...and why?
Fourth eventually you must break the silence and communicate your decision..have a sound explanation for it...find sound justification for it (if it's justifiable)
If not then you gotta find a way to apologize
Hmmmm that's all my input for now
As for my dilemma, I have found my logic and reason and on my way finalizing it.
I am an agreeable person most of the time but when it comes to some issues I have, I can become the bitchest, nastiest creature alive.
Inshaallah all will be well in the end
See you around folks :)
Our magical kitchen
Imagine that you have a magical kitchen in which whatever you wished for to eat would be made. Without any effort the food that you want would be magically cooked. You were so generous that you'd invite over people everyday to come eat from the products of your magical kitchen. It made everyone happy as well. Now one of those days someone came knocking on the door with a pizza in one hand and said "I will give you this pizza, everyday just for you. But there is one condition, that you treat me well and be good to me and let me control you."
Can you imagine what you'd say in this situation?
Personally I would laugh...he's offering me a pizza when I have this brilliant magical kitchen that can make way more pizzas. And why should i settle for his offers when I could be perfectly happy with my magical kitchen, in fact you'd invite him over and say, forget your tiny pizza come on it, I have more food. Come in and share it with me without any conditions.
Now imagine a situation in which you didn't have a magical kitchen in fact you haven't had much to eat for quite sometime and then the same guy with the pizza knocks on your door making the same offer...would you react differently?
Sure you would. You'd settle for his conditions just to satisfy your hunger everyday. In fact youll become desperate and needy. Afraid that any day the pizza man will forget you and leave you and offer the pizza to someone else.
You become possessive and obssessive in your thinking. You want to own the source of pizza to have compelete control over it. To secure that it'll serve you each day.
Now imagine that this magical kitchen is your own heart and how you feel about yourself. And instead of food, it's love.
If your magical kitchen is full of love (for God, for goodness, people and more importantly yourself) then you'll be unafraid to share it with all those around you. Indeed, people love to be around you from all the good spirit that you exude.
You aren't needy of love but you appreciate it. When someone offers to love you* especially 'conditioned' love then it becomes laughable. Why should I, when i have so much of my own to share. *(but as most people, they 'love' but with conditions like if you treat me well and if you become what i want you to be, I'll love and accept you. This isn't love at all, but it seems that society has polluted the concept of love and made it into this agreement instead of a conscious and willing acceptance and respect of how a person is completely away from neediness or desperation.)
On the other hand, if you have no love for yourself, nor for anyone how are you capable of real and unconditioned love? You'll convince yourself that it's love when I'm fact it's desperation and you'd settle for anyone who offers you the 'pizza' just because you're starving.
The first example is all about generosity and giving and sharing good times it leads to respect and trust and understanding.
The second example is about poverty and neediness which leads to possessiveness and a toxic vicious cycle of extreme jealousy and distrust.
I know many people who 'love' and commit with others simply beause they've been starved and the pizza man happened to come along.
Sometimes those kinds of relationships last however they are hell in comparison to the generous and unconditional love that is shared among people who both have a magical kitchen and decide to share its fruits together and to the world unconditionally.
Effect of Graffitti
Each time I go out and pass by the streets and shops of Cairo, especially lately ive gotten intruiged by the graffiti on almost every plain surface available.
On billboards, on buses, on walls, even on the metro it self.
messages messages messages.
Everywhere you go you pass by those written messages..sometimes theyre artistic depictions as well. It makes me wonder...what is the effect on a commuter that passes graffiti messages everyday?
I commute to college twice a day for around 2 hours in total, five (sometimes 6) days a week. For months and months.
How will passing by those messages, consciously (then as u get accustomed to them, subconsciously) affect us and our opinions?
Most if not all of those messages are political..and I can understand that they have a direct and understandable political influence on people (i will demonstrate my point). What intruiges me more is what non-political, subliminal effect do these messages have on our emotional health? our moral system? how we behave as people in society? how we communicate?
To what degree is a (for example) "Freedom for Syria" message inscribed on a wall or a flag painted on the back of a bus affect us? Or a "so and so is a murderer" or a "so and so is my president"
I say "so and so" because I dont want to limit this topic to current political events in the middle east. Rather, by eliminating names our Russian baldy friends could also relate :D *note: this is an inside joke, youre unlikely to understand if youre actually from russia and are baldy..vlad..*cough*
So back to graffitti, I opened up this discussion at the table during dinner and the conclusions were interesting, at least to me.
Directly if I support A and I see graffitti in support of A my beliefs will be strengthened and reinforced. If the graffitti of A are wide spread and constant to many places, it gives the supporter of A a sense of comfort and further affirmation that not only is his/her support correct but that many many other ppl over a large geographical area believe in the same idea.
Even if this isnt the case in reality.
Man feels strength when he realizes that many other men believe in what he believes in.
Even if a million individuals feel the need for revolution and are convinced with it..nothing will happen if they arent aware that people believe in what they believe in.
That is the psychology of censoring and the social networking restriction in countries like china. If people were allowed to openly share their ideolgies and realize that others have similar views, too soon people will conglomerate and create revolutions everyday.
So graffitti has a reinforcing ability on the supporters of a certain side. It is saying "yes! youre right..we think like u! join in"
I would think that graffitti to a certain degree can lower the threshold for taking action. I cannot say it is an actual ingredient but it maybe a small enzyme in the complex cauldron of human motivations and external influences.
However the tendency for the graffitti effect to wane is understood, simply due to accustoming to the message. Graffitti is a force yet it is also evanescent.
How about the graffitti that supports A and an observer who supports B or doesnt support A?
Would these messages have an effect?
Surely they do. Probably in the opposite direction. I say probably since all our reactions are varied but from what we concluded, I predict that a supporter of B will become more opposing of A.
But..their support for B is unlikely to be strengthened.
A weak supporter of B may become a weaker still supporter of B by seeing supporter of A messages that are loud, clear, well distributed and strong. However I doubt of one's entire belief system could be changed by graffitti no matter how strong the message.
All these conclusions are merely hypotheses, I admit I have not read any literature on such a topic (eventhough I'm certain that the influence of graffitti has been scientifically tested and still quite uncertain).
I'm going to read up literature on this and see where it takes me.
Also I havent reached an answer to the other part of my question which is the indirect subliminal effect graffitti might have on our daily lives.
A study carried out in Germany concluded that people living in areas that are unclean with alot of rubbish (and graffitti) are areas which predispose the residents to harbour more racial prejudice and hold on to false stereotypes.
Too bad however that a few weeks later the author was reported and put on the black list for fraud and fabrication of results of the study.
I'll be back :D
On billboards, on buses, on walls, even on the metro it self.
messages messages messages.
Everywhere you go you pass by those written messages..sometimes theyre artistic depictions as well. It makes me wonder...what is the effect on a commuter that passes graffiti messages everyday?
I commute to college twice a day for around 2 hours in total, five (sometimes 6) days a week. For months and months.
How will passing by those messages, consciously (then as u get accustomed to them, subconsciously) affect us and our opinions?
Most if not all of those messages are political..and I can understand that they have a direct and understandable political influence on people (i will demonstrate my point). What intruiges me more is what non-political, subliminal effect do these messages have on our emotional health? our moral system? how we behave as people in society? how we communicate?
To what degree is a (for example) "Freedom for Syria" message inscribed on a wall or a flag painted on the back of a bus affect us? Or a "so and so is a murderer" or a "so and so is my president"
I say "so and so" because I dont want to limit this topic to current political events in the middle east. Rather, by eliminating names our Russian baldy friends could also relate :D *note: this is an inside joke, youre unlikely to understand if youre actually from russia and are baldy..vlad..*cough*
So back to graffitti, I opened up this discussion at the table during dinner and the conclusions were interesting, at least to me.
Directly if I support A and I see graffitti in support of A my beliefs will be strengthened and reinforced. If the graffitti of A are wide spread and constant to many places, it gives the supporter of A a sense of comfort and further affirmation that not only is his/her support correct but that many many other ppl over a large geographical area believe in the same idea.
Even if this isnt the case in reality.
Man feels strength when he realizes that many other men believe in what he believes in.
Even if a million individuals feel the need for revolution and are convinced with it..nothing will happen if they arent aware that people believe in what they believe in.
That is the psychology of censoring and the social networking restriction in countries like china. If people were allowed to openly share their ideolgies and realize that others have similar views, too soon people will conglomerate and create revolutions everyday.
So graffitti has a reinforcing ability on the supporters of a certain side. It is saying "yes! youre right..we think like u! join in"
I would think that graffitti to a certain degree can lower the threshold for taking action. I cannot say it is an actual ingredient but it maybe a small enzyme in the complex cauldron of human motivations and external influences.
However the tendency for the graffitti effect to wane is understood, simply due to accustoming to the message. Graffitti is a force yet it is also evanescent.
How about the graffitti that supports A and an observer who supports B or doesnt support A?
Would these messages have an effect?
Surely they do. Probably in the opposite direction. I say probably since all our reactions are varied but from what we concluded, I predict that a supporter of B will become more opposing of A.
But..their support for B is unlikely to be strengthened.
A weak supporter of B may become a weaker still supporter of B by seeing supporter of A messages that are loud, clear, well distributed and strong. However I doubt of one's entire belief system could be changed by graffitti no matter how strong the message.
All these conclusions are merely hypotheses, I admit I have not read any literature on such a topic (eventhough I'm certain that the influence of graffitti has been scientifically tested and still quite uncertain).
I'm going to read up literature on this and see where it takes me.
Also I havent reached an answer to the other part of my question which is the indirect subliminal effect graffitti might have on our daily lives.
A study carried out in Germany concluded that people living in areas that are unclean with alot of rubbish (and graffitti) are areas which predispose the residents to harbour more racial prejudice and hold on to false stereotypes.
Too bad however that a few weeks later the author was reported and put on the black list for fraud and fabrication of results of the study.
I'll be back :D
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