The Immaculate Conception (of the nation state)

Note :

• This post will use some uncommon words. Necessary to maintain accuracy of the discussion.
• Clarifications and further explanations can be found in the footnotes. These are recommended reading.
• When I speak of Islam and Christianity here, this in general refers to the mass of followers of these two key religions.
• Most of the manifestations here are a result of man's interpretations of the holy books the Koran and the Bible. In the case of the Christians, Vatican and Protestant doctrine. In the case of Islam, the various Hadith.

[BEFORE you say anything, SHUT UP and READ IT TO THE END]

This article is an original piece inspired by an article by the BBC found here.



Main Entry: Immaculate Conception
Function: noun
1 : the conception of the Virgin Mary in which as decreed in Roman Catholic dogma her soul was preserved free from original sin by divine grace

- Merriam Webster's


Interesting concept isn't it? For the Catholic Church, it's a pretty rare thing too. Happens once every couple of thousand years.-* Well basically what it says is this, Mary, was born perfect. Sin - Nada. While interesting enough on it's own, it's a controversial doctrine you see. Controversial because it's taken as dogma whereas nothing in the bible actually says that Mary was born perfect. Nice as it would be to pick it apart, that's not what we're here fortoday. What we're going to take a look at today is the whole idea of immaculate conception of the race and nation state.

Our world today is one divided by religion, race and ideology; in that particular order. While a great deal has been made about the whole idea of a clash of civilisations (i.e. "secular christian civilisation" versus "muslim civilisation") , not much has been written about the underlying reasons why this clash is taking place. What we're going to examine briefly today is first the clash of religions and second of all the clash of races (where religion again comes into the picture.) and why the idea of the Immaculate Conception is so important.

The Battleground

Let's take an objective view at the whole idea of a clash first. Conflict occurs when the beliefs and values of one side do not suit those of the other or there is a disagreement over the way to achieve a certain end. Each side then tries to push their own ideas to the fore. Resolution however can never be reached without either the emergence of a single dominant ideology at a higher or equal level.-# This is achieved by either one way or two way synthesis of the ideas until a point of agreement can be reached. Critical for this synthesis to work, this new ideology must be accepted by the masses.-$ Why this is so will be discussed later. Resolution by forcible domination is not within the scope of this argument, as will become evident.

The first question that must be answered is this : Is there a real clash? The answer is yes. It is evident in the amount and substance of polemic being tossed by both sides. Further supporting this is the fact that the principles dictating their behaviour are very much different. Neither side is willing too nor can come over to the other side. A primary example of this is the principle of freedom of expression and freedom in general. Islamic civilisation ( caliphate, syariah, even Islam Hadhari comes to mind ) tends to place a greater emphasis on absolute "truths" in every sphere of life. This idea spills over into their governance and also judicial practices. Secular Christian civilisation on the other hand by and large to the idea of separation of church and state. This idea gained momentum after the Reformation and was formally articulated during the French Revolution. - ^ In contrast to the overt influence that Islam has over the state, the Church has learnt to interact within the bounds of the secular state. A clear example of this is the Vatican's seat at the United Nations. Hence, the clash of civilisations becomes more defined.

The Immaculate Conception

Our little blue dot is becoming alot smaller. People are 'virtually' getting closer. As that happens, civilisations tend to have to brush shoulders alot more often. As such, differences on both sides tend to rub the other side raw. That's when conflicts begin to appear. But rather than put a bandage on the wound, society has a virus. This virus is particularly insidious because it prevents both the wounded societies from putting medicine on the wound. Rather, it starts an infection going that quickly spreads.

This virus is the idea of the immaculate conception of race, religion and nation state. In a nutshell, this is the believe that a society can do no wrong. As in the case of the 'virgin' Mary, the belief is that this society was born perfect without sin and can now do no wrong either. If something goes wrong, someone has victimised the society. It is impossible for this society to be morally wrong. This society can be religious, racial, race or nation based.

Lets take Israel for example. Just to show that there are idiots on both sides of the divide. Ever since the ancient of state of Israel was conquered by the Babylonians in 586 BCE, through the brutal suppression of the Maccabean uprising by the Romans, right till the Third Reich of the Nazi's, the Jews have suffered. However, looking at more recent history particularly after the establishment of the modern state of Israel in 1948, they have engaged in systematic persecution of the Palestinian people. Acts such as the punitive policies of destroying Palestinian homes and the intentional suppression of the Palestinian economy can in no way be justified as defense of the Israeli state. However what we see right now is that if anything is said which is seen to criticise the Israeli state's actions, one is immediately labelled an anti-semite (in itself a totally wrong term. ). The Israeli people still see themselves as victimised by the world and this prevents them from participation in a solution to the Palestinian plight. More examples can be found in Japan (Rape of Nanjing, Pacific colonisation), Turkey(Armenian Genocide) and China(Tiannamen Square). This also relates to the race issues in Malaysia.

[ I have made the concious decision not to elaborate directly on the Malaysian race based issue. However, it is linked to the view that one race has been victimised. p.s. If you decide to read more than necessary into this and get emotional, you're a bloody prick with no brain. AND that's putting it lightly. ]

The end result of this is that people within the society are capable of spending hours talking about how they have been victimised but that their society has never hurt anyone else. Simply put societies don't like talking about the bad stuff they have done to others but love to feel victimised. This can be understood in the light of the concept of societal pride. This pride must have a moral base where the society is perfect i.e. the immaculate conception of the society. Bad stuff which a society has done or is doing simply does not sit well with the lily white view of the society.

The belief in the immaculate conception then is the key issue behind the inter-societal conflict. If there are two societies, both of which believe equally in their societies immaculate conception, conflict will be the ultimate result. This failure to accept that their society can be the perpetrator of abuse or does not have the moral/intelligent high ground prevents the masses from taking steps towards ending this abuse and/or taking active steps to solve the problem. Neither side can back down.

[TAG - I will post more on why societies act this way at a later day. For now, man is a herd animal. ]

What it means - Resolution


The clash of civilisations mentioned at the onset is going to get more pronounced.Admittedly, the solution cannot be one sided. One side admitting it's own failures while the other doesn't will not solve the larger problem. It is however key to bringing about improvement in the society that can face it's own past. Taking the skeletons in the closet out and giving them a proper burial certainly make your house a healthier place. Perhaps society needs to learn that done at a proper pace and with dignity, there is no ignomity in doing the right thing.

For the big picture though, the future is bleak. The wounds will always be there, only when everyone wants to heal them will we be able to move to something better.



Footnotes

* If you're wondering, well according to Vatican dogma, only one ever happened. And considering that it was about 2000 years ago, well yeah, a couple of thousand years is just about right.

# Clarification for synthesis at different levels

• higher level - i.e. the general acceptance of the United Nations as an arbiter over the alternative of unilateral state action.
• similar level - i.e. the interfaith concept. different religions absorb certain beliefs from each other while maintaining a reasonable differentiation in other aspects.

$ Here I use the term masses to maintain readability where I would have preferred to use the term "collective conscience and conciousness". It is the idea ingrained within the society which is the source of their actions.

^ The separation of church and state as proclaimed during the French Revolution in the latter part of the 18th century was the result of Reformational strivings toward a guarantee for the freedom of the church and the natural-law ideas of the Enlightenment; it was aggravated by the social revolutionary criticism against the wealthy ecclesiastical hierarchy. The separation of church and state was also achieved during and after the American Revolution as a result of ideas arising from the struggle of the Puritans against the English episcopal system and the English throne. After the state in France had undertaken the task of creating its own political, revolutionary substitute religion in the form of a “cult of reason,” which was foreshadowed by Rousseau's discourse on “la religion civile,” a type of separation of church and state was achieved. The French state took over education and other hitherto churchly functions of a civic nature. - Quoted from Encyclopaedia Britannica

Dropping the shackles

Darn, I haven't written in awhile. In a long while. Guess I'd forgotten how much relief it could bring me. A short preview...

"Hounded by the silence of a thousand miles,
brushing aside thoughts of the past.
The pilgrim has to believe,
to believe in the oasis. "

Blog updates shall be more regular in future. Weekly I hope.

Cheers

A pleasant dinner

Thinking of the whole racial economic problem over here, I thought this was an interesting illustration which sheds light on what we should consider before going any further with more affirmative action or even the putting of one race above any other. This is an interesting illustration commonly used to explain a certain taxation philosophy but it's equally applicable in this case.

5 friends go to a restaurant together every month. The first, Michael is rich, Alfred and John are working class men, and Tom, Dick and Harry are poor. Now, they have a great dinner and everyone enjoys themselves. Then the time comes for the bill to be paid, and it costs 100 dollars. The restaurant owner says,"Well, in this restaurant, we try to be as fair as possible, so each man will pay according to how much he is worth." Everyone is fine with that, so the Michael pays 40 dollars, Alfred and John pay 15 dollars each and the Tom, Dick and Harry pay 10 dollars each. So they say goodnight and everyone goes home.

Several months later, before their monthly dinner, Tom says to Dick and Harry "Let's invite Tony along." So Tom, Dick and Harry invite Tony. They go for dinner, and everything goes on as usual until it's time to pay the bill. The bill arrives and it is now 120 dollars. So the restaurant owner asks how they're going to divide the bill. Immediately, Tom says, well, Michael is the richest, so he will pay the most. Michael will pay 60 dollars, Alfred and John will pay 20 dollars each and me, Dick, Harry and Tony will pay 5 dollars each. Now Michael gets a little angry, but Tom, Dick and Harry are still his friends so he keeps his mouth shut.

The next month, Tom says to Dick, Harry and Tony, "You know what, Michael is so rich. Why don't we just rob him and take all his money? Then we can have a totally free dinner and we can bring two other friends along." So they wait until just before Michael is about to enter the restaurant, and they rob him and beat him up. Tom then takes his wallet and they go into the restaurant and have dinner.

Tom pays the bill, and everyone is happy. Perfect solution.

The next month comes, and then it's time to pay the bill again. Except Michael is not here. ( Who would want to come back after getting robbed and beaten up eh? ) The bill comes up to 100 dollars again. Now Tom has already spent the rest of the money in Michael's wallet so he takes out 5 dollars same as the times when Michael was here. Dick, Harry and Tony also only have 5 dollars with them. Alfred and John only have 20 dollars each. They're still short by 60 dollars. The restaurant owner then comes along, takes the 40 dollars, throws them out, and tells them never to come back again.

Replace Michael with Ah Chong and draw your own conclusions.

The downfall of man is not the end of his life

Something about that quote just hits the right note. For me at least, when I see people rushing around, pushing themselves, harder and harder to reach a certain objective, it makes me wonder, when is it all enough?

Today’s world tends to make a lot out of tangible achievements, money, fame, fortune, power. But amongst all of that, sometimes we just need to ask ourselves, is all of it really what we want.

In the many sessions I’ve had, sitting down with various people, talking through their problems, the one common strand which reappears again and again is a lack of direction. Simply put, people don’t know what they truly are seeking in the first place. Without that direction, it goes without saying that finding fulfillment becomes much more elusive. After all, the tougher of the two is finding what you don’t know you’re looking for.

Undeniably, tangible achievements have their place, for instance as measurements towards certain goals. But tangible achievements as is, can’t be true destinations, because the actions and perceptions which define these achievements do not have black and white direct connections to the basic things which make us human. In order to be made sense of, tangible achievements must always exist within a reference frame.

To illustrate, for most people they would probably agree that winning the state lottery is a happy event. Now, lets change the surrounding’s a bit. You’ve just been stabbed. You’re lying in a pool of blood on the street, feeling the warm life ebbing out of you, knowing that an ambulance won’t be able to reach you in time. Then this guy rushes across the street, and he tells you, “Hey mate, your face is all over the papers! You’ve just won the state lottery!” He’s smiling like an idiot, waving the paper in your face while your life ebbs away. At that point in time, how important really is that 25 million dollars to you?

The point should be self evident. Whether it be a degree in higher education, or it be a position of power, none of them have permanent value. Remove the relative framework, and it all collapses like a house of cards in a storm.

Where does this lead us too then? Perhaps a reevaluation of what is truly valuable to us? Sitting down and actually write them down, one column for what we really want, and a second column for what activities actually consume the most time in our life’s now. Then maybe, beside each, have a little column, if I were to die tomorrow, would this really make sense. Put a little tick beside each activity which would matter, and you’d be surprised how much crap there really is in our life. I think I shall do that now… Cheers

A Warning

This is written as a warning to those around me who, whether with a good motive or not, counsel me and when it fails, attempt to coerce me in a particular course of action. This is a statement of the process my mind goes through before embarking on a course of action.

If I do choose to ignore a certain counsel, do not think that I'm ignorant of the realities or risks which accompany this course. I'm not. I consider all counsel given. But in the end, as a free moral agent, depending on the priorities that I've set and the existing conditions, I may or may not choose to follow a certain set of guidelines. In the end, I believe that my actions are between me and my God and between me and the persons affected.

I have differing priority levels for different principles. All of them are weighted differently, some are influenced by circumstances, most are not. They're personal principles dictated by several things, among them firstly, my religion, secondly my familial considerations, thirdly financial and practical considerations. If I've made a decision, then it is the best that I believe it to be at that particular point in time, all other advice to the contrary taken into account.

Do not assume that I'm bloated on my own knowledge and assumptions. That's very very risky ground. When counselled, the first thing I do is question myself and the second is I do my research. If I'm proved clearly wrong then a course change will occur. You can attempt to convince me with additional proof but I do not appreciate coercion.

This declaration also states that I hold myself as ultimately responsible only to God and the agents which I choose. Any normal human has to make judgements at many points in their life. My judgements are guided by various factors but made by me. The consequences are mine to bear. If I choose a certain course, then yes, I am prepared to bear those consequences. Crying over spilt milk is not my thing.

Lastly, I do not have the time or the inclination to deal with such attempts. I will walk away. Don't push me to that. Even if you don't have faith that I'm have taken the right choice, let me assure you that I can turn my back on whatever it is and I can walk away. While that would be a very radical action, ask the select few who know me well, and know that painful radical choices are not something I fear.

Goebbels' Principles of Propaganda

Food for thought :

Selected Excerpts
from Goebbels Joseph, Nazi Propaganda Chief

Based upon Goebbels' Principles of Propaganda by Leonard W. Doob, published in Public Opinion and Propaganda; A Book of Readings edited for The Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues.

1. Propagandist must have access to intelligence concerning events and public opinion.

4. Propaganda must affect the enemy's policy and action.

a. By suppressing propagandistically desirable material which can provide the enemy with useful intelligence

b. By openly disseminating propaganda whose content or tone causes the enemy to draw the desired conclusions

c. By goading the enemy into revealing vital information about himself

6. To be perceived, propaganda must evoke the interest of an audience and must be transmitted through an attention-getting communications medium.

7. Credibility alone must determine whether propaganda output should be true or false.

9. Credibility, intelligence, and the possible effects of communicating determine whether materials should be censored.

11. Black rather than white propaganda may be employed when the latter is less credible or produces undesirable effects.

12. Propaganda may be facilitated by leaders with prestige.

13. Propaganda must be carefully timed.

a. The communication must reach the audience ahead of competing propaganda.

b. A propaganda campaign must begin at the optimum moment

c. A propaganda theme must be repeated, but not beyond some point of diminishing effectiveness

14. Propaganda must label events and people with distinctive phrases or slogans.

a. They must evoke desired responses which the audience previously possesses

b. They must be capable of being easily learned

c. They must be utilized again and again, but only in appropriate situations

16. Propaganda to the home front must create an optimum anxiety level.

18. Propaganda must facilitate the displacement of aggression by specifying the targets for hatred.

19. Propaganda cannot immediately affect strong counter-tendencies; instead it must offer some form of action or diversion, or both.

I'm not encouraging propaganda, quite the reverse, listing the characteristics to identify it. One would be surprise how much of "news" and hearsay falls within these category. Drawing the fine line between tolerable bias and propaganda...

Just a Tad too WOWed

When a respected medical expert tells us that a whole bunch of people on one of the most successful MMORPG's in existence is addicted to it, it tends to make eyebrows go up.

Twitch Guru - Expert: 40 % of WOW Players Addicted

However, while it was a wake up call, it shouldn't have come as a huge surprise. Computer addiction has been bandied about for a long time, but it's not until recently that the mainstream started to recognise that it is a problem.

For me it's a tad scary when you seen an acquaintance sleeping in front of his computer, foregoing food and sleep because he's too enthralled in World of Warcraft. For them, their daily conversation revolves around the game they're currently playing. If you're someone who doesn't play the game, try being among a bunch of them who all play the game and see what happens. There's a high likelyhood that once they get started yapping about their online personas and that virtual life, you will be totally and truly lost. Listen to them for awhile however, and you realise the level of immersion involved. They end up planning what they will be doing in the virtual world while they're right here in the real world, to the exclusion of a great number of other things. The truly scary part is when you give it some thought and realise that these people actually end up giving more thought to decisions made in this virtual reality compared to those in real life.

To counter the howl of WOW players (I can hear it even now.) that this is all wild assertion, an examination of addiction is in order. What is addiction? Referring to an article from the Mayo Clinic on drug addiction (accessible below) contrasted with the symptoms of game addiction:

Symptoms include :

Feeling that you need the drug regularly and, in some cases, many times a day Making certain that you maintain a supply of the drug Failing repeatedly in your attempts to stop using the drug Doing things to obtain the drug that you normally wouldn't do, such as stealing Feeling that you need the drug to deal with your problems Driving or doing other activities that place you and others at risk of physical harm when you're under the influence of the drug

Craving more and more time at the computer Feeling empty, depressed, irritable when not at the computer Having a sense of well-being or euphoria while at the computer Inability to stop the activity Lying to employers and family about activities Neglect of family and friends Problems with school or job

How many of these match the behaviour of people who are stuck to their computers? I'd dare say 4 out of the 6. The first point is a given, considering that many of these gamer addicts need their daily fix, not getting it can make them moody and disgruntle, even worried about how their virtual alter-ego's are fairing in that world. Even during examination periods, when they're deprived of their fix and under high stress, that's where they turn for release. The second, clearly symptomatic, when someone you know spends RM60 or more a month on WOW reload cards, it's maintenance of supply. The third, when these people try to stop, but after awhile relapse back into it. The fifth, while not as clearly parallel as the upper three is how these virtual addicts tend to use this virtual reality as an escape point. Quoting from one of Dr. Orzacks experiences,

"I asked him what happens when he plays the game: was he simply playing a virtual character or did he feel like he was actually in the game? He told me when he plays, he is in the game completely. He had become immersed in World of Warcraft and had trouble removing himself from that virtual world. I also asked what he expected to find each time he turned on the game, and his answer was a sense of belonging. This individual came from a family that was unfortunately breaking up, and World of Warcraft was his way to escape that. This 18-year-old individual was miserable. He didn't get along with any of his family members and kept withdrawing into the game."

While this is admittedly a hardcore case, quite a few players I know do find a sense of identity and belonging in that world. Ultimately, they allow their interactions within the game itself to shape their perceptions. So what? Well, considering how our perceptions shape our decisions, I'd be worried if my perceptions and views weren't based in the real world. That's where there's a real potential for screwing things up. I doubt I really have to go on.

The really fun part of it all is defining when it turns into addiction. Well for drugs, this is how the Mayo Clinic defines it :

"Drug use or abuse crosses the line into drug addiction when you feel you have to have the drug, and you increase the amount of the drug you take."

Let's take that sentence in the context of game addiction:

Game use/play crosses the line into game addiction when you feel you have to play the game, and you increase the amount of the time spent on the game.

The worrying thing is that these people do not fit into the typical image of a person who is addicted per-se. While the common stereotype of an addict of any kind is a loser in life, someone who can't think for themselves, a visible failure, these new generation of addicts are actually very much so intelligent people with opinions and thoughts of their own. A new generation of games is arriving that is ever more inclusive and immersive, and addictive. While generations of past geek and nerd gamers got addicted on far less immersive two dimensional games and shallow story lines, what happens next when you've a virtual world which is ever more immersive? Draw your own conclusions...

For the piece de resistance, well,

"Physical addiction appears to occur when repeated use of a drug alters reward pathways in your brain. The addicting drug causes physical changes to some nerve cells (neurons) in your brain."

has that already started happening to somebody you know? Maybe it is time to sit up and take note...

References:

BBC Article - A cause for concern

Mayo Clinic - Symptoms of Drug Addiction

Computer Addiction - Symptoms

Freedom Singularity

It was a dark night, a hot night and a boring night. The books were there to be studied, the exams to be faced, and a host of other problems to be dealt with. Sometimes, the soul just needs relief. Freedom so to speak. For that, there is nothing quite like hopping on to a bike. (Bicycle mind you.. my dad would never let me ride a motorbike. But that's another story altogether.)

The feeling to be looked for is that singular melding of man and metal. A point in emotional space and time where you're in total control of every single point around you. One twist of the handle and like an extension of your thought, you go careering off into another direction. A continuum from the last but at the same time a whole new choice. Each cycle of the pedals bring a new response. You feel every bump on the road, every hole, every crack, and instinctively respond.

There is nothing quite like taking a ride to a different dimension of mind and soul altogether. For that, there is nothing quite like a bike ride on a hot night.

Why now?

For those of you who know me, some of the instinctive reactions will be "Finally!".

This idea to actually start writing a blog as definitely been thrown around quite a few times, but until this date, I've simply never had the patience to sit down and actually hit the keys. Lately too, I've realised that alot of the thoughts and ideas that were worth getting penned down had never actually seen the daylight. Every single time I actually said to myself, hey, that's a good idea, then promised to actually write it down, well to this date, I've got a few raggedly bits of paper and not much else. Not being the type of person to keep a diary, and those thoughts not being the type that I'd rather keep to myself, hence, a blog. =)

Well, having actually gotten a blog, chosen (hopefully) a layout that's easy on the eyes, the challenge now will be to keep it updated. How well I succeed will to a large degree depend on how much self discipline I can muster.

Comments are welcome, but be forewarned, some of the thoughts will not be the most comforting.