Most of us can probably define ourselves as male or female, but in this day and age, the roles of each gender (at least in our society) have grown increasingly ambiguous; not to say that this is a bad thing. While gender roles used to be quite black and white (as they still are in some other societies), the gray area between seems to be constantly increasing. To be a man or a woman does not really matter that much to many of us any more, save for a few specific areas such as sexual orientation or personal title (Mr., Mrs., Ms., etc.). Once again the most important thing to consider is who we are to those around us that we care for and who we see ourselves as; what roles we expect ourselves to fill, both in our own lives and the lives of everyone we interact with on a regular basis. We must step back and discover who we really feel we are before we try to define ourselves and those around us in simple terms such as Man or Woman.
Even while the term artist may be less role-binding than those mentioned above, the same aspects of self discovery are still important to recognize before accepting or placing any labels on ourselves or others.
"Our insistence on cognitive knowledge may have already robbed us of some of our capacity for being human."
This statement is a powerful reminder that we as a species are so gung-ho about discovering every tangible (and intangible, for that matter) thing on (and off) our planet that we sometimes forget who we really are. In our search for knowledge, we quite often over-pursue, sometimes to the point that the whole meaning behind the original quest is all but lost on us. We must rediscover ourselves before attempting to solve the rest of the mysteries out there.
Your entry made such a strong point, and I just wanted to mention that I loved your last paragraph.
ReplyDeleteDelaney,
ReplyDeleteYou made a really great point in your last paragraph but I have to disagree with it. In my opinion, knowledge helps us discover ourselves. While scientists study astronomy, biology, chemistry, and any of the other sciences under the sun, they're studying the components of our earth and what lies within us. This plays a key part in discovering our place in the universe. And it's not only the sciences that help us with our discovery. Art, literature, and music also provide thoughts and ideas that can provoke new ways of thinking. The information around us gives humans more of an opportunity to discover who they are on the inside because they have the ability to see what they could be.
Delaney,
ReplyDeleteI think that you made an extremely good point when you mentioned that we cannot make a conclusion on what it means to be human until we have made a conclusion on who we are individually. I think that a large part of what makes us human is that idea that we're all different and interpret this question in different ways. This attributes to our environment, how we were raised, and the society in which we live. I would have to disagree on your last paragraph, though. I think that our insatiable curiosity helps us to better understand our world and to further develop.
I do agree with this post. As people, we often search for outer truth, not our own inner truth. As spiritual or non spiritual beings, trying to understand feelings is a constant struggle and an exploration that will be constant in humanity. Our understanding of outer space is actually greater than our understanding of our own oceans (See http://voices.nationalgeographic.com/2013/06/20/space-exploration-dollars-dwarf-ocean-spending/). But with that being said, we have to start closer to home. Into our own beings themselves, understanding where we come from as humans with feelings and thoughts, a contradiction in itself, and our yearning for our inner truth.
ReplyDelete