Symbols, Censorship and Social Agreements.

Let's pretend there has not been a four year hiatus since my very first entry in this (attempted) blog- beating around the bush saps my focus. I've been ruminating on symbols and art and agreements and neandertals. What can I say? It's how my brain works.

Merriam-Webster defines "symbol" as : an action, object, event, etc., that expresses or represents a particular idea or quality. We all know that, right? But who decides what a symbol represents? And how do we know that anyone else holds the same idea that we do in their own mind? This is a complicated question, which leads to layer upon layer of abstract concepts like cognitive psychology, sociology. and, depending how far down the rabbit hole you want to go, the nature of consciousness, perception and of reality itself.

Semiotics, one such rabbit hole, is the study of "the life of signs within a society." Consider the semiotic definition of signs (or symbols - for the intents and purposes of this blog) in which a sign inherently requires an interpretant in order to function as a sign. This definition, in loose layman's terms: A sign/symbol is what it is only because of association with something else, with which it has been determined to be associated by some person. Or even simpler: A sign means what the interpretant says it means. Okay, you may be thinking to yourself, "Thanks, Captain Obvious," but don't take this seeming simplicity for granted. Because symbols are defined by the interpretant, a translator, meanings of symbols, by nature, are mutable and interpretations are subject to bias.  (See my previous entry about subjective reality).

I see this mutability as the first level of complexity regarding signs and symbols. Another is the fact that, in order for a symbol to transcend the individual's interpretation, we must have agreement among our peers, our society, as to its meaning. A simple example is in the letters of our alphabet. Letters have a definite phonetic meaning because we have agreed to their meanings in order to assimilate and communicate in writing. As english speakers we all recognize B, H, and P as letters that respectively make the sounds, well... B, H, and P. However, to native Russian speakers, these same symbols make completely different sounds, which English speakers would indicate with the symbols V, N and R. The interpretation of these symbols depends entirely upon social agreement.

But I am not writing to expound on the social acceptability of alphabetic characters. Let's turn to the real crux of my philosophical explorations.

Swastika: from the Sanskrit svastika, which means “good fortune” or “well-being." It is an important symbol in the Hindu faith and has been for thousands of years. In fact, this ancient symbol has been used by cultures all over the world, from Asia to the Americas and everywhere in between, to represent this same concept.

However, for many (possibly most) people in western culture today this symbol has become strongly aligned with an entirely different connotation, one of hatred, racism, genocide and just plain evil. I myself struggle to disentangle these opposing interpretations of the swastika, deeply rooted in my head. (Spending my formative, adolescent years with a father figure who was inappropriately fond of the hateful connections to the swastika probably doesn't help).

Reclaim the Swastika

Unfortunately, serious discord and confusion is liable to arise when such starkly contrasting translations clash. The Anti-Defamation League's website lists the swastika as a hate symbol and states that it is one of the most commonly used images in 'shock graffiti' in the U.S.  This type of vandalism is definitely fueled by ill intent and is often classified as a hate crime. It should not be surprising that people might feel alarm or dread at the mere sight of a swastika. This does mean, however, that those who regard the swastika as a sacred, religious symbol may be forced to defend themselves in doing so.

In march 2015, a student at George Washington University was suspended and temporarily evicted from campus housing pending investigation of an alleged hate crime. The act in question? A student, wishing to share what he had learned during a recent trip to India, about the origins of the sigil, posted a souvenir medallion in the shape of a swastika on the bulletin board of a fraternity house. He stood nearby to answer questions, but briefly stepped away, allowing a window of opportunity for fear and confusion to set in. To complicate matters, this same frat house had been very recently maliciously vandalized with spray painted swastikas.

Several organizations stepped up to help protect this student and defend his intentions, including the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education and the the Hindu American Foundation.  After clarification of the events, GWU rescinded the student's suspension.  Although many groups and individuals praised the school's administration for acting, in the end, on reason, there is still a representative group of people who maintain the opinion that the GWU student was only "mostly innocent" and must have intended to upset people, calling what he did a "fake hate crime" or a "hoax."  This sort of narrow minded obstinance infuriates me.  It implies that the religious significance of the Hindu swastika is at the very least irrelevant, the transparent excuse of a cowardly muckraker hiding behind a leftist stance of cultural tolerance, and at worst a patent lie, which denigrates entire cultures around the world.

http://atlanteangardens.blogspot.com/2014_06_01_archive.html

The diversity of human culture, and the complexity of the human psyche precludes the possibility of ever eradicating such attitudes, which makes conflict and controversy inevitable.  This thought brings me back to the idea of subjective reality and interpretation of symbols.  We, as Homo sapiens, have distinguished ourselves from the neandertals by advancing our capacity for abstract thought, epitomized by language, math, art and religion.  Of these, I believe art is the purest manifestation of that essential, human capacity.  As such, art is also a manifestation of individual reality and subject to the mutability of interpretation.  It is, and will always be, as equally volatile as the humans who make it.  Ebullient and incendiary, exaltant and abhorrent, trivial and essential.  If we seek to censor art, we seek to suppress the very nature of our own species, not only the weak, shameful, hurtful aspects of our nature, but also our nature to grow, to learn, to love and to evolve.

More:
What is Censorship? www.aclu.org

The Meaning and Significance of Swastika in Hinduism  www.hinduwebsite.com

History of the Swastika  www.ushmm.org US Holocaust Memmorial Museum

The Swastika Story: How an ancient sacred symbol became adopted by the Nazis  www.hinduhumanrights,info

The Swastika: Ancient symbol of well-being struggles to overcome Nazi connections   bharatabharati.wordpress.com

Swastika - Good luck emblem of ancient america  mallstuffs.com

Only What You Take With You

"That place… is strong with the dark side of the Force. A domain of evil it is. In you must go."

"What's in there?"

"Only what you take with you."

―Yoda and Luke Skywalker

Concept art of Luke Skywalker entering the gnarltree which housed the Dark Side Cave for The Empire Strikes Back.

I find that I tend to think in conceptually morphing archetypes that turn round and round in my mind like overlapping patterns and interlocking puzzle pieces.  While I'm fond of metaphor, I still struggle to articulate most abstract ideas more clearly.  I often wonder if I ever make sense to any one at all.  This blog will hopefully serve as a framework for substantiating my thoughts, ideas, interests, and imagination.  By the time I had finally honed a purpose for a blog, and resolved to start one, I had a sense of direction for a theme and title, yet ruminated a bit longer on how to represent this endeavor.  I thought along the lines of a ‘Fool’s Journey’ or ‘Hero Path.’  Then for some reason my mind wandered from Joseph Campbell to Star Wars to a specific scene in ‘Episode V’ and that’s when something clicked.

Anyone at least moderately familiar with the Star Wars saga will recognize the passage above as the prelude to Luke's confrontation with a spectre of himself in the guise of Darth Vader.

Yoda cryptically informed Luke beforehand, however, that there would be in the cave 'only what you take with you.' The chilling deduction can be only that Luke himself had manifested the Sith Lord out of his own fears and expectations. Though a bit fantastical, this is a fairly accurate metaphor for what I believe we all do in our own lives everyday.  Some days more dramatically than others.

Every individual has their own unique niche of existence in which he or she builds a subjective reality.  A reality constructed from a lifetime of experiences, social interactions, thoughts, ideas, memories and misconceptions. Everything we say and do, every decision and judgement we make, stems from within us.  A set of principles derived from Toltec Shamanism, popularly known as the Four Agreements, is largely based on this concept, most specifically that which says, “never take anything personally,” because what others say or do is merely a projection of their own reality.  No matter  how we or any other external stimuli  may have prompted a person to act, they do so as a manifestation of their own internal attitudes.

I’ve discovered that this is often considered the most difficult of the Agreements to integrate into one’s life and, for some people, difficult even to fully comprehend.   Personally, however, this philosophy resonated with me immediately and has come to hold value and meaning in multiple aspects of my life.  Utilizing this perspective to examine how you interact with the world can be enlightening and liberating.  Understanding how you manifest your own reality can be empowering and sobering.

When Luke entered that cave on Dagobah, he plunged into the darkest depths of his own subconscious and lashed out against his shadow aspect.  Delving deeper into the mythology of what has been dubbed ‘The Dark Side Cave,’ it is revealed that this place is saturated with Dark Force energies so powerful it evokes, vividly and specifically, the deepest fears, doubts and dark secrets within a person.  Bwiti, a west African practice uses a hallucinogenic plant called iboga in rituals meant to serve as a baptismal rebirth.  There are several cultures which use psychadelics for this same purpose but iboga, in particular, is known to lead the initiate on a journey through their buried fears, guilts and regrets.  Shamans and Jedi know this is a necessary phase of personal growth.

(the first minute or so in the video below presents information about iboga)

 

 (the following video provides more about the ritual and preparation)

(the final video concludes the subject's experience. though the audio is ok, the video is unfortunately corrupted)

Projection, according to modern teachings of psychology, is a mechanism by which a person’s undesired thoughts, memories and emotions are subconsciously denied but then ascribed externally to other people or sources.  This is most often recognized as placing blame on others for our own failings or finding a particular fault in people which is actually the fault we most fear in ourselves, or fear to have revealed. Thus even when subconsciously directing shadow feelings outward we inevitably manifest them into our own reality.

My fascination of this subject isn’t (entirely) based on any interest in dredging up the Sith Lord  inside of me, descending into a shamanic journey on dangerous hallucinogens or submitting to analysis by long gone founders of psychotherapy.  It mainly comes out of the enriched perspective it has provided me of people I interact with everyday.  I am better equipped to recognize where my reality extends an influence to others, where others’ realities meet mine and merge to complement or conflict.

This has also given me a personal refuge I so greatly value as an introvert and a highly sensitive person.  A refuge from other people’s projections and any other unwanted parts of their realities.  When I write, I want to be able to explore the possibilities of my imagination unfettered.  I wish to make no excuses or apologies for where my path may wander.  I appreciate an exchange of ideas, a genuine interest, but there is a point at which I hold no obligation to further explain myself, justify my point of view or play devil’s advocate.  I may lay down my musings here in html for others to see and to ponder, just as any artist may do with various media, baring their works to unknowable perceptions, but this is still my journey.  This is my space. Visitors will take what they may and I will do the same.


All these concepts fit together in my head forming the central idea for my blog's title.  Whether I've conveyed my thoughts accurately I really can't know.  I've chosen to leave readers with a link to a story about the Dark Side Cave, a fan fiction story about doubt, fear, regret and about calm, resolve and hope.  A story about how ultimately we can chose what to take with us.


Only What You Take With You (a star wars fan fiction)