Conceptual work - Creative writing Focus: Speculative fiction
Starting of with the reading with plasmocial improprieties, the introduction was hard to grasp due to the unfamiliarity of Bulter's work and other referenced writers and scientist. It was unclear how the slime would come in play with the feminist queer science but getting into the core reading gave more insight to what was being discussed in the intro.
The essences of societal structures can be found deeply embedded within natural elements such as the slime mold. It was pointed out that at times it behaves in a collective manner, in times when food is scarce the singular cellular structure comes together as a multicelluar "slug". I couldn't help but think how that behavior reminded of similar behavior in the 25th of January Egyptian protests. Within the madness of binging confined at home for what seemed to me like 3 days or more, all safety reinforcements were pulled back and prisoners where set lose to attack neighborhoods. The way we protected ourselves from attacks was forming a singular unit of defense, suddenly all the near by neighbors melted into a singular multi functional organism fighting off all those to intend to inflict harm. It was never planned before hand it just happened, the leadership role just bounced from one person to another ever changing never landing on the same person for long. Aimee's writing on Butler's dedication observation made me realize how even our stoical structure or how we behave is already embedded with the smallest composition of nature, if we only took the time to wonder with it and not impose our so called ideals on to it. Nature doesn't need us we need it.
The Rabbit
There is an excerpt from a philosophical book called Sophie’s world that I often read in times of confusion, these times come to visit a lot so I always leave that page of the book open somewhere within reach.
“A white rabbit is pulled out of a top hat. Because it is an extremely large rabbit, the trick takes many billions of years. All mortals are born at the very tip of the rabbit's fine hairs. Where they are in a position to wonder at the impossibility of the trick. But as they grow older they work themselves even deeper into the fur. And there they stay. They become so comfortable they never risk crawling back up the fragile hairs again. Only philosophers embark on this perilous expedition to the outermost reaches of language and existence. Some of the fall off, but other cling on desperately and yell at the people nestling deep in the snug softness, stuffing themselves with delicious food and drink. 'Ladies and gentlemen,' they yell, 'we are floating in space!' but none of the people down there care. 'What a bunch of troublemakers!' they say. And they keep on chatting: Would you pass the butter, please? How much have our stocks risen today? What is the price of tomatoes? Have you heard that Princes Di is expecting again?”
It’s an odd way to look at our collective life experience of it as a rabbit, but I ask myself on many occasions are we the wide thinkers on the tip of the rabbits hair? Or have we borrowed ourselves way too deeply within life’s comfortable fur? Philosophy never had the answers but posed more questions as to why things are they way they are, even though we as flawed humans designed it to be so. In the recent years it seems like philosophy took a harsh back seat as the world continued to define itself more, as a state of functionality, proficient, what will be politically beneficial, easily to reproduce, maintain and profit. As time passes the past philosopher public speakers have now morphed into the now corrupt and not so corrupt politicians that speak out on everyone’s behalf. What will come next?
I envision a world where people look up to the glary light and ask these troublemakers “Tell us of what you see up there and beyond it?” it is not necessary a utopia but a place where one is free to think beyond human. Who is to say the way we govern ourselves is the only right way, if to err is to human then surely everything we created is flawed at times beautifully and others time horribly. I question utopia, it is when one is okay they know nothing.
The people of this world will be okay with not fully knowing everything and with that they are rich.
Working in the hopes of obtaining more, and controlling more cannot function well this is world. If the driving force is greed and obtaining fame then the spiraling desire of want will be endless with no true gain.
What is it that you live for? And breathe for? Is it money? Is it power? More more more will get you somewhere but not where you want to be if all that fuels you is greed and selfishness.
Power of leadership will always shift from one person to another; it is an energy that no one can ever control. It will quickly abandon its host in times when it is used to inflict violence on to others.
For those who have wronged and judged others unjustly, this world has empathy injections. For those who use others for self-gain, for those who throw racist slurs and remarks, for those put down others, for those who steal, and kill to all these acts and more, they shall be injected with the proper empathic dosage.
May they/you understand and feel the hurt and suffering they/you have inflicted on to others.
From empathy grows commonality, cure the empathy problem.
Everything has consequences, for all the right this world tries to imply wrong will always follow. The silence that carves out speech is as important as the speech itself, but from it this world will flourish with its resilience. Nothing can ever be fully fixed here; it’s an enfant that craves constant attention. Our historical past mistakes still lingers in the present and might make its way to the future if it goes unremembered.
In this world we must ask a lot of questions, should we erase the past atrocities? We might as well condemn ourselves in an endless loop of the same mistakes. Erasing our past dictators from existing will not rewrite time, keep the history it is very valuable from it we acknowledge it and from it we learn. Yet I am sure within this world’s behavior, these fathers of such horrid events will not survive these empathic injections. Their hearts might implode from feeling too much all at once.
We do not implement our hierarchical top of food chain on to nature; nature does not work in such ways it functions as power does uncontrollably. Yes that still means it behaves same, survival of the fittest, but the fittest does not always mean the lion is on top. Today it might be the lion tomorrow power shifts and it’s the dung beetle.
Do not try to put nature in a pyramid structure it does not work that way, humans will never be on top of this imaginary food chain. Let nature take over as a source of creative output. If people wonder deeply along with it they can unlock new structures to unfold, to use in art, writing, music or which ever output.
Technology can get reckless, face it, be responsible for it, and never stop fixing it. World were more questions are asked than answers are found, the technology will as the same. Can it be empathetic? What are the consequences? Is it worth exploring? Can our computer act as our empathetic judges? Is nature our computer? Can we hack to be our empathetic judge? To send us away in time when it desires without telling us why in hopes to gain perspective.
Be a reckless philosopher, kill the ego, do not stop, keep fixing, listen to me, and do not listen to be.
But please think about that rabbit from time to time.