The borderlines of a dysfunctional world: Optional [reflection, projection and translation]

When I look at the world, I see reflections upon reflections of a vortex in continuous reproduction of itself. It is a world far from the imitation that Plato sought; that in which the ‘real’ world we live in is but an imitation of a purer, more perfectly designed one.

Nay! Through my eyes, the world I see is a reflection of itself on a window pane, a mirror or even a puddle of water. Those reflections are real, yet intangible. They are virtual, too, yet within an arm’s reach.

Many talk about parallel worlds or universes; that the expansion that happened as a consequence of the Big Bang has an alternative, lying beyond black holes and vortexes. However this might be true, those parallel worlds are within each other.

It is the manifestation of a ‘mise-en-abime’ where two mirrors are posed in front of each other and they keep on reflecting each other’s images over and over till no end.

So yes, this world reflects upon itself. And through it, each reflection is but a new world to be seen if the eye is keen enough on observation. Nowadays, the virtual is projected in the real. It becomes the real and the latter has become an extension lost in translation.

For translation and projection are two different axioms. Plato and other philosophers have projected the image of a perfect world onto a material wall that displays in pixels what it is made of.

In translation, the same object is moved onto another place. While projecting, pixels may be lost due to shortcuts and/or picture enhancement, whereas in translation, the purity of an image is kept but its special reality changes.

Hasn’t our world been confounded and mystified through the many translations it has succumbed to?

The attempt of writing these few lines does not allow itself to answer who came first; the chicken or the egg.

It is a simple observation, this article, in an effort to shed light upon an existential matter.

We are here now and we do exist. But which world does contain us? Are we the image translated into the mise-en-abime between two mirrors? Or are we the virtual result that forever replicates itself?

For so far, many agree that history repeats itself and that according to Big Bang theories, the world is but a series of expansion and condensations replicating till the end of times.

What does this time tell: A real virtual or a virtual reality?

Dear Reader, 

Do not judge this as an empirical writing. It is a pondering upon the universe, and a part of a bigger research however based on your critical feedback/reply. 

Help me find out if the structure of ideas conveys a certain meaning, regardless of what that meaning is.

Thank you.

PS: This article is incomplete yet, take it as an abstract. References are available but not published here.

Here is a thought about feminism

Source: wikipedia.org/feminism

According to many references, feminism is a movement that aims at defending and establishing political, social and economic "rights" for women and thus,creating equal opportunities for women.

I believe at one time, this was an act that needed to exist to get  women where they stand today. It is only fair to acknowledge that along side society,religion has played an important role at alienating women's activities throughout the centuries. However, personally, i think that this movement must come to an end today. Established in the workplace and society, women do not need this. The idea of having a feminist act or people defining themselves as feminists is -again, in my own point of view - ridiculous.

In a society such as the Lebanese one, i have found that feminism is a redundancy. (I may be overlooking some parts of Lebanon, but that is only due to some minor examples here and there, on which the media is happily feeding upon everyday). Being an advocate of feminism is already believing in the separation of the sexes.

Why would i encourage a movement that only generates more discrimination?

If such a movement believes that women should be given equal rights to men, then this same movement believes that women are already different than men, which is not the case.

Both are HUMAN

Both have similar physical abilities (with different levels alternating among them)

Both can hear, speak, see, taste, feel, and smell.

Both can think rationally and emotionally (though the common mistaken belief is that women tend to be more emotional).

The list goes on....

But the main point here is that I am neither with nor against feminism. It only accentuates the gap that has been provoked by society ages ago. Feminism is an alibi for women who think cannot be who they are. It is an excuse for men, oriental men, who hide behind it to express their views.

This said, I hope I have been objective in displaying such a subjective view.

Monday Nov 7, 2011

11h53PM

It's A Something Alright

This is what happens when you live in the Lebanese "culturally-modified" society.

Yes, it is a fact that Lebanese, at least most of them, know 2-3 languages and, well, tend to use them in everyday life. Whether in the form of tag words, complete sentence or even in advertising, this mutli-faceted "lingo" (probably a dialect by now) is affecting the view of life in general, as it is. 

To be clearer, all this came to my mind when i was driving one day on the road (as always, i do get those ideas when i drive, it's amazing right?). So, yes, as I was driving, i passed by a billboard that said in Arabic writing

 "?يا عيب الشوم! وين المشروم" (shame on you! where is the mushroom?)

Obviously, this is a mushroom Ad. However, the funny thing or rather the clever thing, maybe, is the use of a usual Lebanese word to mean shame, rhyming with mushroom to create this advertisement.

The idea behind this article is a kind of reply to all those who criticize us, Lebanese, of using many languages (usually English and French combined to Arabic) in one sentences such as "Hi! Kifak! Ca va?". It is because of this diverse ability to use multiple languages that we are able to better understand the world around us and probably this is the main reason behind which many artists succeed in the world. Either they are Lebanese or come of Lebanese origins. I may not have the specific examples to give right now (so if you have any, do share them please). But this isn't the issue for the time being. 

I am only trying to showcase an ingenuity and an authentic understanding of languages in general. Do tell me when has any foreign Ad used more than one language in its advertising campaigns? Yes, Only in Lebanon! and i do strongly hold on to that.

I may have be looking through some tainted glass. But for the time being, these glasses suit me greatly. As much as I have become tired of the many upsetting conditions in Lebanon, as much I am trying to see the other side of things.

On the long run, hate does generate love, respect and another side.

 (Yes, it does! i have experienced it :D)

THE SORORITY MEETING-TING-TING-TING

They were 5 women, middle aged but none over her 30s, of course.

Their whole idea of a cup of coffee is a get-together photo-shoot session.

With every passer by at their table, a new camera pops up and a lesson on how to trigger the button to catch their marked faces with smeared mascara and smudged red lipstick.

And boy wouldn’t I save words to describe their blank smiles to show off their white teeth. However, to be truly loyal to facts, some would give you the duck face position to show off their botox-ed lips.

As I follow them inside the coffee shop to order my bottle of water, I have to wait for them to decide which coffee to choose: cafe latte? American coffee?? oh no... wait EXpresso??? 

And the poor cashier rolls the eyes, puffs the air and takes a deep breath in preparation for the long stare at the screen, awaiting their minds to process their order.

It might seem a judgmental scene, but really, observing those little women makes you realize the void of society. Or is it really as such? Isn’t this the ontological condition of women in the Middle East, especially in Beirut, at ABC mall?

And I almost forgot the tiny slim cigarettes in their ringed fingers, barely able to stand still from the weight of their huge, glittery bedazzled jewelry.

And I wonder whether I am seeing them with tainted goggles or whether this blemished scene is the actual real one.

After all, this was one six-hour setting in ABC. Maybe a full day can bring better scenes? Maybe a week can get more degrading view of the society of Lebanese sororities.

- Dionysian Evolution -

When I was young, they used to teach us at school how to describe the city and the viallge. In our Lebanese educational system, city and village were stock themes in writing courses. The first was always the hectic, busy, noisy bee-hive and the village was the calm, serene lazy scenery and lifestyle.

But has anyone ever really observed those settings closely?

Has anyone sat on a bench or stood on a sidewalk and watch the city streets?

It may have seemed that the loud noises from the cars and traffic jams conveyed the busy theme. But really, it is not!

The city is lazy. People walk like zombies, hypnotized. They are eyes have blank stares, their backs are bent forward as if weighed down by a heavy block. Their walks are steady but weak.

And the village?

The village is just the opposite.

An early wake up is not the so long taught description of a serene, calm village where the birds singing in the morning wakes you up for a fresh cup of coffee... 

But let me tell you this (out of personal experience - of course !)

A usual weekday morning starts by waking up to the screams and shouting of the neighbors calling each other for coffee (fenjen ahweh) but this invitation  does not end here. It extends to a real meeting between balconies and women. You know the kind where each is on her balcony, in her robe, bent on the rail, asking about the day's menu (shu l ghada l yom?) And other trivial matters such as new marriages, funerals, who went where and why... The usual gossip but truly Lebanese it makes you want to hug it and cherish it till ever more. 

Dear reader, 

You might have sensed a change in tone from the beginning of the article till its end. 

It was not intended of course. I tried to edit it to make it conform to the norms of proper writing. But i remembered that I am Lebanese and jumping ropes is what we do best.

So in the hope that you have enjoyed some personal gossiping on my side, i leave you with the following to ponder upon:

Has the city really invaded our villages? Or have we crossed the frontier of evolution?