People and places

I recently had the privilege to attend a weekend gathering of students from 70 something nations. Quiet an astounding experience in many regards. Humbling and Grand and yet at the same time warm and accepting, intelligent and vibrant. However these were the assumptions that were already there even before any of us had even set foot inside the space that was to be our home for the next two days. So I cant really be sure how intelligent or accepting we actually are. Our activities and conversations very also usually not directed towards deeper meaning or the truths of life. But we all played our parts really well and ostensibly what we expected was what we witnessed through our interaction. 


This created a small dimension which had it limits in the extremes of positive. That is to say it was as sincere as the most sincere person among us, as wild as the wildest, as ambitious as the craziest dream any of us had. It was a fictional place that could not exist out of its context and was only there because its dissolve had already been planed. And this is where I start thinking of whats under the surface.


I met people from Afghanistan, Pakistan, Argentina, Senegal, Morocco, Egypt etc. I refer these names particularly because most of my audience might be familiar with this culture and also because these are the most different for the US where this fantasy gathering was taking place. Now we are all familiar with the limits of culture or the idea of it. And considering this list the sketch that appears is arguably quite rigid. A fact in no way visible after glancing through this crowd and their attitude towards life. Which is a good thing. It means that people are capable of transcending the boundaries or negatives of culture, which is the first step towards understanding each other. But the vector of this transcendence seems to be western in direction which kind of means in a way that it is only changing of shackles. As in why stop where we do. Why not take the final step and question human reasoning and organised society at its core. Why not accept everything while we are at it. Why always be in some sort of grey all the time? remove all judgments of positive or negative is what I am saying. 


We all looked and seemed to fit quite well into the US version of us at least. Its fun. Agreed. But the point I want to make is that why abandon your own culture completely if there are still going to be some limits on us. As in I did not even see a single traditional dress the entire time with 150+ people. More alarming are the concepts that we share. These shape our thoughts and the general thought of the convention was on a similar wave. I guess it can be called globalization and the whole argument about it destroying cultures is what this post is becoming. The US can be called as much of a victim in this as any other country or society. So I will leave this point here. Its a triviality anyways. 


The bond that we shared with each other was great. Just because we expected each other to be different it was easier to talk. It felt safer and un-inhibited. The result was some great friendships that seemed way older than the mere few days spent in forging them. Time was warped and we were dazed by the surreal beauty of our small travelers camp. It was as if the world had actually let go of its differences and for once had decided to come together for a good blast. This has always been the feeling when I meet anyone not from Pakistan. There is usually no hostility. At least in the circles I have hung out with. 


The question then becomes that where along the way do we decide that somehow some of us have to kill each other. The bogus bullshit of the governmental systems and politics is so painfully obvious in everyday life that it makes you feel stupid just trying to point it out. Yet these systems continue to exist and expand. The only answer to that is because we buy into them. We allow them to happen. So even if we are good people we are villains for mothers with dead sons. And we cant shrug that off, none of us. since i dont believe there has ever been a form of state mechanism that has not killed a single individual in the name of treason or defense. 


so why do we do this if we get along together so well all the time? I dont know. A guess is maybe because we hold ourselves more important the rest of humanity. Personal gain still takes preference even though it only has meaning while others are there to appreciate it. I wish we could all live like we were the only humans on earth. That way i guess we would be more humble cause a Rolex would just be a watch and Armani just a shirt. Maybe then human contact will become more important than human admiration and envy. That would be the death of all culture and the true birth of the individual. A Utopian thought and random rambling.