Dr. Michaelle Ascencio

                                                                                                                           Fuente


I went to a conference tonight in the Central University of Venezuela where Dr. Michaelle Ascencio talked about the "Splendor of Diversity". Her talk was a truly charming “splendor” where humor and good will made palatable some very serious topics.

Several important ideas stayed with me. Here is one of them: she mentioned how we recognize the inherent humanity in those around us, and when we deny this, we must pay a price. Prejudice, the rejection of another human being because of his or her inherent qualities like color or birth-conditions like culture, turns against us. As a consequece, a part of our own humanity must also be rejected: like Kafka's cockroach, we begin to loath aspects of ourselves.

I know there are characteristics that we reject in other people: their lack of honesty, their cruelty, or their lack of responsibility. But these are not inborn qualities. In fact, when we require a certain standard of behavior from or fellow beings, we probably honor their capacity to do better.

All this sounds much preachier than Michaelle’s talk did. But since the last part of the 20th century humanity has begun to see the need to eliminate the barriers between the Croats and Muslims, the northern and southern Irish, the Palestinians and the Jews, the Blacks and the Whites, the Turks and the Armenians, and all the other groups that have historical reasons to reject each other. It is important for those that harbor prejudice to see the damage they do to themselves.

Fuente


This fits in with other reflections on the subject of our common humanity: we urgently need a new "imaginary", a new source of basic culture that leads us towards Eros and away from Thanatos.




Other postings on the topic of the "imaginary" as it is and as it could be:

http://reflexiones4-karen.blogspot.com/2008/08/esperando-el-mesas-y-figuras-modernas.html

http://reflexiones4-karen.blogspot.com/2008/08/rambo.html

http://reflexiones4-karen.blogspot.com/2008/08/frankenstein.html

http://reflexiones4-karen.blogspot.com/2008/08/frankenstein.html

http://reflexiones4-karen.blogspot.com/2008/07/english-today-i-would-like-to-think.html

http://reflexiones4-karen.blogspot.com/2008/06/heroism-and-martyrdom.html