Months
ago, I debated a liberal. I know that engaging in such debates is
stupid, since a liberal by definition already knows everything, but it
was not unproductive. Even though I didn’t stand a chance of
communicating, I still managed to “get” something interesting from this
exchange. Namely that every time I mentioned the concept of
reality, this character would put scare quotes around the word. Never once did he omit them.
In his view, “reality” was an optional thing, or at least a place
that existed only in our language and preferences. A bolt of
enlightenment struck me: Liberals consistently turn everything into
abstractions. To the liberal mind, there is nothing that can exist
independently of our concepts of it, thus there can never be a single
reality, so the concept of reality itself must be destroyed.
So what is the difference between reality and “reality”?
For those of us who acknowledge it, reality is the only thing that
matters. If something isn’t real, it isn’t worth our attention. But
reality can often be notably different than our perception of it, so by
acknowledging reality we also accept the fact that we can be wrong, and
face horrible consequences in an instant for being wrong about reality.
All of us will at some point be very wrong about the nature of
reality. I know that I have. But the fact that I came to this awareness —
that reality was in fact something completely different than what I
thought
— was actually the prime cause of my realization that reality is of
infinite magnitude and meaning compared to my own limited and possibly
faulted perspective.
To actually experience being in the wrong can serve as a rude but necessary awakening. You realize suddenly that reality
is
on a level which completely dwarfs the human ego. This can come as
something of a shock, like seeing idols fall. However, once you get over
the shock, you start to see how unimportant these idols actually were
in contrast to the living mystery of reality itself.
Being in the wrong can instigate a true change of mind. You tune in
to other frequencies. You’re no longer satisfied with perceiving only
the bits and pieces of reality that are in accordance with your
preconceived ideas. Instead, you become increasingly absorbed in silent
awareness and then slowly start to see things in a new light.
On the other hand, “reality” is hard to define or experience. If you
ask the liberal, he’ll point you to a horde of philosophers,
sociologists and other writers whose complexities are incomprehensible
to most people. If he is of the refined kind, the liberal will even dish
out a long monologue on the subjective nature of everything, and how
perception is an inescapable filter between self and reality. He’ll put
on quite a show to make sure that you understand just how smart he is,
how many theorists he knows, and how stupid you must be to disagree with
him.
It will be impressive and profound, but what does it mean? You
probably guessed: reality doesn’t matter, but that the perception or
notion of reality — namely “reality” — does. This naturally leads to the
conclusion that the only patently
wrong way of perceiving the
world is, that there is in fact a reality out there (or within, for that
matter) independent of our perception of it. For the liberal there can
always be many “realities”, but there can never be just
one reality.
This of course makes the individual liberal’s “reality” immune to
criticism, because no one “reality” can ever overrule another. All
realities are equal, in that it is impossible to say what the actual
reality, if there is such a thing, is actually like. These “realities”
are mere notions, concepts or ideas; they are all abstractions. At most
he’ll admit that reality hypothetically could exist — but beyond that it
must be utterly unknowable.
Abstractions as such aren’t necessarily a problem. In fact, they are
an integral part of language itself. But when reality itself is
perceived as an abstraction, the words themselves lose their anchoring
in the world, and become a closed system where words only reference more
words. Words become something separate and independent of… well,
everything else.
In the end, the words lose all meaning, and the discord between what
the liberal preaches and what he actually is becomes apparent for those
with not only ears to hear, but eyes to see as well: He’ll talk forever
about tolerance, or solidarity, or love while actually behaving like the
most intolerant, solipsistic, bitter individual imaginable. And in some
strange way, by virtue of the immense complexities of the human brain,
he’ll more often than not be completely oblivious of this open hypocrisy
of his — or at least appear as if he is… Because there is only the
perception, and no reality, remember?
Maybe deep down inside he knows that he’s deceiving himself, but
he’ll do his best to suppress such a suspicion, and you can bet that
he’ll never admit it to others. As such, the liberal is like a miniature
of modernity itself: superficial, unstable and unbearably
self-righteous. Anger is understandable, but pointless, for the
individual liberal is just a sign of the times. He is a symptom, and not
the disease itself.
Modernity itself is nothing but an idea, you see, a hollow
abstraction that can be cleansed from the mind. Perhaps this idea could
be called a “reality” on some level… but in the end, there is nothing
real about it. Some may take it to be dead serious, but actually it
isn’t. In actuality it is a series of abstract notions about the world
and humanity that aren’t very accurate, but unfortunately are believed
by many, and thus destined to go down with a bang.
For those able to see beyond modernity, it will forever remain what
it is, in spite of all the loud noises, the flashing neon signs, the
pulsing traffic and dramatic entertainment-products trying to distract
us into thinking otherwise: It’s an increasingly delusional dream of a
civilization unable — or unwilling — to admit that being wrong is even a
possibility, and therefore a civilization incapable of achievements
that’ll reach beyond the here and now.
The AINA report cites a leaked memo from
the Interior Ministry as saying the 1,239 inmates were all sentenced to
“execution by sword” for various crimes, and were given full pardons,
as well as stipends for their families.
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