Samir Shukla
By Samir Shukla
Let’s all collectively enter the commons. These green fields of fruits, flowers, trees, veggie patches and swaying crops. Farm animals are scattered about. There are varieties of humans sauntering about. Some begin chatting, others stay in their groups, while some prefer solo strolls.
Now take a deep breath and admit this. There are bits of preconceptions and prejudice in all of us. Everyone. No exceptions. Posit this self-examining query to your companions and strangers. Some will walk away, others will engage. These self-defeating ailments are usually suppressed by most people most of the time while they try to project their better nature.
Ah, but how these afflictions rear their ugly heads in moments of our fears. It is when we hear of crimes or violence committed against someone in our community, we want culprits, and for a moment at least, we want collective revenge against members of the offending community. It is when you watch a news clip about a violent or criminal act, and you ascribe the guilt of some of those participants to all their ethnic or heritage kin via association.
These afflictions are practically written into our genes. We pass them on to our progeny through our actions or mannerisms, sometimes via substantial indoctrination, other times via subtle, repeated behavior.
Awareness is a tough ask. When wandering among the commons, an acknowledgement of personal and individual follies is a start. It is the beginning of this awareness. Such a simple yet powerful word. This slow awakening can be empowering.
I fear as Artificial Intelligence embeds further into our technology and lives, ready to reduce humanness of humans, these dark hidden afflictions will emerge more often to unravel our bonds of commonality, our beneficial sameness, the carbon commons.
These are stressful times. Dissonance and disharmony peck away at our peace of mind. We all need and seek clarity. But when you really think about it, pick any period in human history, was there ever a perfectly happy and peaceful time?
Someone is having a very bad day today, while someone else is having a lovely day. Pick any day in any decade in any century and this notion holds true.
The warmth of human connections is becoming more important in this world of social media isolation and AI manipulation. Just offering help to someone in need, when possible, no strings attached, can go a long way into reconnecting the fibers. You see these simple acts daily in the commons. Strangers lending a hand to strangers. Rekindling that goodness tucked away in their inner selves.
This is what I’m interested in. People becoming more aware of the better angels and demons lurking within them and channeling this awareness into daily living.
What can you do? I follow these meditative steps for myself. Unclench the fists when angry, unless that clenched fist is needed for physical self-defense. Purse your lips in moments of heated arguments, lest a few angry words destroy a lifelong bond. Another day will arrive when sober minds and cooler winds can smooth out old arguments.
Most importantly, I work to recognize whether my thinking is rooted in fact, or self-delusion birthed by the hidden preconceptions and prejudice.
Recognizing that smug self-delusion is basically self-deception, while acknowledging truth and facts, can be the most bridge building moves people can make, especially in these heaving times of rampant misinformation, disinformation, and AI created fakeness. This is very tough to do. Finding and holding on to this awareness.
Ah, but back to the commons. Part the curtains and look out the window. Open the door and take a stroll.
I can show you the sun shining on the trees. I can even walk you to the sunshine. I can’t make you feel the sunshine. That’s on you and up to you. That is a journey you must take. If you’d like I can go along on this ride with you. We can walk this path together, but somewhere along the way, the paths will diverge. It’s natural.
Some connections are bonded for life, some are temporary and made for need or necessity, while others are abandoned after a friendly hello, never to cross paths again. But we must attempt and make connections.
We need to travel together even for a short distance. All humans are connected at the DNA level, which basically means we are from the same commons. In all our actions, eventually we must take our uniqueness, which is stitched with abilities, limitations, egos, emotions, anxieties, dreams, narcissism, preconceptions, prejudices – go ahead add bunch more markers – and find our finer threads to weave into the greater fabric. It’s not going to save the world but sure does help it function.
This is the continuing work of us, to connect, walk together for a spell, linger, and prosper in the carbon commons.
Samir Shukla is the Editor of Saathee Magazine
Contact: samir@saathee.com
X: @ShuklaWrites
Newsletter: ShuklaWrites.Substack.com
