I am communal: But Why?

I THINK I AM COMMUNAL: But Why?

I think I’m communal – in my thought, behavior, and approaches to any given situation. It would be an outright hypocrisy to say that I don’t have communal feelings – I have communal feelings. I have it, which makes to believe that you have it too.

The reason I say this is because I believed it is the nature of our being/self. We tend to ascribe ourselves predominantly to the environment we belong. Human are intrinsically communal and desirous. We are born into a society which has their own biases and that is reflected through and in our lifes. However, it is no ones' fault. Even then, it is crucial that we identify and acknowledge the uniqueness every individual carries and exhibits.

There are various views on why we exhibit diversity. The advaitin would say that it is because we are so entrenched with this mayavi world. It is only because of the maya that we feel things, identify ourselves with the other objects – we are one of the objects in this world of objectiveness since we live in transactional reality rather than in Ultimate Reality. Therefore, we have this feeling of belonging.

That may sound like an absurd conclusion to make of our feelings. Moreover, it is too idealistic a conclusion for the world that is so materialistic in perspective.

A better reason, I believe is given by the Existentialist. It is a realist view of life and personal identity.

Jaun Paul Sartre famously stated, "Existence Precedes Essence". This means that we are responsible solely for what we are and what wwe become. And also in shaping ourselves we shaped the society and the way we want the society to be.

One of the flaws with this school of thought is that it EXCLUDE GOD, not necessarily that all do. But since I am not going to talk about God and talking about our FEELINGS and BEHAVIOUR, I see no problem in inducting godless school.

So, what basically the existential is saying is that, we are our own responsibility. In shaping ourselves – we are all a project – we shape others and our society. Meaning, we carefully if not unconsciously arrange and rearrange ourselves according to what people/society might accept. Consequently, we create certain behavior that comes to define us – who we are? And not to forget that in so doing we are imposing our supposedly appropriate behavior on other and also vice versa – forming common good and bad, right and wrong etc. And when people don’t fall into our pattern, we teach, correct, and sometime punish to fit them into the culture. If not we see them as OTHER.

And that is how we built our COMMUNAL IDENTITY.

It is vital that we realise the reality:

Yes, I am communal and I believe we all are!

I have no solution for this communal feeling. It is for you and me to find. It is our project.

But one thing is so certain that -

If we do not fine it, it will divide us.

If we are divided, it will lead to communalism.

Communalism leads to conflict.

And conflict is hazardous.

I am Communal, such reality must be realised not to discriminate but to liberate.