Monday, 17 November 2008

*Vol.2, Ch.I, Sec.A - "My Body is a Temple for my Soul"



Chapter I
“Licensed to Live”
Body

Section A
“My Body is a Temple for My Soul”

Presented at:
The University of Winchester Feb 2008 - May 2008
The University of Southampton May 2008


· This video endeavours to identify and illustrate the forces behind an urge which makes us to look like someone else; “Imitation for Protection”.
· The commentary is narrated as some related visual images (self-portraits) are unfolded on screen alongside some related quotations.
· Written form of what is spoken on the DVD is on the next page and also on line: http://parvanehfarid-academicprojects.blogspot.com/2008/11/section-c-spirit.html
· The presentation is also found on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=krlCFi3LfVM

“My Body is a Temple for My Soul”
(Farid 2007-08)
Commentary and Debate
Written form of what is spoken on the DVD
.
I have been grooming and decorating my body, almost to the point of obsession, throughout my life. This, however, is not something particular to me or a few others; in fact it is a cross cultural phenomenon, affecting males and females. At this part of my project, I would like to understand the reasons which provoke me to behave this way. Of course I could think of a wide range of reasons for such enterprise. Being naturally programmed to attract the best genes could be one of them. Being systematically influenced by a number of social and cultural forces such as the commercial market could be another.

Although these factors in isolation could provide some motivation, their combination would suggest a more complex texture. To avoid confusing myself, I therefore try to look at the roots and the origin of such behaviour. It is, however, important to bear the meaning of grooming in mind throughout this finding. I would define the term “GROOMING” as “to look my best”. If we could accept this definition, then we need to define the term “MY BEST”. If you think the term “My Best” is self explanatory, then I would argue that “My Best” often means “Looking Like Someone Else”.

“Imitation for Protection”

We are born with an “Instinct”, “Urge” or a “Built-in Mechanism that Secures our Survival”. This “Mechanism” remains with us throughout our lives and it manifests itself in the form of a series of Systematic Political Behaviours,
which according to our level of maturity and cultural advancement, takes various forms.

The “Survival Mechanism” is motivated by “Self-interest”

“…First the prima naturae, which are the natural drives or instincts for self-preservation…” (Haakonssen 1996 – P. 27)

To the question, “What proposition is there respecting human nature which is absolutely and universally true?", Macaulay, replies,
"We know of only one . . . that men always act from self-interest."
(Fieser & Dowden 2008)
http://www.iep.utm.edu/e/egoism.htm#H1


Babyhood
As a baby, the “Mechanism for Survival” manifests itself and operates in a form of a Single Tool, that is: Cry

This provides us with a “Survival Package”, which contains food, warmth, shelter, security and love (FWSSL).

Childhood
Through out this period, we begin to learn a series of certain social skills. The collection of these skills forms our “Social Toolbox”
which contains
• Verbal and Nonverbal Languages,
• Codes of Behaviour
and understanding the Mechanism of
• Cause and Effect.

This “Social Toolbox” gradually overpowers our “Single Tool”, Cry, in providing us with the “Survival Package” (FWSSL).


Adulthood
As adults we maintain our access to our “Single Tool” and “Social Toolbox”. There are, however, new tools added to our Social Toolbox, that is
• “Life Experience”
and more advanced skill in the
• “Application of Intelligence”
A new requirement is also urged and added to our “Survival Package”; that is the need for
• “Receiving/Passing the Best Available Genes” (FWSSLG).

As we become more sophisticated in the use of our new “Toolbox”, we learn to plan and secure a better share of the “Survival Package” (FWSSLG)

We also realise that those who manage to get a better share of the “Survival Pack” (FWSSLG) are acquiring “Certain Physical Characteristics” and “Certain Mannerisms”.

The combination of these characteristics and mannerisms gradually form a package of “Cultural Trade Marks” which facilitate success, and it is eventually accepted as a superior and “Ideal Appearance” which is desired and recognised by all.

“Rousseau claims that by our nature,
each of us has this natural feeling of love toward ourselves.
By contrast, amour-propre is an unnatural self-love
and is a negative product of the socialization process.
Unlike amour de soi, amour-propre is a love of self
that depends on comparing oneself with others.
Essentially it consists in someone basing his or her self-worth
on a perceived superiority to another.”
(Fieser & Dowden 2008)
http://www.iep.utm.edu/r/rousseau.htm#H5

An association between this “Ideal Appearance” and a better share of the “Survival Package” is soon established and becomes a platform for “Imitation” for success. As a result the community is divided into two groups, the “Role Models” and the “Followers”.

The “Role Models” form the “Leadership Group” and the followers form the “Commoners”.

“According to… the explanations that constitute our culture,
the political, social, professional, economical, intellectual arenas
belong to public sector.
The emotional, sexual and domestic are private sector.”
(Spivak 1987)

The Commoners learn through experience that by “Imitating” the “Leaders”, they can “Bluff” their way into the “Leadership Group”, hence a higher degree of social approval and a richer share of the “Survival Package”.

Here a spiral mechanism of “Imitation for Protection” is formed that is increasingly becoming superficial and hence visual.

Due to its superficiality, an “Urge for Approval”, therefore, becomes an easy way for survival.



To respond to this “Urge for Approval” we begin to “Bluff” our way in by grooming ourselves to look the part all the time at the price of losing our individualities.

“When my colleagues were reacting adversely
to my invocation of marginality,
they were in fact performing another move
within the centre (public) - margin (private) set.
They were inviting me into the centre
at the price of exacting from me the language of centrality.”
(Spivak 1987- p. 106)

Sophistication in Bluffing leads to accumulation of “Survival Package” (FWSSLG) that leads to the Creation of Centralised “Power” and the formation of a Local Culture, which has developed its own “Internal Role Model Industry”.

“…the prima naturae, which are the natural drives
or instincts for self-preservation, and …
right reason or sound judgment of what is honestum, that is,
what makes life with others possible – which is in itself a natural inclination.
Considered as a feature of the person,
ius is the exercise of these two sides of human nature together.”
(Haakonssen 1996)
In post Industrial Revolution and furthermore in today’s global village, however, we witness a number of these Internal Role Model Industries which begin to rub shoulders with each other and begin to superimpose their standards. Hence a new phenomenon is recognised, which could be called an “External Role Model Industry”.

A battle between the Internal and External Role model Industries leads to an ongoing challenge for the respective communities on a macro scale as well as for their individual citizens in the formation of their personal identities. This challenge would result in the inferior community giving up its individual appearance in favour of Imitating the Superior Appearance of the winning culture. Hence;

“Looking Like a God” who is outside of your own organically developed role models industry.

“Rousseau calls the two forms of self-love:
amour-propre and amour de soi.
Amour de soi is a natural form of self-love
in that it does not depend on others.
Rousseau claims that by our nature,
each of us has this natural feeling of love toward ourselves.
By contrast, amour-propre is an unnatural self-love
and is a negative product of the socialization process.
Unlike amour de soi,
amour-propre is a love of self
that depends on comparing oneself with others.
Essentially it consists in someone basing his or her self-worth
on a perceived superiority to another.
It breeds contempt, hostility, and frivolous competition.
In fact, it is precisely these negative consequences
that are under attack in the Discourse on the Sciences and Arts.”
(Fieser & Dowden 2008)
http://www.iep.utm.edu/r/rousseau.htm#H5

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