" The greatness of art
is not to find what is common but what is unique.'
..............Isaac Bashevis Singer
3.2 Uniqueness of Self
"If a man
don't go his own way, he's nothin."
........Montogomery Clift
Uniqueness of a being is defined for the purpose of this work
as referring to the special or unique attributes of that particular
individual being in terms of distinct built in ( wired in ) as well
as learned or created, and expressed abilities/ constructs
and experiences.
"All birds, even those of the same species, are not alike, and it is the same
with animals and with human beings. The reason Wakan Tanka ( Great
Mystery) does not make two birds, two animals, two human beings exactly
alike is because each is placed here by Wakan Tanka to be an independent
individuality and to rely upon itself......Teton Sioux ( Native American )
Personal Validity is closely associated with one's uniqueness simply because each
one of us models our own self and the world around us in different ways , there-
fore the belief about one's uniqueness is quite central to the conception of one's
Personal Validity.
This may appear to contradict the generally held belief that human beings conform
to well known social / cultural / religious groupings . Thanks to the current
educational systems this belief is generally true , compounded with the fact
that for the basic need of survival the individual has to conform to social /
religious / professional norms & beliefs , consequently the individuality and
uniqueness of that being tends to get suppressed and submerged in the
sea of general agreement.
This work encourages an individual to be aware of the compelling social and
cultural forces and values that tend to impose and trap all their subjects
to conform into a uniform pattern of behavior. Again this does not mean
that one rebels against every social and cultural pattern, but only to be at
the very least conscious of the effect of these upon oneself, so that these
do not suppress an individual's uniqueness and thereby one's potential.
" The great law of culture is : Let each become all that he was
created capable of becoming"......Thomas Carlyle
1. Inbuilt Uniqueness
" Every child is an artist, the problem is how to keep the artist in the
child as he grows up "..............Pablo Picasso
Individuals are however not born in this state of agreement . The brain
of humans is a fairly general purpose system and has the potential of
learning , acquiring and adapting to almost any kind of beliefs ,cultural
constructs , ideologies and paradigms . [ Within certain limits , which will
vary from individual to individual and also depends on the motivations
or goals that drive those individuals.]
"Like snowflakes, the
human pattern is never cast twice. We are
uncommonly and marvelously intricate in thought and action".
...............Alice Childress
Despite our general purpose hardware , there are certain tendencies that
come prewired , that is , within the hardware itself . These commonly
manifest themselves as certain motor skills , or show up as talent in fields
like music or art or logic etc. or also may manifest themselves in certain
uncommon experiences that can not be categorised .(It is now known
through physiological studies that the neural network of the brain has a
considerable degree of randomness in its structure, that is, a variation
from individual to individual exists, hence the belief being projected
here is not without support of facts.)
These tendencies (
even if not utilised or developed, but exist as a
potential ) which are inherent in the structure, are by definition
labled here as
"inbuilt uniqueness "of an individual being .
Many, if not most beings discover these tendencies during the course
of their ' education ' or even otherwise, and subsequently, professional life
also mostly takes the path setup by these tendencies .( As it should be
for most individuals .)
Every being's brain is uniquely wired in the sense that certain things are quickly
or easily grasped and yet others rejected . The words talent or predilection do
refer to this inherent tendency to prefer certain kinds of behavior patterns,
situations, locations or certain kinds of people. Apart from the brain structure,
there also are certain qualities inherent at the time of birth that are part of
the supra-conscious that are unique to each individual.
"The pre-conscious
psyche, for example, that of a new born infant - is
not an empty vessel into which, under favouable conditions, practically
anything can be poured. On the contrary, it is a
tremendously comp-
licated, sharply defined individual entity which appears indeterminate
to us only because we cannot see it directly. But the moment the first
visible manifestations of psychic life begins to appear, one would have
to be blind not to recoginise their individual character, that is, the
unique personality behind them." ..............C. G. Jung
A fundamental step towards
enhancing one's Personal Validity is the
recognition of the manifestation
and potential of this inbuilt uniqueness
" One fact which must
be appreciated for applying this theory is the essential
individual uniqueness of each of our minds, of each of our
brains. It is no
easy work to analyze either one's self or someone else. This
theory is not,
cannot be, a miracle key to a given human mind. It is devilishly
hard work
digging up enough of the basic facts and enough
of the basic programs
and metaprograms controlling each mind from within
to change its poor
operations into better ones. This theory can help one to sort out and arrange
stored information and facts into more effective patterns for change. But the
basic investigation of self or of other selves is not easy or
fast. Our builtin
prejudices, biases, repressions and denials fight
against understanding.
Our Unconscious automatically controls our behavior. Eventually we may be
able to progress farther. It may take several
generations of those willing
to work on these problems."..Dr John C Lilly.
Programming and Metaprogramming in the Human Biocomputer
The potential of this inbuilt uniqueness can be realised and developed further by
" living it " or in other words experiencing , expressing , experimenting , exploring,
conceptualising and modeling this uniqueness through our general purpose
faculties ( the components of our structure that are basic , fundamental and
common in an " average " human being, like the rational, intuitive,
instinctive, intellectual, emotional, etc ).
2. Acquired Uniqueness
" I think the big mistake in schools is trying to teach children anything, and
by using fear as the basic motivation. Fear of getting failing grades, fear of
not staying with your class, etc. Interest can produce learning on a scale
compared to fear as a nuclear explosion to a firecracker." -- Stanley Kubrik
A very significant part of what one becomes depends on what one learns/acquires
or is made to learn/acquire through one's environment consisting of the physical
environment ( home, city/village, country, planet etc.) and other beings ( parents
teachers , neighbors , siblings , peers, animals etc.) From day one a being is
bombarded through sensory inputs and these are organised in such a way by
the mind so as to fulfil the primary goal of survival of the being. Added to
that is the role played by other beings who will not only " teach " how to
organise these sensory inputs " meaningfully " but also how to "control one's
behavior " ( or sensory output ) so as to " agree " with them.
"There is nothing on earth intended for innocent people so horrible as a
school. It is in some respects more cruel than a prison. In a prison, for
example, you are not forced to read books written by the warders
and the
governor."........ George Bernard Shaw
This external control becomes so dominating that even if a being looks at or
interprets something differently, he is forced to give it up or suppress it. This is not
difficult since our structure is fairly general purpose , however this does suppress
our unique way of looking at things.
Despite the fact that most of our concepts and models are learned from external
sources , yet the same concepts are understood and interpreted in different ways
not only due to inbuilt factors but also to the way these are acquired, that is, the
role played by the physical environment and the beings associated with the process.
For example, a person's concepts and experiences about animals is bound to
be very different if he/she has spent a lot of time in a jungle full of wildlife than
from a person who has seen and experienced animals only in a zoo.
"If a child is
to keep alive his inborn sense of wonder, he needs the
companionship of at least one adult who can share it, rediscovering
with him the joy, excitement and mystery of the world we live in."
....................Rachel
Carson
Acquired Uniqueness refers to
the unique way a being has acquired concepts ,
experiences and models due to certain physical environmental factors or due
to the being's relationship
with other beings ( especially unique beings ).
" No poet, no artist of any sort, has his complete meaning alone.
His significance, his appreciation is the appreciation of his
relation to the dead poets
and artists"...........T. S. Eliot
3. Created Uniqueness
"It is the supreme art
of the teacher to awaken joy in creative
expression and knowledge."................ Einstein
What is Creativity ?
The creation of something
new is not accomplished by the intellect but
by the play instinct acting from inner necessity. The creative mind plays
with the object it loves.........C G Jung
The uniqueness provided by nature to its creatures is one aspect of an individual's
uniqueness. However, human beings have the capability, the potential and power,
to develop and create their own uniqueness not only in terms of unique experiences
but more importantly in terms of creative expressions, particularly those expressions
that are vital for developing inter human communication.
Especially in the form of language.
Creativity refers to an act or expression that brings into the realm of existence
something that did not exist before, something that has no precedence, no
example. Not in linear connection to any past event. To bring into existence
a conception from nothing. To bring into existence something unique.
"There is nothing more difficult for a truly creative painter than to
paint a rose, because before he can do so he has first to forget all
the roses that were ever
painted."........ Henri Matisse
But language has its inherent underlying concepts that are invented and developed by
a culture, and thus imposes its own limitations. The learned, acquired and imposed
upon concepts and beliefs by an individual from society and culture, are themselves
the limitations that suppress creation of ideas and concepts that may be alien to that
culture.
These limitations must be transcended by an individual who seeks to create and
express novel and unique ideas. It must be the foremost understanding of every
explorative individual that language and its underlying concepts are only tools
or "as if entities" and not real entities, only as a means for learning, clarity,
functionality, comprehension and so also then as a means for creativity and
expression. Creative expression then attempts to reach towards and
experience the Real, i.e., beyond language and its concepts, by using
these as tools.
Since reality itself gets shaped and affected by language, the importance
of expressions in language cannot be understated, with a special caution
for its potential for abuse.
"Creativity can solve
almost any problem. The creative act, the defeat
of habit by originality, overcomes everything." .........George Lois
Creative
Expression in Language
"I would define, in brief, the poetry of words as the rhythmical
creation of
Beauty."...............Edgar Allan Poe
Creativity is the use of language to make available "Reality" at the drop of
hat to a wide spectrum of human beings, irrespective of their cultural
backgrounds.
Creativity is the application of language for the purpose of getting to the
root and core of what it means to be human, in the simplest terms as
possible.
"Reality only reveals itself when it is illuminated by a ray of poetry."
.......Georges Braque
Creativity
is that art of expression particularly in language that gives
us snapshots of Reality ; not only of Ultimate Reality : The Good ;
but also of the current
Reality : The True.
"'My grandmother
taught me respect for the environment and the old Navajo way
of discipline and about the Beautyway. She said that all Creation begins at the
center from within. If you look at the
center of a loom, the colors of a new
design will show themselves to you and each design will come only once. She
said that the yellow poles that hold up a loom must be strong or the loom will
sag and the rug will be crooked. A human has to live between the yellow
poles of his life, too -- not too poor, not too rich -- to stay in harmony.'"
..................Navajo weaver Jesse Monongye
"Life, for all its
agonies of dispair and loss and guilt, is exciting and beautiful,
amusing and artful and endearing, full of liking and love, at times a poem
and a high adventure, at times noble and at times very gay; and whatever
(if anything) is to come after it--we shall not have this life again."
.....................Rose Macaulay
Reconceptualisation
"He who learns
but does not think, is lost! He who thinks but does
not learn is in great danger."........Confucius
A creative experience, either spontaneous or willed act of creativity
has lasting value only if it leads to reconceptualistion of learned
concepts, otherwise the fleeting experience at best only remains
only as a vague memory.
The usefulness of our experiences is either enhanced or limited
by our ability to translate any experience into meaningful and
purposeful reconceptualisation of the existing conceptual
structures.
Any concept structure ( mind ) if it is not self evolving, is by default
devolving, or at best static. To be creative is the essential
requirement for sustaining a meaningful existence.
"When I can no longer create anything, I'll be done for."..Coco Chanel
Summary
"Practically all great
artists accept the influence of others. But......
..... the artist with vision sees his material, chooses, changes, and
by integrating what he has learned with his own experiences, finally
molds something distinctly personal".......Romare Howard Bearden
Apart from the inbuilt and
acquired factors that contribute to a being's unique-
ness , the most important factor is that which is created by the being in terms
of reconceptualisation of learned concepts, creation of new concepts, models,
beliefs, abstractions and providing new meaning and application to abstract
experiences not only for
personal goals but also for a wider social purpose.
The importance of created uniqueness lies in the potential of the created
value of the newer beliefs insofar that it transcends the limits of the
earlier beliefs that are socially or culturally acquired.
By challenging and sometimes even demolishing accepted beliefs of society,
an individual can create a new pattern of value, not only creating a personal
unique attribute but also potentially a useful new conception or value
for society.
" Human salvation
lies in the hands of the creatively maladjusted. "
Martin Luther King, Jr.
The next article is a detailed examination of the two key faculties present in
every human being that shape our thoughts and experience, as well as
how we our respond
to, acquire or generate knowledge :
NEXT PAGE 13 : 3.3 Heart or Mind