Reification Reflections

We are no more than a compilation of our perceptions, experiences and environment.

It has been a while since I've done any reflections on this blog. I suppose the bulk of my reflections titled posts are from my time on exchange. Is there no time to reflect in Singapore? Is there nothing worth reflecting on in Singapore? I suspect the answer lies somewhere in between. Anyway, I've been thinking;
1) That maybe I shouldn't shelve my grad trips plans to Iran after all. It is highly unlikely that there will be any military action taken by either the Israelis or the Americans within the next couple of months. I was thinking of blogging a list of reasons for visiting Iran but I decided it wasn't worth the effort because this is not a sponsorship pitch and becasue with or without the list I will still end up going eventually. Anyhow, a good friend of mine has already written something of note regarding Iran and Singapore at HOVIVO. Read it and you'll realise how misguided our general perceptions can be. (or at least those of the people who gawk when I mention travelling to Iran).
2) Amartya Sen in his book Identity and Violence strongly opposed adopting the wholesale classifactions that have been thrusted on us, without any rationalisation. "The worst impairment comes from the neglect and denial of the role fo reasoning and choice...". These unrationalised classifications form the basis of our perceptions and taint our outlook on the world and ourselves. I suppose a clear example of such a perception would be the touting of the phrase "Clash of Civilizations", courtesy of Samuel Huntington, which is the de rigueur these days. But such a phrase is clearly deficient because it presupposes a classification along the lines of civilizations. To reduce a people to such a one dimension classification is clearly not giving credit to the diversity of humanity. Classification for understanding must include the multidimensionality of humanity, lazy classification and generalization is perhaps more dangerous than the nuclear bomb. Is this the best way to classify peoples? Along the lines of Islam and Democracy? East v. West? Let us not forget that the world's largest democracy, India, is also the 2nd largest muslim country, Indonesia being the first. If diversity is not allowed then our options and choices would be greatly reduced. The allowing of diversity can indeed be seen as a essential freedom. The power of free will and free choice; of not being guided by instincts but by congnitive thinking. That is all that makes us superior to other beasts. Is it not?
3) In addition to what Sen has stated about the the classification of peoples into one dimensional planes, I think we should extrapolate that concept and apply it to other forms of classifcaions and concepts. Democracy is a phrase that we throw about so readily these days but do we know it's exact meaning? Democracy is not just about ballot and votes, but it is about public deliberation and reasoning. In seeking to extend democracy worldwide, the superpowers should consider if they are giving true effect to the meaning of the word. Public deliberation and reasoning is not something that can happen overnight. It has to be cultivated through good education, through conducive environments and through constant stimulation.
4) That maybe after all this thinking I should focus on school work. But i've seem to have lost the drive this semester. Evidently, I will be passing through law school without any As. Talking about law school, check out this law school photo that is the product of citizen/student reporting HERE. Anyway, to mitigate my academic decline, I've been sourcing out ad campaigns for my future law practice. some of the research materials can be seen HERE