Humanity & The Nature of Exposure
Ka’at Ibi: Humanity & The Nature of Exposure
We are a product of our exposure. This is a fact that has been at the root of what it means to be a human being since our beginning. This remains true of what has shaped us as individuals from our formative years, up to this very moment as these words are being read. We have been and are constantly being shaped, influenced and affected by our environment and the world of stimuli around us. One could say that we innately live for exposure by way of the various stimuli within our surroundings. Perhaps it is the only way we can be sure that we are actually alive, because without the ability to see, hear, smell, touch, and taste, how else could we possibly know? Further still, given this hypothetical state of sensory deprivation, where we are uncertain that we are even alive, what would be the impetus for us to act upon or interact with one another and our environment? Really, if we don’t act or interact with others and our world, then we might as well not exist.
We see then, that to grasp the implications of exposure we must at least note how exposure is even experienced, which is through the window of our sense perception. In addition to the observation of how perception itself defines how we become aware of our existence, we see how it facilitates our understanding of how we fit within its grand scheme. It is true that in order for anything that has an energetic presence to occupy a space in existence it must resist annihilation but, by this basic requirement, it is observable that even a rock is capable of this. We must admit however that, as animate beings, we simply do not express our existence as rocks do. So then what is it to exist as a human being and how do we avoid annihilation? It wouldn’t be a stretch to say that the way human beings become aware of our existence and thereby strive to exist (avoid annihilation), is through our capability of perception. Through it, we gain the experience that then gives us a reason to adapt/adjust so that we can continue existing. If we can agree on this, then maybe it is possible to conceive the following idea. If the human being needs exposure/stimulation in order to have a reason to exist in a way that complements our abilities, and we act or react according to these perceptions, then whoever or whatever provides this exposure also shapes those experiences, hence the way in which we adapt. This has the potential to greatly influence our individual behavior and our collective destiny as a species.
Let us approach this understanding on a social level. Considering that most of our exposure in colonial society amounts to nothing more than a repetitive loop of calculated stimulants, then it would pose a rather formidable challenge to express behavior outside of what we’ve been set for, especially without any alternative influence. If we look at existence as a continual process of give and take, meaning that in order for something to be gained, something else someplace else must be lost and visa versa, then, by this principle we can surmise that humans too must conform to this truism. Everyone must sacrifice, struggle, and exert some effort to survive on this earth. Exposure, in this sense, can perhaps be seen like currency, in that it takes some to get some.
To elaborate on this idea, picture the average colonised person in the US and our lack of even basic knowledge of geography for example, or our limited grasp of any language besides English. See how dismissive and condescending we are to cultures that are dissimilar to ours, or that don’t parrot our values. This can shed light on how narrowly the range of our exposure has been constructed. Furthermore, not only are we not encouraged to genuinely interact with the various peoples of the world in the spirit of mutual exchange, we are persuaded to view our society as the pinnacle of the world’s cultures, further distancing us from the possibility of gaining exposure to anything that does not assuage popular sensibility. This severely limits any notable degree of valuable experience and appreciation for the diversity of this world, with the effect of impoverishing Westerners of the “currency” necessary to avoid close-minded and opinionated attitudes that said currency procures.
Moreover, we tend to carry this attitude of privilege even when we do venture into other countries and cultures, with the expectation that others will adjust to accommodate us. Ironically, many who can afford to travel abroad, go to popular “vacation destinations”, and come back with nothing but trinkets, a tan perhaps, and photos to mark their achievement of the highlights as advertised. Our vacations provide us just enough to believe we are getting new exposure but not enough to disrupt the bubble of illusion and disconnection from nature that most of us consider normal. Often they are even designed to give us new exposure but only in the context of a magnification of all the stereotypes, projections, comforts and luxuries that have made us, Westerners, enemies of this Earth.
Cut off from the natural world, we learn to identify ourselves through the context of a system that has predefined the scope of our destinies. Through it, we have been domesticated and relegated to the status of chattel to be discarded when we’ve outlived our usefulness. With endemic corruptions perfused within the institutions of its support structure and having been subjected to them from the moment of our birth, we help feed the system that is destroying us and is consequently suffering the effects of a speedy decline into barbarism. This degeneration shows an embarrassing reduction in the intelligence that distinguishes us from other animal life forms. The modern colonial system responsible for this indignity seeks to maintain and protect itself by hinging its existence on our inclination toward vices and pleasures while placating us for our cooperation, just as ‘bees sting the one who loves honey’. And so it is through the sweet taste that this system seems to have secured its perpetuation and will not let go of us without fierce resistance. Also, because we each have become like microcosms of the larger colonial system, having internalised its values, we tend to mirror the larger structure within ourselves. So, letting go of it would seem like denying a very prominent part of what validates our own existence. Could this possibly mean that it is really us who will fiercely resist letting go of the system?
Being creatures that are products of stimulation, as a condition of our survival; and now that we can perhaps acknowledge that this society has chosen to exploit our tendency to be enticed and indeed our inclination to seek said stimulation in the realm of pleasure, comfort, and convenience; maybe we can project, in some small measure, the practical implications on what we are facing. Just look at our conditioning to assign value to a thing based on the degree of emotional stimulation it evokes in us to this end. For example, when was the last time we went to the store and purchased an item that wasn’t marketed to appeal, in part, to one of these emotional states, or sense of aesthetics? We frequently use the same emotional tactic in our own communication with one another. For instance, what do we mean when we tell a friend a particular dish was “good” or that something we saw was “beautiful” or “pretty”? It means that we liked it, right? Can we see that the nature of our exposure or stimulation plays a fundamental role in shaping this aesthetic sensibility?
If our standard of valuation is set by what we find to be emotionally pleasing, entertaining, exciting, etc. what does the overemphasis on these qualities and or aesthetics, whose standard is not defined by our culture, imply about the many other things that do not fit that criteria? What brought us to the point of equating what we like as “good” and what we dislike as “bad”? Clearly, if we give it just a little thought we can quickly see that everything we like isn’t necessarily good for us and vice versa. Still, while perhaps even being aware of this simple fact, we find that this ingrained animalistic valuation standard kicks in each time we are confronted with whatever our particular appetite is. This susceptibility is highly exploitable and is especially dangerous when contrasted against all the things that, in this light, represent what is perceived as unappealing, uncomfortable, and undesirable. Maybe this is so because a great many things that would facilitate our cultural and spiritual fortification, significantly increasing our resistance to this vulnerability, happen to fall within that less “appealing” category and so by implication, are perceived as “bad” and having no value. In essence, they are the effects of cultural deprivation. The modern society in general and the black and brown communities, in particular, have been especially victimised by this.
These individual tendencies have played out socially since the introduction of the system of colonisation and slavery. Its victims have endured such unspeakable miseries that the apparent reprieve granted by short-lived moments of euphoria has become the mainstay coping mechanism of large segments of these communities. Along with religion, serving as the opiate of the masses, these communities additionally witness rampant abuses of alcohol and drugs, combined with high instances of gratuitous sex and violence in the “pursuit of happiness”. The resulting chaos is currently painting a very grim picture for the future, as ensuing generations emerge in step with the proliferation of these toxic conditions and communities implode under the weight of their uninitiated youth and invalidated elders. These are only a few examples of the maladies that plague marginalised communities and are strongly indicative of the types of exposure that impact us every day. Furthermore, they typify the many levels of behavioral modeling and exposure most of us have been subjected to during our life spans and over several generations. Yet, we find ourselves continually perpetuating them, individually and collectively, despite their obvious ill effects.
Maybe these ill effects can be perceived as a gift, giving us the opportunity to face the cold realities of this world. These “gifts” may take the form of a subtle nudge or come suddenly crashing into our lives, giving us a chance to avoid the abyss ahead; when all falls silent and the encroaching emptiness makes us wish we could somehow wake up, as if from a bad dream. Perhaps this is the moment that represents the opportunity to seek a different approach; a model based upon higher ideals that would give us the buoyancy to rise above the abysmal depths of corruption and be the rudder against the strong tide of the profane, pulling us steadily to our doom.
If we grasp the serious implications that the nature of exposure poses to human beings, in that the model we are exposed to determines the height of our accomplishment or the depths of our failure; how then can we gain this buoyancy to right the sinking wreckage of our present condition set by the intergenerational exposure to a model of failure? It would seem sensible that to expand the dimension of our experience, we would have to seek out some source of alternative exposure. With it, we could perhaps embrace the possibility that what has been indirectly painted as unappealing and undesirable by the marketplace of this colonial system might hold the secret to our recovery and its necessity. Here we might see that we are no longer led along by our desires which often leave us empty-handed and even more desperate. We could entertain the possibility that we are here to do more than chase the latest gadget, fashion trend, or celebrity tweet and that in fact we are here to do much more... we are here to become like Divine Beings.
Fortunately, we have been gifted with this necessary exposure early in our human history in the form of the Divine Model. It was this original exposure, when humanity was sat down and exposed to a glimpse of the Divine World that made us aware that there is something beyond our vices and pleasures, our comforts and conveniences to aspire towards. To that end and since that time, humanity has always had messengers to light the path, most recently in the person of Prophet Naba Lamoussa Morodenibig to remind us of the model that we were exposed to in our collective infancy. This model, if genuinely pursued, may trigger the gamut of our emotional revulsion because it demands that we face hardship and embrace discomfort, which is in direct opposition to our conditioning. A behavior as beneficial as cooperation for the accomplishment of a collective goal may be seen as nearly impossible, particularly in the black community, but is imperative over our preference for the apparent options that reliance on the system offers.
Humanity’s original exposure to the Divine World still echoes through time and persists within the recesses of our consciousness. This exposure, which supersedes the limitations of the material world, could guide and entreat us to climb the steep heights and surmount the great summits, in a valiant march toward the perfection that we all inherently seek. Perhaps this original model would show us not only how to move away from the animalistic tendencies we’ve fallen victim to, but would compel us toward a standard of human refinement that far surpasses our now lowly station in front of the existence. With persistence and determination, maybe it could finally take root as the stabilizing cornerstone on which we can reclaim human dignity and grace. Originally it has helped us to understand our place in existence. It modeled for us human relationships, family, society, and the path to Divinity itself, so that when we say something is “good”, it is because it is good for us, based on this model, and not just because we like it. The same goes for what we call “bad”. Through this sacred model, humanity has managed to not only map the stars but also connect with our planet and avoid becoming obstacles to its harmony with the wider cosmos, not like the narrow-minded parasites colonial society has made us today.
Verily each human being finds himself/herself born into a precarious position. It is like we each enter this world positioned on a thin ledge that sits on the side of a steeply sloped mountain. In the direction that slopes downward, there are attractions and amusements of every kind. The other direction climbs upward, the path is narrow and rocky, and there don’t seem to be many people there. It is exposure and the choices we make as a result, that often determine which direction we choose between these two as we gain the strength to take our first conscious steps onto either path before us, as a necessity of our existence. At each moment and at every step of our journey, in fact, we will face these two paths. Do we slide down the wide and well-paved path, enjoying the multitude of attractions and personalities, that spiral around the mountain, blocking our view of the tangle of carnage and desolation at the bottom? Or do we climb the narrow, steep and rocky path dotted with humble pilgrims, advancing toward the light, in search of enlightenment and the Gods?
Traditional wisdom says, “It is the one who goes to sleep hungry that will be the first to be caught in the hunter’s snare”. Exposed to this Divine Model, our Ancestors were well-fed and have thus long avoided the deadly trap baited with the sweet taste of corruption. Indeed with this original model, they have produced the culture that has set the bar on human civilization to which all subsequent cultures must defer. What do we stand to lose by partaking in such a meal that saw them to such greatness?
