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Over the past few weeks I'd been called "Radical" by multiple people.
Now I don't believe I've been behaving or speaking any differently lately, but it is interesting that one of these people was my Brother-in-law who has known me since I was 10 (I think?) and the other a friend whose known me for about two years.
All these changes happened in over the past two years.
So the question actually is, what is "Radical"? Is it being a Leftist? Not necessarily, since many Right movements have been called Radical in some way or another, though usually it's interchangeable with "Fundamentalist". Which again, is odd since according to the dictionary, "Fundamentalism" is "the strict adherence to any set of basic ideas or principles: the fundamentalism of the extreme conservatives". Whereas "Radical" - according to that same dictionary - is "thoroughgoing or extreme, esp. as regards change from accepted or traditional forms: a radical change in the policy of a company".
Basically not the same thing. At all.
Well, okay, anybody whose met me knows I don't conform to Tradition, simply by being who I am, it's important to know why you do things, especially when it comes to Tradition, which is basically doing things because they were once: #1 necessary, or, #2 part of a routine, or #3 it's just the way things had always been done.
I'm all for a touch of Tradition in our lives, it reminds us where we've been and it allows to retain things for the generation to come after us, so that they may look back and know they came from somewhere.
Before my Radicalization, I was a pretty much take it or leave it kind of girl (still am, only in a different way now). I realize now that I'm much more content questioning everything and not accepting things the way they are, because frankly the way things are now, suck, in some way or another. Is "suck" a strong enough word, probably not, but seeing as Mummy is over-seas and has a tendency to read my blog when she's not in my direct vicinity I'll refrain from using words she doesn't think I should.
Speaking of the Grand Matre, she told me just before she left to the States, that of all her children I'm most like her, now before you all panic this is not a bad thing, Mummy was once a hippie, that's right, the English Teacher was an anti-apartheid activist back in the late 60' is South-Africa and she mentioned the 60' were a better decade for me to have lived in.
I would have suited the mindset.
While I soaked up this marvelous compliment I wondered when our generation had become so apathetic and cynical that we don't learn from our mistakes.
I'm a big believer that Change is Good. Not always pleasant granted, but Change is always better than Stasis.
The world has Changed in the past few years, it has gone Right, nobody wants to upset our grand Patron (Patriarch?) Ole' Uncle Sam. You'll see, soon my brother will come and ask me to "explain what's wrong with having the protection and influence of the United States behind us" and the answer to that is that there's nothing wrong with being an ally to The Super Power, it's when Uncle Sam, decides to make the world Free, the way Uncle Tom was free.
"Freedom" is not a word in the American Language, it's a word in the English language, the current "lingua franca" of international communication. "Freedom" much like "Equality" have become concepts. Not, ya know, principles upon which Modern Western Civilization built its foundations upon and indeed the meanings of these two words have changed when the definitions of what being a person meant.
Is it Radical to believe that we should not surrender to Tradition, simply because it has "always been there"? Is it Radical to believe that there is no such thing as a Post-Feminist era and to try and move towards creating a society in which Power is not synonymous with Money and where the foundations upon which people are judged by their ability is not that of how much Time a person is willing to give, but the Quality of the work done.
I think the most Fundamental value is Radicalism is not just accepting Change, but actually making it, creating it and moving towards re-creating the foundation upon which humanity is supposedly based... love.
Oh, Shut up!
Now I don't believe I've been behaving or speaking any differently lately, but it is interesting that one of these people was my Brother-in-law who has known me since I was 10 (I think?) and the other a friend whose known me for about two years.
All these changes happened in over the past two years.
So the question actually is, what is "Radical"? Is it being a Leftist? Not necessarily, since many Right movements have been called Radical in some way or another, though usually it's interchangeable with "Fundamentalist". Which again, is odd since according to the dictionary, "Fundamentalism" is "the strict adherence to any set of basic ideas or principles: the fundamentalism of the extreme conservatives". Whereas "Radical" - according to that same dictionary - is "thoroughgoing or extreme, esp. as regards change from accepted or traditional forms: a radical change in the policy of a company".
Basically not the same thing. At all.
Well, okay, anybody whose met me knows I don't conform to Tradition, simply by being who I am, it's important to know why you do things, especially when it comes to Tradition, which is basically doing things because they were once: #1 necessary, or, #2 part of a routine, or #3 it's just the way things had always been done.
I'm all for a touch of Tradition in our lives, it reminds us where we've been and it allows to retain things for the generation to come after us, so that they may look back and know they came from somewhere.
Before my Radicalization, I was a pretty much take it or leave it kind of girl (still am, only in a different way now). I realize now that I'm much more content questioning everything and not accepting things the way they are, because frankly the way things are now, suck, in some way or another. Is "suck" a strong enough word, probably not, but seeing as Mummy is over-seas and has a tendency to read my blog when she's not in my direct vicinity I'll refrain from using words she doesn't think I should.
Speaking of the Grand Matre, she told me just before she left to the States, that of all her children I'm most like her, now before you all panic this is not a bad thing, Mummy was once a hippie, that's right, the English Teacher was an anti-apartheid activist back in the late 60' is South-Africa and she mentioned the 60' were a better decade for me to have lived in.
I would have suited the mindset.
While I soaked up this marvelous compliment I wondered when our generation had become so apathetic and cynical that we don't learn from our mistakes.
I'm a big believer that Change is Good. Not always pleasant granted, but Change is always better than Stasis.
The world has Changed in the past few years, it has gone Right, nobody wants to upset our grand Patron (Patriarch?) Ole' Uncle Sam. You'll see, soon my brother will come and ask me to "explain what's wrong with having the protection and influence of the United States behind us" and the answer to that is that there's nothing wrong with being an ally to The Super Power, it's when Uncle Sam, decides to make the world Free, the way Uncle Tom was free.
"Freedom" is not a word in the American Language, it's a word in the English language, the current "lingua franca" of international communication. "Freedom" much like "Equality" have become concepts. Not, ya know, principles upon which Modern Western Civilization built its foundations upon and indeed the meanings of these two words have changed when the definitions of what being a person meant.
Is it Radical to believe that we should not surrender to Tradition, simply because it has "always been there"? Is it Radical to believe that there is no such thing as a Post-Feminist era and to try and move towards creating a society in which Power is not synonymous with Money and where the foundations upon which people are judged by their ability is not that of how much Time a person is willing to give, but the Quality of the work done.
I think the most Fundamental value is Radicalism is not just accepting Change, but actually making it, creating it and moving towards re-creating the foundation upon which humanity is supposedly based... love.
Oh, Shut up!
