COMMENT POSTED TO AN ARTICLE IN THE GUARDIAN AND QUICKLY
REMOVED
‘The self is more or
less an invention from beginning to end’ Nicole Krauss
Not entirely an original thought, having been expressed by
many others in various forms over the years.
But I think the thought is in fact a fantasy.
The word "invention" makes it scientifically
false.
The truth is we are not, any of us, the same from birth, and
it has nothing to do with invention.
Our endowments and weaknesses - shaped further by our
experiences and our "sentimental education" which are not the same
for any two humans, even identical twins.
We all live in our own realities to a considerable extent -
in our interests, in our politics, in our religion, hopes, and in our fears.
These at various points overlap with others, but they are never even close to
the same.
Science tells us that we do not even see exactly the same
things, given everything from color blindness to perceptual glitches, and we
certainly do not feel the same things, given our moods, sensitivities, mental
illnesses, etc.
______________________
Now, Kafka, whom Ms. Krause cites, was one of our great
critics of oppression and crushing of the human spirit by tyranny.
And Israel is the location chosen by Ms. Krause. I wonder
what Kafka would say about contemporary Israel?
