Severing Ties... A Concept and Philosophy (Part 1 of 2)
How beautiful is that which emerges from the wreckage of suffocating ideas, the fanaticism of decaying beliefs, the evils of prevailing cultures, the ugliness of sectarian biases, and the authority of dogmatic interpretations, while harboring in his mind or soul no pathological or illusory attachment to them.
In this state, he possesses a complete break with everything that once bound him to illusion, falsehood, ignorance, hatred, evil, fanaticism, and closed-mindedness. This is the moment when he realizes his capacity to look forward and sever ties with an ugly past. Naturally, this is not an easy task, as it requires considerable reflection on his former state, moving forward, and avoiding a return to his wretched past. His ability becomes evident in his awareness of his own thought process, which drives him to reflect through the complete freedom he has found in returning to his mind and being enlightened by the beauty of a cultural break with miserable pasts.
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Through this cultural break, he comes to realize that what he once viewed in the past was merely what he had been conditioned to believe without knowing he had the right to use his own mind. He did not perceive the vastness of liberation, autonomy, and understanding within his own depths and intellect; rather, he simply accepted ready-made ideas, prevailing beliefs, and circulating cultures dictated by dependence, habit, and obligation.
He had never experienced the meaning of possessing a mind capable of autonomous movement through meanings, questions, and ideas. In that state, his mind lacked the skill to reflect on everything available to him from others and his surrounding environment. Consequently, he remained confined to what he had believed to be necessary and accessible at the time, rather than seeking to understand through the interrogation of the mind, thought, and questioning, or through recognizing the self in its independent movement.
The culture of transitioning from imitation and dependence to a state of creative rupture, and to the aesthetics of reflection and individuality, is achieved through carefully examining the potential of the independent self, which possesses the capacity to explore and evoke the beauty of an independent mind and a free self.
This transition moves from believing in what is available from others to understanding the self and elucidating its potential for reflection, comprehension, and philosophy. In this creative launch and inspiring leap, the free individual strives to establish his independent existence, as this constitutes a full establishment of his state of seeking truth, whether that truth lies in his return to his self and mind, or in the beautiful horizon he creates, within which he now sees himself.
Every person naturally carries their cultural heritage on their back. However, the matter always depends on their ability to shed the burdens and constraints of this heritage. Each of us has long endured the necessity of accepting existing traditions through a culture of non-criticism, non-reflection, and non-understanding, until this culture came to reflect a fixed certainty and complete submission to one’s heritage. Therefore, the culture of autonomy, liberation, understanding, and critique represents a significant departure from one’s heritage, dependence, and dogmatism. Accordingly, the decisive break with one’s cultural heritage becomes a monumental step on the path of returning to one’s self, mind, choices, and decisions.
In this transition, he rightfully forges his own horizon, independent thought, and free will, drawing on the potential of his self and mind—potential he had never previously explored or sought, owing to his complete submission to his cultural heritage. He now possesses a wealth of new horizons he has created, along with many choices for reflection and contemplation that he had not experienced before. Thus, I believe that whoever can return to his own self and mind can seize the great opportunity to forge broad, open, and free horizons and pathways. Ultimately, these horizons reveal the extent of his need for questioning, critique, understanding, thinking, and creativity.
A Kuwaiti writer
