The COSMOPOLITAN - towards Conscious, Conscientious, Cosmopolitanism
“I'm all for nationalism.....so long as it refers to a Nation of Humanity.
Cosmopolites
: from gk. Kosmospolites, from kosmos "world" + polites
"citizen," from polis "city"
sidebar code at the bottom of this Manifesto
The Cosmopolitan
- The Cosmopolitan refuses to be defined or identified by the physical place of birth or upbringing
- The Cosmopolitan realises that her/is identity is formulated by contribution from a myriad of cultures whether s/he is aware of them or otherwise
- The Cosmopolitan believes that all identity is learnt and therefore refuses to replicate in its entirety that which is presumed to be her/is culturally & spatially-defined heritage
- The Cosmopolitan views the entirety of the earth as her/is place of birth and will determine, through inquisition and selection, that which will make up her/is identity.
- The
Cosmopolitan realises that true progress lies with the fusion of the
best of cultures and thus seeks to embody this Truth in her/is Approach
& Appreciation of Global Reality. In this, The Cosmopolitan seeks to understand difference as opposed to discounting it.
- This
perspective and associated symbols are diametrically opposed to the
perspectival deficiency underlying those avowing perspectival
alliegiance, origin, or affiliation to any one particular nationality,
race, culturally distinguished state-of-being insofar as that
state-of-being is not representative of the best of all cultures.
The aim of this article is to incite a more conscious pursuit of cosmopolitanism via a resolute adoption of the perspectives enumerated in the article.
Being of ethnically diverse parentage, if not complemented by perspectival 'mixing' beyond the cultures of one's relations, leads to an individual's underdevelopment. This is where one's attributed culture serves as a ceiling as opposed to a launch-pad for further self-development.
This article is not meant to simply promote 'tolerance', but to promote a more open-eyed search for, and adoption of, the best elements of cultures. It aims to relegate the narrow notions associated with, amongst others, 'race' and 'nationality', to the proverbial dustbin of history.
The Cosmopolitan Blogger will try to not narrow her/is interests and articles to include only 'local' affairs or personal interests, but will seek to discover, appreciate and engage in 'foreign' affairs as a corollary of her/is appreciation of her Citizenship of World.
ed-infinitum,
Cosmopolitan
postscript,
I'm sure that the above Project would get more response if I was to put a tune to it - considering the age we're living in where anything of value has to be, relatively, superficially entertaining before being accorded any semblance of value - but I still hold the hope that it will strike a long forgotten chord within the reader of the present, or of the future.
cosmopolitan nationalism globalisation globalization culture philosophy politics uk usa sociology history left anarchism psychology malaysia india hong kong philippines venezuela europe asia africa south america australia middle east blogging blogs
Comments
YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YYES YES YES YES YES
oh, forgot, YES!
Never mind that.
I cannot say that I'm a cosmopolitan just yet, because I denounce the notion that I'm a citizen of the entire planet. Still have that culture shock when moving around.
Think that takes time.
hence the name of my new album COSMOS coming out soon !!!!!
www.marshallstar.co.uk
M*
Good morning Ed
Whats happened to the good manners of greeting the person you are writing to in this cosmopolitan world of the INTERNET with a hello or good morning or good afternoon or evening depending what time of the day the writer is writing.
We all come from varying backgrounds and cultures and religions, Lets teach our children the values of good manners and common courtesy and politeness
and in this cosmopolitan world that we all grow up in maybe a happier one.
Sorry Ed did not get round to posting any videos last night as went out to a new jam session which was crap if you excuse my French had to much to drink lost my phone to boot got up late been back to the bar where i know i left it and no sign but it still rings so who ever has picked it up still has it turned on its not the phone i am concerned with its my numbers that are on it and my number as well they are on all my stationery its a real pain.
GOOD MORNING, GOOD AFTERNOON AND GOOD EVENING GENTLEMEN.
Hi there Ed!
My Father was English from French desent. My Mother was Italian from Yugoslavian desent. I was born in Germany. When my brothers and I were growing up, we must have moved at least 10 times. One year we lived in Berlin and the next in Kuala Lumpar (excuse spelling)... Despite being English...I'd never laid eyes on the place until I was 17. A few people think I've got a posh accent... I haven't. I describe it as a non descript clear english cosmopolitan accent. The benefit I suppose is that everywhere feels like home although in many ways I feel rootless sometimes. I can be very english... and sometimes I can be very Italian...and sometimes I don't know what I'm being! I don't 'feel' any of the above, although I'm happiest around Italians. There's nothing I like more than spending a couple of hours moaning and complaining about illnesses! ask an english man how he feels and he'll probably politely say 'fine thankyou' even if his head is falling off...ask an Italian..... and then you better go and get a chair!
So yeah... I think I'm relatively cosmopolitan. I hope. Oh! and I'd be more than happy to write you a relatively, superficially entertaining tune to go with this!!
music, double glazing, its all the same isn't it ??
kisses - thanks for looking in...
xxxxXXXXxxx
www.marshallstar.co.uk
evenin! (I agree with Mr. Snappy in that people aught to learn proper manners- I know it'd make my day working in a coffee shop that little bit more bearable)
I enjoy this idea of the cosmopolitan (and i have to admit i am quite fond of the cocktail also) and think it is something that people can grow into by being put in different situations and readjusting to the things happen around them, I like it when i see someone become accusomed to little cultural differances- things even as small as differences between Scotland and England!.. and when these (or others) collide all the outcome is a change in perspective is (in my humble opinion) for the better. I guess it appeals to my open minded nature.
Lxxx
Ed—
This is nothing more then a slave’s devotion to tolerance—which when taken to its end removes all truth and leaves an empty unsatisfying nothingness. . .instead of removing all truth, try looking for truth instead, ”You are truly my disciples if you keep obeying my teachings, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (Jn, 8:32) only then will you no longer be a slave.
Being of ethnically diverse parentage, if not complemented by perspectival 'mixing' beyond the cultures of one's relations, leads to an individual's underdevelopment. This is where one's attributed culture serves as a ceiling as opposed to a launch-pad for further self-development.
This article is not meant to simply promote 'tolerance', but to promote a more open-eyed search for, and adoption of, the best elements of cultures. It aims to relegate the narrow notions associated with, amongst others, 'race' and 'nationality', to the proverbial dustbin of history.
Perhaps I did not make these points clear enough in the initial version of the article (thus, the re-editing of this article and the inclusion of the above) as most of the above comments, except for LauraBuggins' insightful experience of the positive effects of cosmopolitanism, do not evidence any understanding, or appreciation, of the gist of the article.
All emptiness is pregnant with potential. To debunk 'old truths' does not leave us with something 'empty' and 'unsatisfying'. That is a self-absorbed sensation that appreciates value where it delivers immediate gratification. For some, the rejection of existing 'truths' is akin to seeking a greater and all-encompassing truth, or, spurred by a suspicion that we might be living a lie. This article seeks to discover a new truth via Conscious and Conscientious Cosmopolitanism.
Thank you for the biblical reference. But, such statements are of little value if we do not attempt to realise them in society via actual sociological, psychological, economic and political blueprints.
Hi Marshall Star,
Thank you for the link to your upcoming album.
But I dare say that this article has more insights for humanity than all the lyrics in the said album put together. 'Insight-value' ought not to be confused with 'relaxing-value'. One needs the other, but one is not the other.
Personally, I do like your music. It has its place in life, but it has its place. I do not confuse the inspiration/insight-value of most 'musicians' for the non-musical blueprints that are sorely needed for the extrication of humanity from the perspectival quagmire it is neck-deep in. This perspective may irk many musicians, but it can only do so if they arrogantly mistake their music for strategic blueprints, or allow their 'fans' to believe that by hogging the limelight. In a parallel universe, we would have 'top 40's philosophical perspectives' taking precedence over 'top 40's hits'. When nursery rhymes take precedence over shakespeare, something is seriously wrong.
Greetings Aput,
The trick is to take the 'shock' as a 'prod' indicating that there is something new to learn and that one's national experience has not prepared one for. I view that positively...so long as it is not an experience that bodes ill for the long-term interests of humanity. Just appreciating that perspective makes one a 'Cosmopolitan'. In this, we become more than our 'nations', 'races', 'religious groups', 'genders', 'employee status', 'age groups', ethnicity, fashions, trends, amongst others, intends us to be. One ought not to 'denounce' a laudable humanity-unifying ideal simply because one gets 'shocked' when one encounters difference. This indicates a deficiency within oneself that requires address.
The amount of time it takes to be one is the amount of time it takes to resolve to be one. It can only make our minds more vibrant and lead us to join hands across the seas, plains, mountains and valleys. Thank you for sharing your apprehensions.
Hi there sGR,
I'm with you on 'everywhere feels like home'. What's exciting is that 'everywhere feels like' a part of your 'home that you've yet to discover'. Of course, not 'everywhere' feels like 'home' to me. There must be a significant population of empathetic persons(aka, 'humans') in any country before it can 'feel like home' to me. Thus, singapore, amongst others, is more of a 'penance' for sins of a past life to me than a home whilst my sojourn in the UK was a reprieve.
Yes, i always found the allegedly 'posh' accent of some people in Britain to be nothing more than clearly spoken english that pays attention to phonetic detail. It also dispenses with any additive suffixes to convey emotion and fuses it with the statement itself. That is what gives a well-spoken english statement the intonation that many locals deride as 'slanging' when a 'local' such as myself attempt to speak it.
I suppose you will understand what i mean if you have been exposed to 'chinglish' (chinese-style english) which is widely, and unfortunately, spoken in singapore. There are lots of pleading-style 'laaa', 'lors', 'leis' used as suffixes in a statement. It sort of tones down the impact of a statement. In itself, it is good, and can sometimes tone down the impact of an otherwise aggressive-sounding statement. However, when it is practiced at the expense of elaborating what you have to say on the basis of reason, it becomes a bad thing. As it tends to relax one whilst speaking, it can also relax the desire to think - as it is the case amongst every singaporean i have met in my life, without exception. As the relatively well-spoken british are not generally afforded such 're-laxative' suffixes, the tension created can actually lead to their being forced to elaborate on their ideas.
As for 'relatively superficially entertaining', i have to say that that which stimulates the apetite cannot be placed in the same category as that which stimulates the mind. Music is most important in the human experience of things. But it can become a distraction or of opiatic value when it is not complemented by the spiritual or intellectual. In fact, music, like philosophy, must give rise to the rejuvenation or growth of the intellect. If not, it becomes nothing more than 'relatively superficial entertainment'.
Thank you for your observations sGR. The various points you raised were most entertaining, despite it not having a tune accompanying it;) Look forward to your next number. Loved the last two.
Hi there Alex,
I suppose one of the reasons why a 'good morn/night/evening' may not be in constant usage on the net is because online conversation approximates closer to a 'real-time conversation' as opposed to non-real-time conversations of yesteryear delivered via the postie every so often. Thus, it becomes quite similar to a conversation taking place face-to-face. However, i would still observe that rule at the start of a conversation, or when a reply takes some time before it reaches me.
Personally, i start off with a 'hi', 'hey', or, at times, 'oi!', to sort of tone down the relatively serious nature of a conversation.
Additionally, to say 'good morning' to another might seem a bit egocentric especially when one might be conversing with another who is about to go to bed for the night. Thank you for your complaint. It made me think about the significance of it in the digisphere.
Dear Laura,
"and when these (or others) collide all the outcome is a change in perspective is (in my humble opinion) for the better."
Such an opinion ought to be shouted from the rooftop with no degree of humility Laura. Beautiful indeed. Thank you.
The following is not necessarily for the benefit of ''Christianity' in the Raw' as those who are akin to mistaking a 'groan' as diagnostic of a problem without as opposed to a perspectival deficiency within would probably be inclined to dismissing anything that requires thought.
The value of an 'ism' lies not in itself, but in its presenting an alternative way of looking at things, and at oneself. The innovation of 'isms', or 'ways of thinking', can also be an attempt to bring together all other 'isms' within conditions that leads to the fruition of all via the interaction of all - as opposed to contemporary capitalist secularism that seeks to displace all other modes of thinking for the profit motive.
That is the value of Cosmopolitanism - which simply stipulates that one ought to be proactive in seeking out difference and embracing the perspectives nurtured within its differentiated history for the purpose of acquiring yet another 'way of looking at things', and disavowing any kind of archaic affiliations that causes one to be less proactive in such a quest. This is contemporary application of the Cartesian method where everything is called into doubt within oneself for the purpose of reconstructing a global self from the ground up for the sake of engendering cross-national empathy and unity.
If so-called 'Christianity in the Raw' was to think further than the literal word, s/he would realise that Cosmopolitanism is an attempt to realise, amongst others, the 13th Commandment of Christ - "Love thy neighbour as thy Self" - and move it beyond an unarticulated ideal to an articulated one. I always thought that the God/s are best worshipped by reading a sociology/psychology/history/politicalPhilosophy book whilst kneeling on the pew.
If this is just another 'ism' to some 'minds', then it is simply indicative of a disability of not being able to see the forest for the twigs.
To Laura,
'thankyou Ed, now if only I could string a sentence together that makes sense.....'
What you said in your first comment made perfect sense to me Laura....You can use my roof anytime.
There already is a sound track for this - John Lennon's Imagine - that lyric might be a good starting point for discussion.
Deviation is good if it brings us to greater heights than that which the main theme intends. Otherwise, it serves as a distraction from the significant to the relatively trivial.
The line "Imagine there's no countries, nothing to live and die for" seems relevant to this " a brotherhood of man" etc.
Economically countries are no longer what they once were with Multi National companies / banks calling the economic tune and political / economic federations like the EEC where the laws and policies transcend national boundaries and the development of multi-ethnic communities etc.
The notion of a 'national identity' on an emotional level hasn't perhaps caught up with economic reality. Ideas move forward more slowly than material reality.
Media has blurred the boundaries too - satillite TV - instant international news and communications.
The Internet has created the Global Village - on here for instance you don't always know what colour / ethnic origin / time zone / material conditions / culture - you just see people and ideas as if they lived next door. That's Cosmopolitan surely.
The material conditions have changed towards world culture but the attachments to the old idea of narrow national boundaries are slow to change - lagging behind like the speed of sound behind the speed of light.
Don't know if that's relevant to the discussion but there it is!
What you said is indeed true. Yes, globalisation has indeed brought the elite of the world closer whilst their subjects still toil away in the oblivion of nation-state-based 'citizenship'. Thus, the elite of the world can get together to put down any opposition to them, whilst the nationally-disparate masses of the world are left impotent and made to bear the consequences of the prior machinations of the said elite.
Yes, Ideas move more slowly than material reality. (in consideration of this most interesting point you raised....comes the following.)
But this is not some law of psychological physics. This is because the minds of the masses are increasingly being subjected to the whims and fancies of the elite-led media and socio-economic status quo. Actually, it would be more true to say that ideas follow in the train of material reality as opposed to advancing per se. The movement of material reality in itself imposes a perspectival status quo that determines how far and wide ideas develop.
The problem with the digisphere is that the people that come into it have not been insusceptible to the influence of the media and american cultural hegemony over the entire globe. Thus, once here, many are quite americanised enough to continue along the train of the perspectives intravenously fed into them prior to their gettting 'connected'. In this sense, getting 'connected' basically means hastening their assimilation to the american/juvenile perspectival status quo. This is evidenced by both what the general masses talk about and fail to talk about, and the superficial way in which they talk about anything that is significant or relatively trivial. The digisphere, thus, becomes yet another avenue via which they express, develop and reinforce their previously learnt selves.
This, unfortunately, is not 'Cosmopolitanism', it is 'accelerated assimilation'. Cosmopolitanism is more than a physical infrastructure but a perspectival one. In other words, It is not just existing in a global village, but making it a part of oneself. What i intend via this article is to incite a conscious effort in getting to know other cultures and learning and adopting their perspectives where it can eventually lead to global unity and the development of more vibrant minds. In other words, to bring about a Cartesian-style self-doubt that holds the potential of turning us from ethnic/national/gender/religious/etc based sectors to globalised persons.
Unfortunately, where minds are slow to change, the passage of elite-led material time and experience is afforded more time to ensure that it minds according to the dictates of the elite-of-the-day. This is where the perspectival developmental trajectory is gradually twisted over time to insure that we arrive at a point which we might otherwise resist if we transcended the experiences of a particular time and space.
Thank you for your input Trev. You have brought up important and most relevant points....and made me think further than i might otherwise would. For this, i'm indeed indebted to you.
its all in the 'reflective surfaces'
XXXX
www.marshallstar.co.uk
NEW ALBUM COMING OUT !!!
I'm not sure I get this whole Cosmopolitan concept since it seems so foreign from the Truth. By Truth I am referring to the Bible which it doesn't seem you believe to be absolute Truth. (Due to various mention of gods and other comments you make that aren't Biblical, you are after all posting this at Christus Vox).
As such, I do not know how willing you are to seek out the Truth, the one and only absolute Truth found in the Bible. The only way for us to live rightly is by the strength we find through repentance of sins and acceptance of Jesus Christ as Lord (Jesus told him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me." John 14:6). We must lean on Him for the ability to accept others for who they are and treat them as Christ would.
Yesterday we had a guest speaker do the sermon at church. He's a philosophy professor at a local seminary and has written several books on New Age thought. You might find his sermon and his books interesting. His name is Dr. Doug Groothius and you can listen to his sermon "What Would Jesus Say to a New Ager?" online or download it. You may also be interested in his sermon from two weeks ago "What Would Jesus Say to a Relativist?".
I will keep you in my prayers as you seek the Truth, that your mind and eyes may be opened and you will truly understand the amazing gospel of Christ and what he so lovingly did for you on the cross. "If you declare wit your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved." Romans 10:9