In 100 years, in 1000 years
A little while ago, I decided that one minor metaphor among the many metaphors that I wanted of my works was for it to be the "anti-Taylor Swift".
That is, instead of worshipping the rather shallow perspective of the self and romantic relationships as the supreme, I want to explore and contribute in-depth on a rich, robust array of deeply serious matters as well as exploratory ones, in both non-fiction and creative expressions.
Jeff Atwood
"Who's Your Arch-Enemy?" from software developer Jeff Atwood. Mine is Taylor Swift in some senses, and of course the empire's architects and bullish promoters in other senses.
If you were to write a philosophical book or collection of works, that maybe were to be read in your nation in 100 years' time, or read by the peoples of the world in 1000 years' time, what would you want to explore? What themes would you want to touch on?
For me, worldwide resistance to foreign, brutal domination would be a salient one, as well as exploring new ways of living. And I also like to explore challenging themes and adventures that have come up in my own life, from dropping out of high school in protest of a rigged education system, to running away from parents mistreating me at home and more.
It would also be interesting to write political-philosophical pieces for the continent I'm on. Australia is surrounded by Asia, and is much closer to Asia than other continents across the world are to it. Maybe one day, Asian cultures will prevail more than the European / Western influences do, amongst non-indigenous folks. Will these newer generations help to dismantle the colonial legacy that has been imposed on this continent over the last 236 years, or will they uphold it? I could contribute to a philosophical framework that opposes the colonial regime that future people could also quote from, to bolster their own arguments, as I have done with writers from more than a hundred years before me.
I want to write, draw, code and more to explore these.
In this vein, on this publication, I want to also highlight some artworks that thoughtfully explore themes in ways that I want to be able to do too. The film "Under the White Mask" was one of those.
Recently I was introduced to the artist George Burchett's works, through a connection with a reader of this publication, Jim Kable, a retired teacher and founder of the Shoin Fellowship. (Both people have been incredibly lovely and encouraging to me – I've been deeply touched and grateful for my interactions with both of them.)
George Burchett is a son of the dissident Australian journalist Wilfred Burchett, and his works absolutely stand in their own right. I want to share some of them.
I love these art pieces of his, as well as an overview of his, here below:
George Burchett depicts neoconservatives as villains in striking, thought-provoking movie posters
From 1957 to 1965, we lived in Moscow. These were good years for the Soviet Union. In 1956 Khrushchev had denounced Stalin’s crimes at the 20th Congress of the Communist Party of the USSR, released political prisoners and ushered in an era of openness and peaceful cohabitation. Asia, Africa and Latin America were shaking off their colonial shackles and getting rid of fascist dictatorships. I was on the Red Square in 1961 to greet Fidel Castro. The Soviets were conquering space and humanity was marching towards progress and a world free of oppression, poverty, disease, racism and all the other ills that have plagued the world since the dark ages. Vietnam was resisting American imperialism and my dad was reporting the heroic struggle of the Vietnamese people from the jungles of South Vietnam. There was no doubt in my young mind that with the support of the Soviet Union and all of progressive humanity, Vietnam and all of Asia, Africa and Latin America would be liberated from oppression and poverty. That’s how the world looked to me back then: bright and beautiful.
[Source: George Burchett, link below]
George Burchett reflects on the Ten Principles of Bandung as well as the world through his eyes growing up
