I considered making a more overt message, but I chose not to over the already-high potential backlash that my bold decision would create. When reading this passage, do not be quick to make brash conjectures, take your time to digest and make your own civil conclusions. Constructive and respectful criticism regarding my writing is always encouraged.
The reason why I chose my image and my motto was to send a message.
Although we as humans tend to follow the consensus, the consensus isn’t always correct, and that manifests itself in misjudging things that have been considered “cursed” and as a result retract in discomfort and fear in response to the showing of such imagery. Such an image, in this case, would be the Swastika, once a symbol of peace and cycles, they have unfortunately been appropriated by a particular group and now represents the discord that the group sowed. Unfortunately, pre-third reich imagery of the swastika and the swastika itself is obscure in the dominant western perspective that the western hemisphere and Europe share, now most connotations of it are of its now hateful default, invoking fear and resulting anger upon most people viewing it.
But it doesn’t have to be this way, fear is just a barrier, and barriers are meant to be conquered. The COVID-19 pandemic taught us to properly conquer barriers, there needs to be swift and drastic changes in both ideology and action to be instated to the public. I have already discussed my ideologies, and the action that I took to embed that ideology, was that of actively canceling preconceptions in my mind regarding the imagery and learning about what that symbol is truly about. The repeated showing of the swastika did not increase my fear of it, but rather immunized me towards its presence and prepared me to harness its power for good. I believe that sufficient enough time has passed for people to heal and for knowledge to increase to begin to rehabilitate the swastika’s image.
The swastika is currently cursed, but any curse can be lifted, as long as the people have the knowledge and strength to undo it.
The reason why I chose my image and my motto was to send a message.
Although we as humans tend to follow the consensus, the consensus isn’t always correct, and that manifests itself in misjudging things that have been considered “cursed” and as a result retract in discomfort and fear in response to the showing of such imagery. Such an image, in this case, would be the Swastika, once a symbol of peace and cycles, they have unfortunately been appropriated by a particular group and now represents the discord that the group sowed. Unfortunately, pre-third reich imagery of the swastika and the swastika itself is obscure in the dominant western perspective that the western hemisphere and Europe share, now most connotations of it are of its now hateful default, invoking fear and resulting anger upon most people viewing it.
But it doesn’t have to be this way, fear is just a barrier, and barriers are meant to be conquered. The COVID-19 pandemic taught us to properly conquer barriers, there needs to be swift and drastic changes in both ideology and action to be instated to the public. I have already discussed my ideologies, and the action that I took to embed that ideology, was that of actively canceling preconceptions in my mind regarding the imagery and learning about what that symbol is truly about. The repeated showing of the swastika did not increase my fear of it, but rather immunized me towards its presence and prepared me to harness its power for good. I believe that sufficient enough time has passed for people to heal and for knowledge to increase to begin to rehabilitate the swastika’s image.
The swastika is currently cursed, but any curse can be lifted, as long as the people have the knowledge and strength to undo it.
Oh no this poor symbol was used for bad stuff, I'm gonna use it as my avatar to make it feel better.
