Ben Wilkoff

Mr. Wilkoff

G/T Language Arts 8

8 May 2008

Context is King

The search for simplicity seems so absolute sometimes. I can’t quite wrap my head around it. It seems like any ambiguity or complexity is shunned by the established sense of what existence should be. The definitions of men and women, religious and secular, child and adult put forth by mass acceptance are laughable when taken into the context of reality. The notion that there is any one right way to speak, write, or think is so sickeningly elitist and intentionally obtuse that it simply baffles me. Why can’t we, as complex human beings, deal with the complexity of our language and ideas? Do we have to define and dumb things down for words to be palatable to the average brain? We are wordsmiths from the time that we let the first utterances out. Should we expect anything less from others?

            I now believe more fervently than ever that life is the study of complexity and layers. It is not a dissectible science; instead, it is a fruit-bearing experience. An eye-opening encounter with reflection is not one you can achieve through definitions and categories because understanding is not a final state. In fact, there is no final state of truth within language and thought. It is ours to play with, not pin down.

            Simplicity is for suckers. We need to teach each other how to be okay with the paradoxes of our world. There are times where people don’t act like they are supposed to. There are times when breaking a rule is more important and valuable than following it. When people are able to have multiple definitions of inherently understandable concepts, they will also be able to see life for what it is: growth of self. Growth of ideas, of articulation, of character. This growth will never happen with the definitionists in control. In fact, they kill all growth in the hopes of creating better knowledge of rigid class designations, immovable gender roles, and outdated rules of interaction that are completely disconnected from what real people do.

            The only way for complexity to return to the common existence (if it was ever there in the first place) is to get everyone to believe in it. People who make decisions must grab a hold of how truly unimportant simple answers are. They must crush the “definitionist” propaganda as nothing more than a ploy to scrutinize lack-luster reports on the state of humanity in the hopes of finding a basic cure for all of the ills in society. Once we are all on board with the idea that thought is based upon intricacy and not memorization and unwavering conformity, then people will finally be free to pursue the only truth of studying life: Context is King.

            My belief is this: Complex contemplation is the only way for people to understand the convoluted beauty of life. If they are not engaged in it, if they don’t believe in it, then they will be doomed to skim the surface of existence, forever.