of the last paragraph of this piece.
I’ve been meaning to publish something about intellectual property for a long time. But it never felt right. Until now. On one of my (almost) daily walks in nature it finally dawned on me: diverging realities.
It isn’t uncommon to talk about the world. People like to use phrases such as change the world, save the world, destroy the world and so on. And by doing so, they’re doing all of us who are somewhat aware that we live in diverging realities a disservice. To contextualize:
Our current "world" is simply a battle arena
where diverging realities clash.
The reason this nuance is important to me is because I’d like to focus on language that serves as a bit of a shield to protect against the people who confuse their own divergent reality with the world. Because that confusion is unfortunately extremely conducive to belligerent behavior. In other words, assessing one’s own thinking and perception as normal, as the way things ought to be, will end in hostile behavior no matter how friendly our intentions. Tolerance stops at intolerance, that sort of thing.
Fact of the matter is, you and I live in different realities and occasionally meet in that battle arena known as our world. A place where our diverging realities clash. However, for people with enough self-awareness there’s an alternative:
The "world" could be a hub for
diverging realities to coexist.
For this to be an option, we need to be able to retreat into our private realm whenever diverging realities cannot coexist. Because some of us are just not meant to share the same (mind) space. No matter how “buddhistically” zen we like to think we are. As such, the “world” could be viewed as a temporary common ground for us to meet and converge. To get a feel for each other’s diverging realities. To enjoy some time together; or to agree to never meet again. And, finally, to retreat back into our private realm. Nothing more, nothing less.
In contrast, those people who confuse their own reality with the world itself, where all of us must coexist at all times, often seem to be thinking in terms of zero-sum games. They have to be in control. There’s no room for a private realm. One that solely belongs to you and to me. For them, the world as a temporary hub for diverging realities to coexist is unacceptable. Other than losing control and power, the possibility that someone else might have more a advantageous private realm is unthinkable. That’d be unfair. No one is supposed to have it better. Worse? Sure. But better? Out of question! At the same time, the concept of fairness is only tenable in a visibly competitive world. One that forces diverging realities to fight for dominance. To converge into this one true world. Where no other realities are left but the dominant one. The pinnacle of equality.
The thing is, deep down I remain somewhat optimistic. Over the years I’ve managed to build a private realm full of joy and positivity — tailored to me as an individual. Of course, that isn’t to say that I’m perfectly safe from the occasional bout of cynicism. Something that could be expressed in a concise and, at this point, predictable manner with the words of Jean-Paul Sartre:
L’enfer, c’est les autres. [Hell is other people.]
Though, as I get older I feel like making a slight adjustment to that sentence:
L’enfer, c’est certains autres. [Hell is certain other people.]
Specifically, those who confuse their own personal reality with the world itself. But that isn’t something that a bit of solitude or the right company cannot cure in due time. And the journey continues.
My experience with intellectual property has been diverging from what’s been portrayed in the public discourse. And I’m not simply referring to the last few years. While it wasn’t a topic for me on the creative side, I was still mildly paying attention back when Napster gained in popularity, with Lars Ulrich briefly expanding his role as the drummer for Metallica to becoming a marionette for the industry. However, my interest quickly dropped once that heated debate featuring words such as copyright, piracy and file sharing started going in circles — only to end up asking those who had already paid for one to please not steal a car. So I safely proceeded to ignore the discussion while downloading I Disappear from Napster — and quietly making my exit…back into the mesmerizing depths of my private realm.