Thank you very much, Stephen L. Hall, for this Monday morning post!
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First, I’d like to thank Garth for the topic of this post.
One of the hallmarks of the sapient mind is the ability to make distinctions, to separate concepts and words based upon what we determine to be important. The very evolution of language tracks the development of society and the creation of new distinctions and ideas, which is illustrated colorfully.
By that, I mean that primitive hunter/gatherer societies only develop words for two different colors, white and black. As the society develops other ideas are introduced, but also colors are added to the language. The first color added is universally blue, which enters the language when the society begins to engage in trade and commerce with its neighbors. Other colors like green and brown are created with agriculture and husbandry. With war comes the color red; with religion purple. Orange always seems to be last, though I’m sure orange is before teal or vermillion.
What is it that separates our various concepts of homicide, meaning human death, but the various distinctions that we make. What distinguishes an assassination from any other murder but the political motivation of the murder? That which distinguishes suicide from murder is that the murderer is also the victim. Manslaughter from murder we distinguish by the intent of the actor.
We distinguish accident from tort from crime based on varying distinctions from intent, to negligence, to whether the event is foreseeable. Larceny from robbery is merely a matter of the mean of effect, whether the thief employs the threat of force in their thievery. Embezzlement differs Larceny based upon the employment relationship of the thief to their victim. Fraud is theft effected by deceit.
What is it that distinguishes us, one from another, is not so much the distinctions that exist between us as much as the nature and qualities of the distinctions we ourselves make.
Existing as a primarily political blog, frequented by politically observant commenters, the distinctions we often make are of the political nature between those who identify with the arbitrary and misleading labels of liberal and conservatives.
For example, the “liberal” wants to taunt that they are “pro-life” because they oppose the death penalty, but “conservatives” will snap that the same “liberal” disregards the life of the fetus in abortions. It is easy to compare the life of the fetus to the life of the convicted murderer, but that is more of a taunt than a distinction.
The meaning, context, and purpose of the distinctions that we make is essential in differentiating whether a distinction is important to us or whether we will disregard that distinction as meaningless.
Conservatives view the distinction between being inside the womb and outside to be a meaningless distinction, because they view it objectively from the child’s existence, and if birth is not a meaningful distinction there seems no clear line of demarcation prior to that more meaningful.
Liberals view the distinction between inside the body and outside to be the primary distinction, because they view it subjectively from their personal integrity, and if their own person is the most meaningful distinction the nature of the other becomes less meaningful.
On the other end of the spectrum, the liberal looks at the taking of the convict’s life as no different than the murderer taking the life of their victim, their distinction is between life and death. The conservative looks at the distinction between guilt and innocence, between the criminal and the victim.
To bring it to a less serious subject, it is the very nature of ideas that we express to clarify and distinguish the concepts we try to communicate. The reason that precise language and the correct meaning of words is vital to society. Speech, culture, and all relationships begin with distinction between one thing and another.
There is an old hippie song which recommends that one ought to love the one that is present if one is unable to be in proximity to the object of one’s desire. How very unromantic of free love radicals to make no distinction in romantic matters.
The truth of society is that those persons who seek to distinguish themselves from others in society garner the most attention, whether positive or negative. What are gang signs and colors but an attempt to distinguish oneself and one’s fellows from the rest of society.
People strive in their professions to excel and distinguish themselves from others in their profession to compete in their field no matter what that field may be. The true wonder of a free society is not the wealth that it generates, but the opportunity to distinguish oneself in front of their fellow man. It is not necessary to be the best in the world to feel accomplished, it is only necessary to excel compared to those around you.
What a wonderful word “distinguished” becomes when we look at those in our society who manage to excel in those qualities that people in our society have determined matter and have value. A lady or gentleman of old would strive to become distinguished in those qualities valued by society: grace, charm, politeness, intelligence, wisdom, et cetera.
However, I find it very disconcerting that our modern society seems to value qualities that I often find detestable. Those people who make distinctions that they deem important to separate out certain public figures for praise creates a new concept of distinguished.
Celebrities are distinct for their public fornications, rude and obnoxious behavior, and often hateful demeanor. Politicians earn their place in history for the distinctions of lying, insulting, incompetence, just so long as they are audacious about it, the public more concerned with who they oppose than what they support. Media have become far more concerned with how many people watch them than having something worth watching. News has become outright dishonest and biases and proud that they are.
It is not sufficient to make distinctions, but to understand the real importance of that distinction. The distinctions you make are the clearest statement of who you are and what you believe. What is it about you most want to be distinct, to set you apart as unique? What distinction is important to you?
