Fragility

[Dr. Jamshid Ibrahim]

The following text focuses only social and universal practices. No religious or political criticism of any culture is intended.

Fragility
They say genetically men focus whereas women are peripheral. If men focus they concentrate a point, visible in the centre only. If women are peripheral they are around but out of sight behind a veil or does it mean because they see more they forget the centre and lose orientation? Focusing implies blindness and stubbornness, there is no right or left. Once I went to a restaurant. Two hours later she said: Close your eyes and then asked: What´s the colour of the curtains in this room? I didn´t know but curtains are not important anyway.

Does this make me stricter and less forgiving by nature? Do I need the final say to guarantee the family´s survival? Or is this nothing but stereotypes? Are values important? No, I say cry now, I am only a victim. I need your pity for my muscles are always flexed from pressure in stress. It is not easy to be a man for losing my face and honour equals losing my life. I swear by my divorce and arrange my daughter’s marriage. My word cannot be taken back or changed. Germans proverbially say: A man a word, a woman a dictionary implying the English gossip or chatterbox but which is better a dictionary or just one single word?

He takes one hair of his moustache to signalize his pledge. He cannot be weak. Fathers, brothers kill, imprison or circumcise your daughters, sisters or wives to clean your hands from shame brought upon your holy honour. It is commendable and manly to go to brothels. When my mother was sold she was described as: chaste, pure, undefiled, obedient, reasonable…. All those impeccable adjectives and many more were her own. She said: Don’t show weakness otherwise you are stigmatized. You are a real man, not womanish. True, as Descartes said I should not entertain doubts now: I am a man because I am strong.

Jamshid
31 January 2008

 

[CHOMAT]

Dr Jamshid,

I 've pondered on your text and I've finally figured out that focusing on it was tantalizing- the doxa ;-)mermaid would prompt you to do so- but not the good approach. I unclothed my manish apparel to open the peripherical curtains behind the stage. What did I see in the backroom ? A mirror - your text is like a circle covered by looking-glasses which reflect the ambivalent nature of everyone of us. We - at least I- need to take some distance and be aware of our-my- situation in the universal game of codes, values, and dicta.
Your text has contributed to my soldiering on towards ... fragility.
Thank you

 

[JACOOL]

I dare say that,generally speaking, men are so strong, tough...etc. but it dosen't mean that women are less important than they are. It never has. If women are nothing without men, then so are men. They're like two have-to be-togather halves. However, there're some differences between them. Woman are better at things, while men are better at others.

 

[Dr. Jamshid Ibrahim]

Thanks Alain and Jacool. This text is ironical. It takes you behind the curtains if you can notice curtains to find a mirror on the wall showing our true nature not visible on the open surface. I know I didn’t notice the colour of the curtains the first time but it taught me not always to focus. Whenever I enter a room I am conscious of my genetic disposition as a man and try to open my eyes to take in what is in the periphery as well. I know I like to look but the way we look is the source of many an evil. You know glass is fragile. We need more than one mirror.

 

[JACOOL]

He he he, I'm laughing because I could imagine what one would look like as they try to take in what is in the periphery. However, that is a good lesson. I mean, that one has to be themselves.