Garbage in and Garbage Out
The
means by which one may learn and therefore alter the self are few but by a few
mediums there may come to be many peculiar senses of behavior and identity. Books,
for example, are a common medium that influences one’s self. Although many of
us may read many sorts of books, the common medium, we nonetheless tend to end
with a different sense of self. This is so due to the possible different
interpretations of a book and or the sorts of books read as well as one’s predisposing
identity held. To argue this case, I look towards Don Quixote, The Underground
Man, and Yasmina. These characters, due to their varying vertical identities,
develop distinct horizontal identities despite being heavily influenced by
books; these books—and/or written words—create a contrast in identity as, in
the end, produce a much different self than what was held before. These
characters also share a something in common: the lack of a social environment
from which to develop a sense of horizontal identity. This being so, it would
behoove one to choose a medium like a book so to intentionally achieve one’s
desired self instead of looking towards the immediate social environment. This
desired self is, of course, up to one’s self,—whatever one wants—be it similar
to Yasmina or Don Quixote’s sense of self.
Though
Don Quixote’s tale is rather laughable, there is a lot about him that is quite
noteworthy as his tale not only exhibits the adoption of a horizontal identity
from books but also a rejection of the identity while on the deathbed. Don Quixote, by ill chance or not, was notably
driven “quite insane” after being absorbed within his books of chivalry; this
sort of self-inflicted insanity, intentional or not, forms a new identity by
which Don Quixote lives to fulfill for the most part (Cervantes 27). Now Don Quixote, after having been driven
insane, for the majority of the story retains an identity distinct from his
seemingly vertical identity held before being driven mad and thus holds a
horizontal identity; prior to this event, Don Quixote was a simple hidalgo
farmer. This changes as Don Quixote separates himself from—what we can
assume—the boring and vertical farmer life and pursues something much more
exciting and different: knight errantry.
In order to remedy this problem of an unsatisfactory lifestyle and
vertical identity, he must change both his lifestyle and identity and he does
this despite being isolated from any other means of an identity to adopt. Thus
Don Quixote “took to reading books of chivalry” for a source or foundation in which to base a new
identity upon (Cervantes 26). While Don Quixote lives out his newly adopted
horizontal identity, he become famous and seemingly fond of his knighthood
until he later regrets or repents his knight errantry, claiming that “I was
mad, and now I am sane” (979). It is only at the end of Don Quixote’s life does
he regret adopting the horizontal identity that he did. With Don Quixote “leaving
this life with scruples of conscience” and begging the author of the book which
details the his own adventures to forgive him for the “gross absurdities contained
in [the] book”, it seems fair to assert that this occurrence in the book forewarns
the reader to be wary of any identity they adopt in their life. In the case of
Don Quixote, he was so enamored with books of knight errantry that he decided
to adopt this identity from those books. If he were more careful to have not
adopted such an identity by means of rationality or abstinence and avoided this
identity stemming from a book medium, then perhaps he may have come across a
less regretful life and identity. Furthering from this point, it is important
to read books that are beneficial in the long-term and not one that you will
regret in the future. It is important to avoid putting garbage into your mind
because the garbage, in turn, will affect your mindset and your mindset affects
your actions. If you put garbage, you will get garbage out and this is
something Don Quixote experiences on his deathbed, unfortunately. However this
is one tale as to how the pursuing of an identity via books ends. In the
contrast, the Underground Man’s story is more of a “reformative punishment” as
he, unlike Don Quixote, is aware of his identity and how he sometimes loathes
it whereas Don Quixote only dislikes what was his identity at the very end of
his life (123).
The distinction drawn between Don Quixote and the
Underground man could likely be caused by the sorts of books that alter their
identity and perspectives. Whatever vertical identity that was once held by the
Underground Man is not quite clear but his newer,
more horizontal, identity can be labelled as being hyperconscious. The
Underground Man adopts this hyperconscious identity from, essentially, his “underground”
and “lousy crack in the wall” where he learns from books. But why does he do
so? The Underground Man explains, “[t]o escape their redicule, I deliberately started
to study as best I could” (71). See, whereas Don Quixote lived a simple life on
a farm,—isolate most likely—the Underground Man grew away from the “children”
from his “school” as they were so dumb that the Underground Man found them as “repulsive”
(71). The Underground Man, at sixteen, was able “to read books that they couldn’t
read” and “understood things they had never heard of” (71). As time passes, the
Underground Man, at one time, refers to a theoretical situation he may find
himself in as “unliterary”; this provides evidence to support that his
hyperconscious horizontal identity is from the result of his book reading and
causes him to be repulsed by whatever is not “literary” (73). So again, one
ought to be wary of how their actions are affected by what goes into one’s
mindset. In this case, the Underground Man’s hyperconscious self came about
from being socially isolated and turned to books in the stead of a social environment.
Furthermore, this hyperconsciousness, by default, allows him to essentially
realize and be aware of his state of being and those around him. As the
Underground Man notes, himself, “[t]hanks to this heightened consciousness, for
example, a scoundrel knows that he is indeed a scoundrel”(21). Contrast this to
Don Quixote who was not quite aware of his radical change in identity after
being absorbed in books of chivalry. Based on a lot of what the Underground Man
states throughout the book, it is safe to assume he quite learned in logic and
the learned generally received knowledge derived from books of sorts. So, as
the Underground Man reads and learns, his mindset became increasingly
conscience; whereas Don Quixote is self-absorbed into his own perspective to
the point where he is lesser conscience compared to the Underground Man. If Don
Quixote were more aware of himself and identity prior to his last days, then
perhaps he would have renounced his identity much sooner than he did. But all
this is not to say that the Underground Man is better than Don Quixote in terms of identity and self-awareness
but, rather, different. For the Underground Man, his identity grew too conscience and from this
hyperconsciousness is the Underground Man born only to suffer from “full-blown
sickness” (20). Assuming that humans prefer to avoid suffering, chronic and
acute, then to suffer from the hyperconscious horizontal identity is not the
greatest thing. Whether or not one would prefer to suffer from this chronic
illness instead of the acute and short-lived lamentations of one’s identity as
exhibited by Don Quixote is up to the individual; but as for the Underground
Man, he would have much rather be a “stupid” man, because “it’s quite beautiful”
to be unable to be morally decisive or sincere like the hyperconscious who is
likened to the “mouse” (22-23). To simply be “conscious” like the “men of
action, for example, would be sufficient enough” (20). The “men of action” is a
sort of identity the Underground Man often longs for as they do not suffer the “sickness”
like the Underground Man (20). So too
does the Underground Man lament his adopted horizontal identity founded upon
books as Don Quixote much did but we do not witness the death of the
Underground Man but, rather, his strife caused by being his horizontal self.
This horizontal self which the Underground Man, at times, wishes to a stupid
man and not his horizontal self but it was too late. For, the Underground man,
having read those books and establishing an identity upon logic, would be
unable to simply not know he is indeed a “scoundrel” because he is “hyperconscious”
and it is unlikely he could revoke this hyperconsciousness (21). Alas, so too
does the Underground Man portray what it is like to not adopt an identity well
enjoyed to where he would be satisfied. Perhaps if Don Quixote and the
Underground Man were to have read books that would not put them at odds with
society, they would have not come across identities that would inevitably bring
about strife and lamentations. Perhaps, to a degree, the lessons from these
books and characters is to assimilate with society to some degree so as to not
self-loathe the adopted horizontal identity? One character from a book who
happens to do this is fairly more modern character, Yasmina.
Yasmina exhibits, arguably, the moderate horizontal
identity. The sort of identity that is in the middle between both Don Quixote
and the Underground Man; this identity partially stems from a book medium like
the identities of Don Quixote and the Underground Man. Though, it is important
to note that Yasmina does not solely use a book medium but also a social group
sort of medium which may further differentiate Yasmina from the other
characters. Now, despite Yasmina emigrating from Morocco to France and raising
her daughter, Doria, in a HLM and banliueue,
she too lacks an environment from which to form a horizontal identity aside
from books and social programs which do influence the development of her
horizontal identity. This is comparable to both Don Quixote and the Underground
Man but, more specifically, the Underground Man’s act of reading books to
understand things. As Yasmina is in a sort of cultural-self liminal space, she
is at risk for not culturally assimilating as is urged by the French Government
and or betraying her vertical sense of self. It is only near the end of the
books does Yasmina begin to adopt a similar horizontal identity as Doria. In
the beginning of Kiffe Kiffe Tomorrow,
much of Doria’s and Yasmina’s attitudes can be with “Kif-Kif”, same shit
different day. As time passes, and the two begin to assimilate and get
comfortable with their surroundings, the tone and attitude begins to be able to
be summed up with “Kiffe Kiffe” which marks a much brighter, happier, and optimistic
tone. This happier tone can be seen when Yasmina becomes “happier, more radiant”
after starting a course (132). Prior to this, Yasmina had trouble with the
French language in general but she now “stops in the street” so to read “billboards
or shop signs” and, even, “newspaper” (132). This is not some minor change
within her sense of self and identity. Her vertical self struggled with being
in a foreign land away from the bled and
now her horizontal self has begun to adapt to the French society. “[B]ut it’s a
start”; and this start was obviously drastic enough to be noticed by “Cyborg
Services” that took note of her “progress” (132). This sort of integration with
society is far from what Don Quixote and the Underground Man achieve. Both Don
Quixote and the Underground Man ignore society so to pursue their own sense of
self; Yasmina, however, does not. Why? Perhaps it is because she does have a
child to care for, after all. Nonetheless, the use of book/literary medium and
social programs balances out her vertical self. The self that is a beur, an Arab immigrant in France and
her horizontal identity, the self that is in the process of integrating within
France. As the book ends, it is not noted that Yasmina suffers from the new
identity that she forms and she does not renounce this identity either unlike
how Don Quixote and the Underground Man do.
This
being so, I contend that integration with society can increase one’s happiness
and contentment. By not focusing too much into reading books that prevent one’s
self from integrating with society, a happy medium of the vertical and
horizontal self can be achieved. Yasmina’s horizontal identity is not as
radically different from her previous vertical self when compared to Don
Quixote and the Underground Man. Don Quixote “forgot about even running his
property” and “his foolish curiosity reached” to such a point where “he sold
acres of arable land to buy these books of chivalry” (26). This marks Don
Quixote’s complete and utter absconding from his former self which Yasmina
simply does not do. The Underground Man, too, changes radically after reading
books to escape his vertical self when he “deliberately started to study as
best” he could (71). This marks the time wherein the Underground Man abandons
his less conscious self to reach “sickness” or, that is, hyperconsciousness
(20). Now note how these two men regard their absconding of their vertical self
for the horizontal self. These two men, in the end, regret what they had done.
But not Yasmina, however, as she becomes “happier, more radiant” and this is
utterly different from the two men who, rather, become much more
tenebrous—grave even (132). So, my message and point is this. Be careful of the
choices you make in life. By choosing to read certain books, to associate with
certain types of people, to pursue an identity, you must keep in mind how these
could possibly determine your future self and happiness. As exhibited by our
two men, they did not quite—to put it laconically—think things through. My sentiments and argument, in a sense, can
be summed with.
“A lot of people are filled
with negativity, “garbage in garbage out”. What you read gets filtrated
into your mind. What
you watch gets processed through your emotions. What I mean by “garbage in garbage out” is:
Be careful of what you
take in because it could be polluting your mind. When you talk about creating a mindset.
Bottom line is this:
If you put garbage into your mind. You’ll get garbage out of your mind. Your thoughts are very
important because your thoughts create clarity. Your thoughts drive your actions and your actions create your
character. So
what you read, what you listen to, is very very important (Greydon Square).”
(A photo of mine)
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