The Self Appointed Guru: On Saliency

This is the baggage which is carried about and provides adherents with a feeling of superiority, that of being above the other as if the other is a non entity, as if only the me or those connected with the me are what matters. All else is simply servient or more precisely self- servient. The Socratic principle of ‘I know nothing ‘does not exist in the minds of those whose saliency is marred by opiniated verbosity. The air of superficial knowledge entangled with a fallacy that to the crude self which one has espoused becomes the norm. That norm is projected and so the other relegated, despised and or hated. What matters is the self or the projected self. In some quarters even one pride on organising ways at giving the community as an extended self added value whilst denigrating the other. One toils as per saliency. With that saliency comes negative attributes that of either walking about, nay feeling the sense of as if the world has been made for the self that I am or the closely knit self. One is simply in bad faith, to pen down a Sartrean terminology. And so, the latter as a completed self cannot perceive beyond the veil of saliency. That has become the way to be and full stop. Again, it is like the ‘L’homme Fait’ or translated as ‘ one who is completely made’.
That such a saliency when taken in relationships, mar that process to further develop. Or more precisely there is no relationship. Or how can there be when all that one perceives is that others are self servient. The other is despised. Hatred has become the norm. If not hatred then the air of superiority complex which has no basis. It may either be because of partial view of wealth, health, beauty, knowledge, qualifications, religions, race or similar from which gives one that air of belittling of the other.
Any one adhering to a saliency of being is entangled in a life which lacks seeing the other as a living -warmth, a comrade in life. The other is hated simply because he is there whereas that self is one who is hailed above and beyond. That there is a pettiness is obvious. The crude self is prioritised and the rest not only pushed aside but somehow the proponent gives himself a licence to either cause distress and or injure others with either comments or actions. What matters is only whose saliency is similar to one’s own and so garbage are aired much to the pleasure of the salient. The salient thinks he knows everything. He is like ‘Konn Tu’ translated as ‘one who knows it all’ who in essence knows nothing apart from his sense of superiority based on one aspect of a salient form. Thus, one vaunts being a so and so due to one’s firm veils either from a religious or materialist perspective where what matters is only the petty self prioritised and attributed excellence. In such a pursuit there is no negotiations as what matters is the ego, the self which is everything and or extended self. It is a non mature way of being as the facticity of life. Thus contrary to what the salient believes, the vaunting is based purely on mis-apprehension of life qualities which he /she bases her views on and thenceforth taking this as the guideline to be. Nothing further needs be added as the salient ‘knows’ everything and his world is already done and made. He knows whilst the rest knows nothing. He is a self appointed who rejoices in his make belief. No others matters but himself or extended self. Rather there is no need for others. Usually such self appointees are in truth simply have little credibility beyond their enclosures as they are only acknowledged by those who propound similar distortions of being.
The vulgar are exposed to several salient forms like that of jealousies, hatred, pettiness and so the main questions arising from their exposure is can one just be? Or should one adopt their norm and be pry to their trivialities on which they nurture their being. Need one be like those petit bourgeoisie who thinks to them are given the world and damn the rest? Or is there another way? And if so what is that way? What path may follow so that there may not be a truncated form of being? Or must one live according to whims and make-beliefs? How to be or perhaps precisely not to be …….the enormous amount of the vulgar way of being? Can one expose the vulgar? Or is life a way for the vulgar to thrive on?
What can I, as a thinking being do, not from a partial perspective so that I may apprehend the world in it grandeur? Is that possible or must I succumb to their ways of being and so be entangled and be overwhelmed by their ways? Must I revolt? Or should I give in? Is life just a question of this or that way as they make us believe? May I find solace in apprehensions? What does that mean? Need I have to believe someone? Anyone for that matter or is that pathless land similar to just seeing and acknowledging rather than prejudging? And what does acknowledging means? Living according to an authentic viewpoint? Who knows such ways where no other is denied but lives on eternally at peace without causing others to be subjugated? A land where there is no hypocrisy….. where there is no despair. A land where there is no hatred…… a land where the arrogance is replaced by care….. and or a state where the other is a comrade indeed……where we simply be and indeed cutting away all those attributes of greatness, superiority based on superficial saliency which brings about negatives.
In summary, a saliency, a pre-conceived opiniated view we use to view our world. From the racist, communalist, religious to the capitalist, wealthy and ‘knowledgeable’ all have their whims, a most prized one, a veil which they use to pre-judge the world in which they inhabit. Their truncated views are imposed and slowly it become their world which they cannot see above and beyond. They are caught up and entangled. It is their choice, a limited choice which they thenceforth wish to impose on all others. Their veil becomes the measure of life. What more is that they feel to them are given the right of imposition in the world. And with that whim, they live as they claim also exclusivity for their knowledge which on analysis is no more than opiniated belief. These self appointed Gurus simply live in their whims, a truncated world. Of course, they would perpetually seek to downgrade any effort at comprehension as they ‘know’; a knowledge which is only shared by equally and only by other arrogant minded or similar claimants aiming at not seeing nor discovering what emerges in front of oneself is verily another equally warm being but someone which they have produced based on their idiosyncrasies, nay saliency and which they prejudge the other. The racist or communist may not see beyond their veil as they have a set agenda as would the missionary or the materialist.
From that maze of abundant whims, often it may be impossible to re-discover oneself let alone the other yet the vulgar always is arrogantly clear in that he knows. What do you know may one ask? How do you know? Who give you this exclusive right? For those who reflect, the question always remains one of turning towards the self and seeking to know who we are first rather than be engulfed in forms which further adds on miseries and tribulations as if there are not enough already. Or more precisely the advice from the quarters of the philosopher is to abide and verily pronounce a reflective diktat: Can one just be? Can you? That is a challenge par excellence without whims, without preconceptions and certainly without opiniated garbage. Down with the garbage and say no to it and just be. Is this possible?