My First Philosophical Essay Part 01

TOPIC: Is the concept of human rights applicable around the world or only in the West?

Introduction and Civilization History that Evokes Human Rights.

Implementation of a united world is indeed no easy and simple task, as to build up to the idea of a utopia requires a lot of corporation and collateral understanding between nations. However, this point of view can be overwhelming thinking that we have to satisfy 6.6 billion people (estimated by July 2007) needs and still try to be fair to all parties. This essay is the exposition about the needs of basic human rights, tying all related articles and incidents towards supporting the necessity of a protection and right to live. We will try to justify the basic human entitlement to dignity, respect and equal treatment in a broader context of the world, and try to understand why the human rights concept didn’t being totally accepted in certain parts especially Southeast Asia. Strongly binded by ASEAN – Association of South East Asian Nations, we will try to relate all the events occurred in this region to justify cultural relativism in order to apply and give impact to 558 million people in this region. 10 nations that build up this association has necessity to think about their people and every year a summit was held to discuss the importance of socioeconomic and politic turmoil in the region.
The idea of having a universal guidance seems a traditional view of religious scholars. It was understood that human needs guidance in their life thus God, as the supreme power of the universe has bestowed knowledge and instinct to give us hope to live. Karen Amstrong, a renowned writer of human anthropology and world religions had stated that in the earliest of time, human dependency towards the ‘Supreme Power’ or God is inherently obvious. This statement is strongly supported by series of chronological events and incidents that she clearly illustrates in her writings. Firstly, human used to relate themselves with the nature, worshipping the life giver, for example the ‘Sun’ or the ‘Tree’. At this stage naivety of human’s mind had succumbed to the universe temperaments, thus having sacrificial events when the sun eclipse, thinking that the Sun God had gone mad or be respectful to the tree that bore fruits, the source of living. The reason being for this is that, they solidify the form of God in their immediate surrounding. At this level, communities of human work together so there is no absolute need to break away from the monotony of an ancient civilization. As time goes on, human gain improvisation of society ideologies and materialistic technologies, they start to think they can act as God. This change is a slow revolution of mind, which takes thousands of years to develop. Human think they can live without the dependency of the Supreme Creator as they now can create things and start the idea of individualistic by starting to stand out in their society. The short summary of Amstrong’s writing has definitely strengthened the idea that human had becoming more individualistic and apparently more sensitive to things related to them.
In the modern history, disputes and wars broke all over the world to defend one’s sovereignty and dignity over the other insulting party. In this case, party is used because for most of the war fought, a nation hasn’t been formed as yet. Examples could be ample, taken from European 17th -19th century war, which held the party’s status and ability to cowardice their enemy. A party represents a society or tribe or even sometimes, a race.

Culture Intelligence

We have Intelligence Quotient(IQ) to measure our intelligence and know-what-how of things in this world; Emotional Intelligence(EQ) to have our emotional quotient calculated in every abstract way we could think of. Well, how precise can we be if we would talk about emotions and feelings? Not unless we read those of Husserl's and Heidegger's idealogies. But that is another different direction...

CULTURE INTELLIGENCE
Have we heard about this before? About how well equipped are you to handle human interaction especially if it comes from different level and dimension.
Culture Intelligence is all about being aware and sensitive of the existence of different people on this planet. Also by having this skill, it improves your way of communicating. Imagine easy bondings and multi-cultural circle of friends...

So how do we go about practicing this new knowledge? I reckon, the first thing we must do is to research deeply about a certain culture. Secondly, in order to absorb a new language/knowledge/information, one must have a clear and open mind of wanting to learn the discovery. Hence when we learn about this CQ, we would stick by the motto of
N O A S S U M P T I O N S ! ! ! ! !

Yes, seriously not even a slightest assumption of how people could turn out to be. World has revealed to us that we have so many culture to deal with and learn.
The equation is:

Knowledge about Cultures (facts and cultural traits) +
Awareness (of yourself and others) +
Specific Skills (behaviours) = Cultural Intelligence

Being culturally sensitive we would say that we'll be able to identify the things sorted out in the 'Iceberg' form. The tip of the iceberg which signify things that are visible, physical and concious; whereas underneath the iceberg would reveal our softskills to identify qualities of a more discreet value in a culture.

5 Basic Culture Scales

Equality <---------------------> Hierarchy
Direct <---------------------> Indirect
Individual <---------------------> Group
Task <---------------------> Relationship
Risk <---------------------> Caution

From these scales, cultures are weighted and measured to their respective perspectives of values in life. For example, Eastern cultures has the scales weighted to being more of a Hierarchy type of family lineage and dominance. Interactions being indirect of having considerations towards community's feelings. Values are evaluated in Group, thus having someone who had a different idea being an 'outcast'(mostly, in a very conservative society). Chores are more like a relationship, mothers tend to the kids, mending the house and does all the cooking while the men go out and collect earnings for the family, thus the daughters will follow after their mom's role and same goes to the sons. Lastly, all actions taken were more of a caution instead of a risk, so actions that play safe is more anticipated than of a gamble.

Thus this sums up the Cultural Intelligence discourse.

References:
1. Peterson, Brooks, Cultural Intelligence, 2004, Maine USA,
Intercultural Press
2. VANK Korean Friends

Hotel Architecture

Everyone knows how infatuated I am with the field of Architecture. Could talk about it, rambling nonsense about it, pulling some mumbo-jumbo words around it...gosh, Architecture IS my world and passion and interest.

Apart from doing required designs for uni and work, I will always crave for more information and diggs I could find about Architecture. What I meant here is that Architecture is just not another pretty picture in your face. It is more than that, every dots and lines dictate a story, a path that runs through the personal journey of the end-user and such.

Just like Hotel California, sung by The Eagles, I found the compelling collection of poems and other writings about Architecture in a series called 'Writing Architecture Series', considering it good because it was published by the MIT Press. Yes, MIT the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in US. Without further due, here it is:



The Copyright Dispute (to sing with the original song rhythm)


On a drab information highway, cool waves in its hair
Warm smell of architects, rising up through the air
Up ahead at the Diagonal, we saw the fragmenting lines
Our ideas grew heavy and site grew dim
We had to deconstruct the lines

There it stood in the lobby
Sounding its decision bell
Architecture thinking to itself
This could be heaven or this could be hell
Then lit up its atrium and showed us the way
Seminars down the corridors
We thought it heard them say

Welcome to The Hotel Architecture
Such a lovely place (such a lovely space)
Plenty of rooms at The Hotel Architecture
Anytime of year, you can find it here
Any point to them

Architecture's definitely twisted, knows where displacement ends
It's got lot of pretty pretty boys, that it calls friends
How it flickers in the courtyard, sweet discourse bends
Some deconstruct to remember, some deconstruct to forget

So I called up Captain Frank,
Please bring us our wine.
But Frank said, We haven't had that spirit here
Since nineteen sixty-nine.
And still those discourses are falling, from far far away
Breaking up in the middle of the night
Just hearing themselves say

Welcome to The Hotel Architecture
Such a lovely place (such a lovely space)
Such a lovely place,
Living it up at The Hotel Architecture
What a golden prize, given to alibis

Mirrors in the ceiling, the Perrier on ice
Frank said, Architecture's full of prisoners
Left to their own device.
And in the Legend's chambers,
They gathered for the feast
Stabbing away with their Art Pens
Just can't slay the beast

Last thing architecture dismembers,
In the shuttle to Dum Dum
Had to find its passage back
To the following Forum

Relax, said the Lightman,
Architecture's programmed a reprieve.
You can check out any time you like,
But you can never leave.



Reference

1. Connah, Roger, Welcome to The Hotel Architecture, 1998, The MIT Press, USA, p.41-43