Silence of the Imperfect Dead
I have said this before, but I feel it's worth saying again.
It is deeply arrogant of us, the living, to pass judgement on the dead, who can't defend themselves, for reprehensible opinions that were commonplace and axiomatic during times when these people - the imperfect dead, the true voiceless majority - had the dumb luck of being born into. How then could we possibly expect these long-dead and decomposed men and women to be magically enlightened on how reprehensible their opinions were regarding [insert your specific 'ism' here] when there was likely no point of reference to inspire such an enlightenment?
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Our preoccupation with curating the past to conform to our ever-evolving contemporary sensitivities makes me wonder: what have we produced, in all our enlightenment, that will stand the test of time and benefit billions long after we're dead? Or maybe our preoccupation with judging, cancelling and deconstructing the past is just a symptom of a deeper malaise: maybe we do not have life-changing ideas of our own, and it is far easier to judge than it is to create. ?
We should, and must, be humble and grateful that these great and flawed men and women, whilst living in times of relative material lack and strife, visioned and fashioned a future, in many cases against all odds, where we, their societally-evolved descendants, would never know of the hardships they themselves endured in their time. The imperfect dead have their faults – we all do, but I would like to believe that this selfless quality – this visionary attribute of laying the foundation for a future they themselves would not enjoy – is one we can at least respect, emulate and, where possible, honor, with all the nuanced baggage of our shared disorder: being human.
Before we all join the imperfect dead in eternal silence (and that day will surely come), I hope we will, eventually, recognize that humility and gratitude are not signs of moral capitulation, but an acknowledgement of the yin-yang nature within, the endless imbalance between light and dark – that resides in us all.?