Anastasia Lukomskaya

 
 

Suppose we need to explain to a blind person what a spectrum is. What colour is it? Red? Orange? Yellow? Green? No. You can try to use the negative dialectics: it's not red, it's not orange, it's not yellow, it's not green. But it wouldn’t make you closer to the truth. Both answers are equally wrong.

 

There is a Zen Buddhist parable like this:

 

A young man comes to the teacher and asks permission to ask him a question.

 - I will answer any question if you answer just one: who are you?

 - I'm John.

 - That's your name. But who are you?

 - I'm a journalist.

 - That’s your profession. But who are you?

 - I am human.

 - That’s your biological identity. But who are you?

 …

 - Why do you need to know the answers to empty questions if you don’t know the most important thing? Go away!

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The human personality is discrete. We are so fused with our social roles, habits and tastes that we do not see ourselves separate from them. I am a Moscovite. I like to dress in black, gray and red. I write books. I am a democrat. But will I stop being me if I move from Moscow, dress in a different color, stop writing and stand on pickets for human rights? No. Even the unique structure of the DNA molecule does not give us the right to identity. Any of us can be cloned any number of times. But if we take away everything that is not our identity, then what remains?