Comments on: Colour me Cosmopolitan

By: Saleem

Saleem — Thu, 29 Mar 2007 10:38:57 +0000

“In exile from exile” is how I put it, for myself. Years ago I ended my identity question by saying that I had no identity and I liked it best that way. But I have evolved even beyond this fluidity, now: when I was very young and asked where I was from, apparently I said that I am half Persian, half Bahá’í. But really, the only identity and root that I need is the latter. I am a Bahá’í both in faith and in culture, and I am nothing else.

By: Sanisha

Sanisha — Thu, 29 Mar 2007 11:04:05 +0000

Odysseus, this is very very interesting both as a Bahai and as person with a mish-mash of cultural influence.I would like to watch the Nair movie, because I have watched the other two she made and one of the reasons I watched them is because I am ‘half Indian’…and those are stories about Indians, in India and outside India.However, I don’t know what being Indian is or what ‘half Indian’ means really.I would usually say that I am South African which implies a mix of cultures.I also don’t know if one can say that there is a Bahai culture yet, there may be one in the making!

…but I will also have to agree with Saleem about identifying yourself on the basis of being a Bahai, first and foremost.That may be the most accurate and precise means to find an identity in this cosmopolitan world we are living in.

But in your particular case Odysseus, it is interesting, I was thinking about you when I read this the other day, it looks like we are close to finally finding your home:

[ATHENS, Greece - A geological engineering company said Monday it has agreed to help in an archaeological project to find the island of Ithaca, homeland of Homer’s legendary hero Odysseus. It has long been thought that the island of Ithaki in the Ionian Sea was the island Homer used as a setting for the epic poem “The Odyssey,” in which the king Odysseus makes a perilous 10-year journey home from the Trojan War.]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070327/ap_on_sc/greece_finding_ithaca

By: Odysseus

Odysseus — Thu, 29 Mar 2007 22:49:06 +0000

Thanks for the link, Sanisha. I’d prefer not to comment on whether the archeologist is correct or not… we’ll leave that up to the experts while I drift in our collective mythical imagination.

I used to feel the same way you do, Saleem. But I thought it was a bit strange to say that I’m from ‘nowhere’ when I benefit so much from being from ’somewhere’ — after all, much of my international mobility is enabled by being ‘from’ Canada (it’s a handy passport).

I often hear Baha’is quoting ‘Abdu’l-Baha — that he considered his only name and dwelling place as one in service to humanity — to argue for placeless cosmopolitanism. But ‘Abdu’l-Baha also wrote the Secret of Divine Civilization as a treatise about national development in Iran. He wrote it when he was in (then) Palestine as a contribution to the national conversation about modernization. While ‘Abdu’l-Baha exemplifies the spirit of cosmopolitanism, he didn’t eschew a sense of patriotism and concern with his nation. I don’t think being from somewhere is simply a matter of identity, it’s also a matter of public responsibility, citizenship, and patrie. That reminds me — I forgot to put out the recycling this morning…

By: Mogogo

Mogogo — Fri, 30 Mar 2007 00:27:10 +0000

I think your initial instincts about Canada were correct.

By: john

john — Sat, 31 Mar 2007 12:47:07 +0000

Odysseus, how easily you forget/neglect to mention a significant number of formative years in the United States. Big brother was pretty good to you.

By: Odysseus

Odysseus — Mon, 02 Apr 2007 19:23:09 +0000

Yeah, that sure set me straight. No matter how hard I tried, after six years I was still “the Canadian”. Perhaps Lacan was right: we identify with how others see us. I guess I’ve got essentializing America to thank for my psychological balance.

(ps: nice to hear from you, john).

By: Sanisha

Sanisha — Thu, 30 Aug 2007 21:10:23 +0000

i watched the movie The Namesake… its quite good…and the name given to the main character, Gogol, surprisingly enough, is Russian…its a typical story, well told.