Writing History as Diaspora Fantasy

Who Will Write This History?

Someday, in the far distant future, what are considered important events today will simply be “once upon a time”. Will the story be written, as most history is, by the winners? Or will it be written, this time, by outside observers? At a time when Orwell’s predictions of a “Big Brother” who sees into every part of our lives has come to pass in so many ways, people all over the world weigh in on events whether they’re personally impacted or not.

Will it be our foreign brethren who record a history where there are no clear winners, and where everyone loses far more than they sought to win? Will the latest in a series of inaccurately, and highly biased recorded histories be, for once, written by those who had little or no stake in the outcome? Will it come out sounding more like a fairy tale, or more likely, a horror story, than actual truth?

In many ways, I suspect a history of these times will, indeed resemble fiction, though in all likelihood, be more accurate than what is commonly referred to as “news”. From a distance of decades, or even centuries, the rhetoric will be undone, and the bones that remain will tell their own story. As a forensic archaeologist tells a story from a recently exhumed skeleton, and the ground where it was found, so, too, shall there be those who dig through these years, removing the dirt, the muck, the lies, and the personal agendas to find cause of death, as well as the traumas suffered in life.

Human History is Inaccurate at Best

I, for one would prefer the truth come out in all its horrific glory before dispassionate hands dig through the remains to form educated, yet incomplete conclusions. I wish for a time when there’s no longer a need for we and them, blame and hate, or a need for one race, religion, gender, or culture to feel and act superior over any other. Sadly, that truly is the stuff of fairy tales, and could be written right now most accurately as “once upon a time” without the happily ever after.

Orwell covered the subject fairly well in his other famous novel, “Animal Farm”. Human history is rife with examples of one group claiming superiority over others, and in mistreating those who aren’t part of their self-designated elite. It certainly isn’t the members of the elite who clamor for fair and equitable treatment.

Instead, they’re the ones who are spreading their own version of the truth in order to maintain the status quo, or worse, grab an even bigger piece of the pie, and stir more hate and discontent. They know the best way to keep what they deem the lower echelon in its proper place is to harbor an unstable environment where people are unable to trust their neighbors, and blame any lack in their lives on someone else. In some cases, they even create an environment where turning on your neighbors, friends, and family is rewarded with, if nothing else, less suffering.

A World Without Borders or Boundaries

Every day you invite people into your home, not overtly but by default. Whether it’s time spent on social media, online purchases which lead to inbox overload, or any site you visit for business or pleasure. Your keystrokes are recorded, and what you see is impacted by wherever you virtually travel. The dark side of it is people you’d rather not attract see more than you realize, be they trolls on social media, companies trying to hawk their wares, or hackers trying to illicitly gain access to your accounts, identity, and finances.

Of course, the advertising industry is eating it up, doing it’s own fair share of instilling fear. The diet, exercise, and plastic surgery industries grow and thrive by making people feel being imperfect is a bad thing. Advertisers have helped companies offering protection from identity thieves, the dark web, and countless unseen threats by instilling fear into the hearts of many, however overblown those concerns and threats might be.

I’m not saying the threats aren’t real, but I’m not convinced spending thousands of dollars a year on protections is the answer either. Simple things like refraining from answering online polls that ask for personal information likely to be contained in passwords, security questions, and the like will, in my opinion, be your first line of defense.

Perspective is Colored by Beliefs

But I digress. While it might seem like your life, and world events are an open book thanks to the internet, in truth, it’s a selective openness which leaves ample room for speculation, and frankly, fabrication.

It isn’t just that information you see is incomplete (which it is), as much as communication is an inaccurate science. What you read, hear, and see is heavily colored by your own beliefs, experiences, and world views.

Years ago, in my studies in Psychology, the subject of standardized tests came up. We discussed how those tests were skewed towards a certain demographic, and were given the following example:

If a question asks about puddles or trees, children from rural areas have a broad understanding of both terms, having seen them throughout their lives. Children from urban areas, especially those which are densely populated may have never seen a tree at all, and likely, not the majestic, freely spreading varieties in areas where unaltered land still exists. There’s a big difference between a puddle on a sidewalk or in a pothole to one found in a field or on a dirt road. As such, a rural child will score better on a test containing questions about trees and puddles than will an urban child.

Finding the Truth in Deep-Seated Beliefs

Granted, this is a simplistic example, but the point is, a simple sentence can mean completely different things to different people based on experiences alone, much less deep-seated beliefs. This is especially true when cultures are involved. The media may have taught, especially during the Cold War years, that living in Russia was terrible, and everyone there wanted to leave the country. Meanwhile, their media was likely presenting a skewed, and mostly untrue version of life in the US.

The only way to truly get a story straight is to visit the scene of the crime, so to speak, and immerse yourself in the culture, and environment without expectations, or limiting beliefs. The trouble is, there are few, if any who can take a dispassionate, unbiased approach to any subject, especially one involving inflammatory emotions, and social values.

Thus, whether the story is told from the viewpoint of an outsider, or by whoever might win the game, the battle, or the war, there will be bias. Some will view the story through rose-colored glasses while others will paint it in darker hues. Either way, important details will get lost in translation. Let’s hope enough people are willing to do some serious digging to, first, separate truth from lies, and second, set aside their own biases to form a clear enough picture so they may learn from mistakes which created this painfully real diaspora fantasy.

 

About the Author

Sheri Conaway is a Holistic Ghostwriter, and an advocate for cats and mental health. Sheri believes in the Laws of Attraction, but only if you are a participant rather than just an observer. Her mission is to Make Vulnerable Beautiful and help entrepreneurs touch the souls of their readers and clients so they can increase their impact and their income.

If you’d like to have her write for you, please visit her Hire Me page for more information. You can also find her on Facebook Sheri Levenstein-Conaway Author.

Be sure to watch this space for news of the upcoming releases of ” Rebuilding After Suicide” and “Sasha’s Journey”.