The Clean Unclean

 Since the inception of time, there has always been the debate and the conscious effort to differentiate between the clean and the unclean. As civilization changed, so did the mindsets of the people. People tried to drop things of the old and tried to keep up with the "status quo" of what is generally believed to be clean and unclean.

       The difference between this certain dichotomy in morality digs deep and can be compared to the difference between the Yin and the Yang, the right and the wrong, the path on which we set ourselves and the path deemed to be absolute. What is the "clean"? To a hygienist, the clean is the management to the barest minimum, the existence of germs. To a moralist, the clean is the path completely devoid of wrong. To the culturally inclined, the clean is what is done in accordance to what was done by the forefathers.

       But in reality, not much difference is there between what we call clean and unclean. Granted, we can spot a dirty room from a mile away, we can even go as far as saying some actions are deemed unclean to our moral fabric. But how far can we go when we are faced with moral dilemmas? Did the people in ancient Calabar feel in all honesty they were clean when they murdered new born twins who were believed to be evil?

       Ruminating on what the people in Calabar felt during those times after innocent new born twins were killed. The Father would celebrate with the whole village and in some occasions, the mothers were also killed for bringing abominable evil to the world. Now, were we to blot that harrowing image out of our consciousness for but a moment and we were to comb the whole populace of the area, would it be possible that we would not find one altruistic being? Of course we would. The act of committing murder to be clean in those days was totally due to ignorance. So by the logic of that thought. We can say the clean and the unclean are subjected to timely change and also, they can be learned and unlearned.

       Even the physicians of the old world and also of the modern day would say that it is a good thing to get sick, they would say the immune system gets developed and ergo, increases resistance against stronger and more lethal illnesses. In a way, the unclean is as imperative to us as the clean is. A personal quote of mine is --- "I, as a human being. I am a subject of other people's existence". The ramifications of the aforementioned quote, is that the form in which I present myself, as of the present is as a result of the continuous behavioral mallet of the outsiders on me. And man, being full of evil and debauchery cannot but be evil towards their fellow men which in turn shapes me to be wary and cautious. I do not forget I was also made and forged by love, but the emotion that forges the most is evil. So, I am, as well as You are, a product of the clean and the unclean.

         The struggle to separate clean and unclean in the world is always constant. We have seen the rise of dictators, religious extremists and most of all-- hypocritical sanctimonious people trying to find a division. The same way we easily separate the black and the white, the way we separate our left from our right. But if our moral compass only sees white and black, what about the grey areas? the middles? The clean uncleans. The necessary evils in some cases. A poor father stealing to provide for his hungry children is an example of a clean unclean. Doing the bad for a good cause. Moral dilemmas in this world are not rare, we face them everyday. The excessiveness of colour on the palette of this earthly canvas causes flamboyance. This makes the world unpredictable and almost impossible to master or pinpoint. We can never be sure of anything, Our existence? Our rights? Our morals? Can we ever be sure?

       The Chinese graphical representation of the yin and yang acknowledges the presence of a little bit of the good in the evil and vice versa. It emphasizes on the difficulty to differentiate and completely separate the cleans and the uncleans of our cosmopolitan world. Is the pig a dirty animal? Yes. Do we believe it’s a dirty animal? Yes. But as living organisms, we can adapt. There are pigs kept in neat environments as pets that are surviving and in perfect condition. That a pig's assumed natural habitat is mud does not mean it cannot be subjected to change. Biologists also said we once roamed the earth as homohabilis.
     
     Nothing is absolute in this world and the only thing constant is change. There isn't much difference between the two opposite ideals. There actually isn't any difference at all so they are not so opposite when critically looked at. With time, what we see as just, will and shall become unjust. A very good example is slavery. With the constant and incessant complaint of decaying moral values, where the young take over from the old. The only thing constant is change, and change…… never changes.