ON TRANSFORMATION

A tiny butterfly makes me immediately thinking about “transformation”, which in the western system of thinking is directly linked to the “before-after” opposition.

Rooted in monotheist traditions, from a western dualistic perspective the world is divided into antagonistic opposites. “Good guys” fight “bad guys.” You are either “with us or against us.” You will go to “heaven” or “hell”.
Being socialised in such a dualistic system of thinking can lead to an authoritarian and often intolerant conflict-based view of a black-and-white reality where there would be only one consistent means of approaching truths about the world and any alternative points of view should be removed, converted, changed. White supremacy, patriarchy, misogyny, homophobia, xenophobia, religious bigotry: every system of oppression, prejudice, and discrimination are built on a foundation of a binary “either/or” thinking, and rooted in comparison, opposition, and differentiation.

I created the School of Disobedience to co-dream up and co-build with students a world beyond dualisms, where we look for ambiguity, nuances, and different shades of grey, celebrate in-betweens, wiggle rooms, doubt, and uncertainty. Take “transformation” out of its “before-after” temporal anchor, look at the world through a pluralist lens.