3.1.3 |
THE QUESTION OF ITS CATENALITY |
Since the
all-ananic is the principal being of
neutrality, it is, for every
primary thing that is
catenal for a certain
aspect, connected with the neutrality of that aspect, even if it
is noncatenal for that particular aspect. Not knowing
whether the supreme being is catenal or not in a certain
respect, each person will tend to project
'er own catenality, or
that of a primary thing under consideration, onto the all-ananic,
so that the neutral catenality involved is indeed
represented by this supreme being. Such a projection can in no
way be compared, however, to the false representation in which
someone apotheosizes 'er own image by projecting it onto the
supreme being, such as the image of 'er own sex or race, of 'er
own species, or of that of the living beings of 'er own planet.
We could not develop such a deceptive image of the all-ananic,
because we know that if it were catenal in a certain respect, it
would be neutral in a universal sense. The catenization would
then include all things in the universe that are catenal for
the aspect in question, and not just our own sex or race, our
own species, our own planet or any other exclusive system.
When we project our own catenality, that is, the fact that we
are catenal in a certain respect, onto the all-ananic, we do not
suggest that one of our own predicates is that of the supreme
being --we may be positively or negatively catenal ourselves--,
but we initiate a comparison with the supreme being or with
being supreme. This may, then, turn out to be far different from
ourselves. Moreover, the supreme being could indeed be catenal
for the aspect in question. A person definitely would not be
justified in considering the supreme catenal in a certain
respect, when informed of the contrary.
The tendency to project specific catenalities onto the all-ananic
may be acceptable so long as one realizes that these
catenalities are conditional: they only hold true for certain
things and not for others. If it is claimed, say, that the all-ananic
does not honor and does not dishonor, this is an absolute
truth. But if it is believed that the all-ananic is a figure
which could honor or dishonor, while having the predicate of
nanhonor(ing), this is only true
for honor-catenals. For things having no culture in which different or
equal social status values are assigned to certain things, the all-ananic
cannot honor or dishonor and has the predicate of honor-noncatenality.
The quality of neutrality or noncatenality which the all-ananic
is assumed to have, when a thing projects its own
catenality or noncatenality onto it, is a conditional one. The
key-word for having such a proper or improper predicate is the
preposition for. The use of for indicates that the
all-ananic only has the predicate mentioned symbolically, when a
specific class of things (catenals or noncatenals) is the frame
of reference. Thus, if life is defined as (the period of)
happiness-catenality, referring to the capacity to experience
happiness and unhappiness, and death as
happiness-noncatenality, then the supreme is nanhappy for living
beings and it is no living being for the dead or inanimate. For the
living it is (nanhappy) life; for the dead it is death. In this way
the supreme being is --again-- not only a symbol of neutrality but
of inclusivity as well.
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