Seeing the World: Extract from Robert Fisk

I've been mentioning this to a few people as it seems so remarkable, and makes you think about how different people perceive the world. I'm currently working my way through Robert Fisk's tome of a book, 'The Great War for Civilisation'. There is one extract in particular which has stuck with me so far. Fisk is in Afghanistan during the Soviet occupation, and as happens frequently during his time there, he gets mistaken for being Russian:

''Them one of them walked up to me. Shuravi? he asked. I was appalled. Shurvai meant 'Russian.' If he thought I was Russian, I was a dead man. 'Inglisation, Inglisation', I bellowed at him with a big smile. The man nodded and went back to the crowd with this news. But after a minute, another man stepped up to me, speaking a little English. 'From where are you - London?' he asked. I agreed, for I doubted if the people of Nangarhar would have much knowledge of East Farleigh on the banks of the Medway river in Kent. He returned to the crowd with the news. A few seconds later, he was back again. 'They say', he told me, 'that London is occupied by the Shuravi....'No, no,' I positively shouted. 'Inglisation is free, free, free. We would fight the Russians if they came...after listening to this further item of news, they broke into smiles and positively cheered Britain's supposed heroism. 'They thank you because your country is fighting the Russian,' the man said.'

Fisk goes on to realise that

'To these Afghan peasants, Kabul - only a hundred kilometres up the highway - was a faraway city which most of them had never visited. London was just another faraway city and therefore it was quite logical that they should suppose the Shuravi were also patrolling Trafalgar Square.'

It's fascinating, and important in a globalised world to remind ourselves of the differences in how people perceive the world and the universe. And in addition, to remember that there is no central line from which these views deviate as such - there is no 'normal' viewpoint, no perspective in the middle of things. Instead, there is a multitude of perspectives. This isn't to say we cannot champion our own view however, just not claim that it is universally superior to any other. Still, humanity does perhaps share much in common.

End of philosophical musings for time being.