Everyday Contestations of Spatial Definitions: Crossing the Finish Line Together

  We all enter and exit multiple spaces on a daily basis. These spaces are physically different- sometimes they are not physical- and they may bring about role changes of the people that enter and exit them. You take on a role in school that changes at home, that changes in your bedroom, that changes while online, etc.
  Something that remains constant is the accepted societal rubric that inhabits every space we travel to and through. There are rules to be followed in every space. These rules that define your role in a particular space create what I call spatial definitions.
  If you break the rules set by our societal rubric there are consequences (punishments). You can be deemed an outcast, incarcerated, or simply looked at strangely. The fear of punishment keeps the majority of us in line.
  I would like to propose to you a challenge. It may be difficult to accept due to "human nature." (The concept of human nature has many definitions that imply a universality of human personality that does not exist.) I ask of you to first enter a competitive space. Choose whatever competitive space you would like: it can be a chess match, online gaming, a debate, etc. The next step is either to lose, decrease your chances of winning to the point where losing is inevitable, or help whoever you are competing against to win.
  If you do this the competitive space you have entered is now redefined. The rubric is damaged by simply acting outside of the role you were given. You must await punishment which comes in various forms but usually results in the questioning of your character.
  For some enlightenment as to why this is useful let's look at Renato Rosaldo's ethic of the pie and ethic of love: "The ethic of the pie derives from institutional pressure to divide and conquer, and watch the spectacle of people fighting over crumbs. In this ethic, the image of limited good makes resources appear finite so that, if the other person has more, then you have less. Translated into the realm of self-esteem, the ethic says that you can increase your self-esteem by capturing some from somebody else. If the other loses, you win; if the other grows shorter, you appear taller. No doubt we all know the ethic of the pie."
  The ethic of love states that "we are all on the same boat. It recognizes our shared fate and the fundamental interdependence among members of a group or institution. If people think of themselves as connected, the other's well-being enhances yours. If they thrive, you thrive; if they suffer, you suffer. Love is also an expandable, not a pie-like finite resource. If you love one person, that does not mean that you have less love for another. It could be that your capacity for love increases so that you have even more to offer somebody else."
    

- Alex Moran