Joash Zheng’s Experience (Facilitator) [they/them]

The creation myth in J.R.R.Tolkien's mythology is one of a universal song. Eru Ilúvatar, who could be considered the protagonist of entirety of Tolkien's fictional universe, begins with the making of music. In this cosmic song, the "Music of the Ainur", he births the facets of himself into distinct entities. These entities, known as the Valar, added to the divine melody in chorus. They were all in accord, except for Melkor, who is said to have spent far too long on his own. 

Melkor would add discordant harmonies to assert his individualism. Ultimately embodying the concept of "evil" in this universe. 

In the past ten weeks of facilitating the WOTS programme I've found challenges and triumphs in how I perceive the people around me. It was warmth and care that I saw when I realised we were all disparate fragments of a singular universe experiencing itself. 

It was challenging to meet ideological opposition, even more so, when this opposition came from a place of what I perceived to be intellectual hypocrisy. 

We have been conditioned to see ourselves as merely individual. We are endlessly bombarded by this. We operate in broken systems that reinforce this. And we can try to convince ourselves that all our philosophising will lead to some sort of change for the better. 

But we have to assert our ideology. We have to act and move and react to the damnable poison of over-individuality. As it is attributed to Paracelsus, the dose makes the poison.