Infection

When we talk, some of what we talk about gets conveyed through the words we use. Other parts of what we talk about get lost. And still other parts of our material, even after being shared and exchanged, doesn't find its way into our lexicon. Infection occurs as a phenomenon that is outside the scope of language. And so as an irrational phenomenon, it deserves to be known more. But how do we do this? How do we consider something that cannot our minds are ill-equipped to consider?

We work with shadows and reflections. If something can be perceived, we can at least deal with our perception. Perception is a synthetic layer of our experience as it relies on the hard as well as soft parts of the infrastructure we possess. So the best we can do is deal with our perceptions of infection. Are we aware of the moment when we infect or when we are infected? Or does infection enter our radar only when it develops fully and takes root within us?

The style that the germ follows to travel from being to being determines if it is an infection. It is a plain fact to anyone who is either studying dispersion or cataloging that proximity produces some effects. Proximity is not an easy thing to come to terms with. It can possibly lead to intimacy and that surely is desirable. Intimacy can dismiss the alienating shreds of isolation and an inability of locating the self on a landscape. But proximity is also a risk. It threatens the carefully arranged structures through which we make sense of our lives. Because being in close proximity with each other is also being open to the infection. Infection hides behind intimacy and travels.

Moving on to understand how infection can be caused and how intimacy can be ruse for passing on an infection. Infection is not an accident. Infection is a tactic. It is a tactic that is used for the spread of humour, love and ideas. Periodically we also face situations in which we are infected but actually we do not desire that. We would like to maintain the purity and distinctness of how we want to be.

The fear of infection should not instil a fear of intimacy but this is invariable. Infection is a kind of unintended manipulation and being manipulated is always uncomfortable. Being in the position of the manipulator is much more comfortable.