The Small (Part 2, essay 2)

Now in America, we are focused on the big picture. We’re told to stand back and look at the big picture to fully grasp the meaning. I’ve never been a fan of this concept. I am one for looking at the details of the “big picture.” Each minute detail needs to be looked at in order to add up to the whole. Each tiny part is important. This is the small. The small is the parts that we skim over, ignore or deem obsolete.

The small is physical, social and emotional. The small is also relative. Physically the small could be the letters of a word, the words in a book, the books in a library. But why is this important? In order to understand words, we must focus on the letters. Each letter was specifically chosen for the word. Each letter has a history and a meaning. In order to grasp the meaning of the word we must grasp the meaning of the letters. We will unlock deeper meaning in all we focus on once we look at the small.

A more relevant physical type of small is nanotechnology. Lately culture has shifted from bigger and better to smaller and more efficient. The opportunities that open up from nanotechnology are unimaginable. The ability to boost any part of your body from the inside would be priceless. The Filth explores nanotechnology with I-life. These tiny nanobots have the ability to befriend mutant proteins and bacteria in the body and convert them to something useful and positive. This is why the small is important. The ability to generate a new and modified immune system would open up all new opportunities to the human race. The Ticket that Exploded is another way of looking at the small. The cut-up method is literally breaking down written works and building them back up. This requires us to examine the works piece by piece.

Socially, the small is interconnected with social alterity. The other within society is the minorities. Because minorities are the small they are easily looked over. Decisions that better America almost always go by majority vote. Majority vote eliminates any opportunity for minorities to have their voice heard. This is why the small is important. In order for America to be truly free, the big picture is meaningless. This is why I fight for social justice. I focus on the small. I focus on everyone’s voice.

Socially the small has a lot to do with our selection of friends. We focus on tiny details to pick and choose our friends. Each person has different values in friendship. We had a discussion in class about what kind of friend we value either aesthetically similar or politically. This made me realize that it is a privilege to see the big picture without focusing on the small. Because my rights are up for debate, my friends must be politically similar. Others in the class talked about how it doesn’t matter what political values their friends hold. They want a similar friend. If you are not a part of the small, you can ignore the small.

This is closely tied to the emotional small. This is focusing on not only your personal emotions, but the actions and reasons behind the emotions. It is just as important as exploring words and letters, one must explore meanings and causes of emotions. The emotional small can help one grow and develop just as focusing on social smalls helps a community grow and develop and focusing on a physical small helps develop meaning. Focusing on the small is a step in development. We must use the small to build on the big picture.