Ojo Taylor

Category: Anagnorisis

  • A Personal Note on Anagnorisis and Peripeteia

    Photo: Getty Images//Getty Images

    π€π§πšπ π§π¨π«π’π¬π’π¬: β€œβ€¦π‘‘β„Žπ‘’ π‘π‘œπ‘–π‘›π‘‘ 𝑖𝑛 π‘‘β„Žπ‘’ π‘π‘™π‘œπ‘‘ π‘’π‘ π‘π‘’π‘π‘–π‘Žπ‘™π‘™π‘¦ π‘œπ‘“ π‘Ž π‘‘π‘Ÿπ‘Žπ‘”π‘’π‘‘π‘¦ π‘Žπ‘‘ π‘€β„Žπ‘–π‘β„Ž π‘‘β„Žπ‘’ π‘π‘Ÿπ‘œπ‘‘π‘Žπ‘”π‘œπ‘›π‘–π‘ π‘‘ π‘Ÿπ‘’π‘π‘œπ‘”π‘›π‘–π‘§π‘’π‘  β„Žπ‘–π‘  π‘œπ‘Ÿ β„Žπ‘’π‘Ÿ π‘œπ‘Ÿ π‘ π‘œπ‘šπ‘’ π‘œπ‘‘β„Žπ‘’π‘Ÿ π‘β„Žπ‘Žπ‘Ÿπ‘Žπ‘π‘‘π‘’π‘Ÿβ€™π‘  π‘‘π‘Ÿπ‘’π‘’ 𝑖𝑑𝑒𝑛𝑑𝑖𝑑𝑦 π‘œπ‘Ÿ π‘‘π‘–π‘ π‘π‘œπ‘£π‘’π‘Ÿπ‘  π‘‘β„Žπ‘’ π‘‘π‘Ÿπ‘’π‘’ π‘›π‘Žπ‘‘π‘’π‘Ÿπ‘’ π‘œπ‘“ β„Žπ‘–π‘  π‘œπ‘Ÿ β„Žπ‘’π‘Ÿ π‘œπ‘€π‘› π‘ π‘–π‘‘π‘’π‘Žπ‘‘π‘–π‘œπ‘›.1” It is, β€œπ‘‘β„Žπ‘’ 𝑠𝑒𝑑𝑑𝑒𝑛 π‘Žπ‘€π‘Žπ‘Ÿπ‘’π‘›π‘’π‘ π‘  π‘œπ‘“ π‘Ž π‘Ÿπ‘’π‘Žπ‘™ π‘ π‘–π‘‘π‘’π‘Žπ‘‘π‘–π‘œπ‘›, π‘‘β„Žπ‘’ π‘Ÿπ‘’π‘Žπ‘™π‘–π‘ π‘Žπ‘‘π‘–π‘œπ‘› π‘œπ‘“ π‘‘β„Žπ‘–π‘›π‘”π‘  π‘Žπ‘  π‘‘β„Žπ‘’π‘¦ π‘ π‘‘π‘œπ‘œπ‘‘, π‘Žπ‘›π‘‘ π‘“π‘–π‘›π‘Žπ‘™π‘™π‘¦, π‘‘β„Žπ‘’ β„Žπ‘’π‘Ÿπ‘œβ€™π‘  π‘–π‘›π‘ π‘–π‘”β„Žπ‘‘ π‘–π‘›π‘‘π‘œ π‘Ž π‘Ÿπ‘’π‘™π‘Žπ‘‘π‘–π‘œπ‘›π‘ β„Žπ‘–π‘ π‘€π‘–π‘‘β„Ž π‘Žπ‘› π‘œπ‘“π‘‘π‘’π‘› π‘Žπ‘›π‘‘π‘Žπ‘”π‘œπ‘›π‘–π‘ π‘‘π‘–π‘ π‘β„Žπ‘Žπ‘Ÿπ‘Žπ‘π‘‘π‘’π‘Ÿ 𝑖𝑛 π΄π‘Ÿπ‘–π‘ π‘‘π‘œπ‘‘π‘’π‘™π‘–π‘Žπ‘› π‘‘π‘Ÿπ‘Žπ‘”π‘’π‘‘π‘¦.2”

    𝐏𝐞𝐫𝐒𝐩𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐒𝐚: β€œπ‘Ž π‘Ÿπ‘’π‘£π‘’π‘Ÿπ‘ π‘Žπ‘™ π‘œπ‘“ π‘π‘–π‘Ÿπ‘π‘’π‘šπ‘ π‘‘π‘Žπ‘›π‘π‘’π‘ , π‘œπ‘Ÿ π‘‘π‘’π‘Ÿπ‘›π‘–π‘›π‘” π‘π‘œπ‘–π‘›π‘‘.3” Says Aristotle, it is β€œπ‘Ž π‘β„Žπ‘Žπ‘›π‘”π‘’ 𝑏𝑦 π‘€β„Žπ‘–π‘β„Ž π‘‘β„Žπ‘’ π‘Žπ‘π‘‘π‘–π‘œπ‘› π‘£π‘’π‘’π‘Ÿπ‘  π‘Ÿπ‘œπ‘’π‘›π‘‘ π‘‘π‘œ 𝑖𝑑𝑠 π‘œπ‘π‘π‘œπ‘ π‘–π‘‘π‘’, 𝑠𝑒𝑏𝑗𝑒𝑐𝑑 π‘Žπ‘™π‘€π‘Žπ‘¦π‘  π‘‘π‘œ π‘œπ‘’π‘Ÿ π‘Ÿπ‘’π‘™π‘’ π‘œπ‘“ π‘π‘Ÿπ‘œπ‘π‘Žπ‘π‘–π‘™π‘–π‘‘π‘¦ π‘œπ‘Ÿ 𝑛𝑒𝑐𝑒𝑠𝑠𝑖𝑑𝑦.4β€œ

    They often go hand in hand, and in Aristotle’s writing, β€œπ‘‡β„Žπ‘’ 𝑓𝑖𝑛𝑒𝑠𝑑 π‘“π‘œπ‘Ÿπ‘š π‘œπ‘“ π·π‘–π‘ π‘π‘œπ‘£π‘’π‘Ÿπ‘¦ (Anagnorisis) 𝑖𝑠 π‘œπ‘›π‘’ π‘Žπ‘‘π‘‘π‘’π‘›π‘‘π‘’π‘‘ 𝑏𝑦 π‘ƒπ‘’π‘Ÿπ‘–π‘π‘’π‘‘π‘’π‘–π‘Ž, π‘™π‘–π‘˜π‘’ π‘‘β„Žπ‘Žπ‘‘ π‘€β„Žπ‘–π‘β„Ž π‘”π‘œπ‘’π‘  π‘€π‘–π‘‘β„Ž π‘‘β„Žπ‘’ π·π‘–π‘ π‘π‘œπ‘£π‘’π‘Ÿπ‘¦ 𝑖𝑛 𝑂𝑒𝑑𝑖𝑝𝑒𝑠…5” Oedipus is the classic example, where he realizes at once that he is his father’s murderer and son, and the son and lover of his mother, and of course this changes everything.

    In the last 9 months, I have experienced a lot of anagnorises around a number of really fundamental components and relationships of my life so far – with family at every level, friends, associates and colleagues, where I live, my place in Christian music and all that has gone with that over the years, my place in religion and spirituality, my place in music-creation, my place in academia, each with different turning points.

    This probably started more like three years ago since moving to the PNW, but the peripeteia has been profound especially the last 6-9 months. It has been one of my life’s singularities. Before even realizing it, I have been referring to it as β€œinflection points” with my therapist, all converging around the same point in time. And I have had a number of inflection points, turns, changes, that have been completely organic as a result of the discoveries, the realizations, epiphanies, anagnorises.

    It has been hard, sad, crippling at times, and I have suffered from grief and depression over all of it. But it is also liberating, life-giving, and has opened paths forward, irreversibly altering the landscape. What I am learning to navigate as a result of discoveries and their inflection points, is the nuance of love, detachment and letting go, acceptance, and indifference, each showing up in various ways and combinations at different levels. Thank you for reading.

    1. https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/anagnorisis
      ↩
      ︎
    2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anagnorisis
      ↩
      ︎
    3. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peripeteia
      ↩
      ︎
    4. ibid.
      ↩
      ︎
    5. ibid.
      ↩
      ︎