Interpreting the Conflict

I have learned through my reading that a sign is something that conveys meaning to anyone about anything. A sign is directed towards an object, and we focus on how that object affects the subject analyzing it.

There is a variety of ways that an individual can relate to a sign. A sign will point to, or direct the individual in three different manners, which are: emotional, energetic, and logical. Anytime an individual feels something, they are essentially interpreting a sign. When something is wrong, an individual will employ one of the three kinds of interpretants (either emotional, energetic, or logical) to adjust and respond to the problem. 

Additionally, there is a triad of interpretants, which are: immediate, dynamic and final interpretant. The immediate interpretant denotes the way in which one responds to a sign at the moment it is presented to them. The dynamic interpretant is the end of one's response to a particular sign. The final interpretant refers to the most general and abstract method, and denotes how anyone presented with the same sign would respond.

I have been able to relate to these interpretants in various ways. I suppose you would consider the conflict in Syria the sign that I am reacting to. The immediate interpretant would be my reaction to the conflict when it first began. This reaction was the realization that there was an ongoing issue in my community. The dynamic interpretant was my first reaction to this realization. This reaction was very emotional; I felt shock, fear, sadness, and anger all at once. The final interpretant denotes how anyone would react to the sign. Once I realized the issues surrounding me and experienced my emotional reaction, I planned to act upon it. When one is faced with a problem such as mine, they tend to attempt to escape and rid themselves from it. My way of doing so was determining that my family and I needed to leave Syria. I feel that anyone in my situation would act in this way. Given the fact that 9 million people have left Syria to seek refuge in other countries, I feel that my response is generalizable.

One of my favourite quotations from my recent Peirce reading is "the immediate interpretant is the schema in her imagination [...]. The dynamical interpretant is the disappointment or whatever actual effect it at once has upon her. The final interpretant is the sum of the lessons of the reply, moral, scientific, etc. Now it is easy to see that my attempt to draw this is three-way [...]" (Peirce 1877, 52).

Using the concept of interpretants has helped me understand my actions and feelings. I have realized that I have interpreted the conflict using all 3 of these interpretants, and I have used them to help influence and make my decisions. 

My family and I will soon flee to Canada in hopes of a better life. The process will be long and difficult, however I am certain that it will be worth it. This week, I included a photo of two of my children and I. I am realizing that I am using many methods to justify my decisions and actions, and I am doing so to give them the best life possible.