Feature Photo by Jessica Palomo
2016 has mutated into 2017. I say mutated, because the word encompasses more than just the act or instance of becoming different. Mutation is more intrinsic: it implies a change in form or nature, and that change may be into something different, but it also may be something metamorphosed, or evolved.
The world, now, is like an episode of the Twilight Zone: same place (Earth), but different laws of physics. Much of what was understood to be convention or normalcy has been fundamentally challenged, with narratives new and old proving vacuous. Most days, it feels like we’ve morphed into meatless husks, touting conclusions with unstated premises, and accepting axioms that don’t hold up to rigorous interrogation.
Mutation often has a negative connotation akin to distortion, but it isn’t always that way. After all, all life is a product of the ultimate mutation: evolution. We have come a long way since the Primordial Soup, but are we any closer to being in control over mutations in our lives?
This week, we explore how the idea of mutation, good or bad, affects domestic and foreign politics, societies, the arts, and much more. We take a peek at the constant state of flux in our world and appreciate the inevitable transformation it undergoes, even if change sometimes doesn’t move things in the direction we’d prefer it to.
Gigi x
