The pathology of absolute identity.

We fall ill from an excess of ourselves. Absolute identity is an allergy: we are intolerant of our own selves.

The pathology of absolute identity.

Contemporary illness does not spread through contact but through isolation. ADHD, depression, and borderline disorders emerge when the subject becomes trapped in the echo chamber of their own subjectivity. We fall ill from an excess of ourselves, from an identity that has become a form of house arrest.

The immunological paradigm presupposed external enemies that needed to be repelled. But when the threat is one’s own selfhood, the immune system collapses from lack of use. Without otherness to react against, the organism compulsively attacks itself: hyper-identity produces psychic autoimmunity, the self rejects everything it does not recognize as familiar, until it ultimately rejects itself.

Contemporary discontent is born from the impossibility of being surprised by oneself. We live within closed subjectivities that have lost the capacity for genuine otherness. The current human condition is fundamentally allergic: we are intolerant of ourselves, unable to metabolize the difference that constitutes us.

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When the other dwells within us.

True hospitality does not occur when we open our door to the stranger, but when we allow their strangeness to open unknown doors within us.

Hospitality as abyss: When the other dwells within us.

True hospitality is an art that goes beyond a mere act of welcome; it embodies a deeper understanding of vulnerability and the complexities that accompany the presence of the foreigner. As Derrida articulates, authentic hospitality requires an openness toward the unknown and a recognition of the uncertainties that arise when encountering someone different from oneself (Derrida, 2000, p. 129). It challenges us to confront our prejudices and the possible discomfort that may accompany the act of receiving another into our lives.

Therefore, hospitality is not merely about offering a space or a meal; it is about cultivating a relationship that respects the individuality and identity of the foreigner. This hospitality invites us to break down barriers of familiarity and normality, embracing instead a shared humanity that recognizes the unique experiences and perspectives of the foreigner. It compels us to consider how our own identities are enriched through this engagement with others.

Ultimately, genuine hospitality transforms both host and guest by fostering dialogue and understanding. This encounter can lead to personal growth and an expanded cultural memory, enriching our sense of community and connection. Thus, true hospitality is not just a welcome, but a profound act of commitment that honors the complexities of human relationships and the valuable lessons they hold.

References

Derrida, J. (2000). Of hospitality. Stanford University Press.

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The subversive pause.

We rest to produce, vacation to perform better. Psychoanalysis defends the radical pause: stopping without economic justification.

The subversive pause.

Contemporary culture transforms rest into deferred productivity: we sleep to perform, vacation to return energized. Even our most intimate moments serve economic imperatives. This perverse logic colonizes the unconscious, converting leisure into labor's fuel. The weekend exists solely to make Monday tolerable.

Psychoanalysis proposes radical suspension: the pause without productive justification. "Why do I do what I do?" dismantles automatic action chains. This question reveals how often we act from alien mandates rather than authentic desire. The paradox emerges: only by stopping do we truly move forward, discovering genuine purpose beneath imposed efficiency.

The contemporary clinic receives subjects exhausted not by living, but by constant performance. Modern symptoms manifest as desire's evacuation under productivity's weight. The analytical pause becomes subversive act—defending the right to question without economic justification, to think without immediate utility.

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