Diaspora Dialogs [.com]

I spent last summer traveling in the jungle of Peru. One of the most powerful observations I made was noticing the approach with which people in the jungle viewed the fundamental icon of the knife, and how drastically that contrasts with the image held in most of the United States. In the Jungle, a knife is considered to be a tool. It is used to clear the roads, harvest fruits and vegetables, cut wood, harvest grains and sugar cane, and clear areas of vegetation for agriculture or living space. In the United States I have yet to encounter anyone who does not view the image of the knife as a menace—a weapon who's only possible purpose is malevolent. And I believe that this image has become so deeply ingrained into the American society, that it is likely to be an image which gains strength as generations go by, and the original purpose of the knife—to be used as a tool—is progressively forgotten.