HOME COMING

Nobody alive is absent or neutral. Yet, many professionals, though often for well-intending reasons, pursue an imaginary absence or neutrality of their person or ego. It goes for the psychotherapist, the questionnaire sociologist, the test psychologist, the fieldwork anthropologist which is my profession, economists more in tune with each other than with outside reality, physicists ignoring quantum duality¸ the medical doctor, the spiritual healer, the guru and the priest as well as it goes for the teacher, the police, the judge, the journalist and the official media. While having in mind scientific rules, the law, contracts, training, the Spirit, the God, the government, professional ethics or maintaining law and order, they try to be a proper scientist, a warm-hearted inspiration, a pure transmitter, a critical reporter or just ruler.

But since the 1960s it is increasingly acknowledged that professional objectives of being absent or neutral are impossible to realize. Even quite some gurus, pretending to be enlightened, are exposed as not having realized such enlightenment. It is therefore more realistic for all these professionals to, scaring as it may seem to be, openly acknowledge and discuss the personal signals we emit and the biases that guide our behaviors. It makes our work more complex but, contrary to earlier beliefs, also more trustworthy and effective when we leave ivory towers and holy mountains, and come back home where the people live.

In order to facilitate our descend into the real world, we may look into our early childhood. To the extent that in this period we have remained subconsciously unseen by our mothers, we may find it hard to manifest ourselves. To the same extent we may imitate the example of our mothers and imagine ourselves as personally absent or as absent among others in the common world. To maintain such imaginary absence, our professions provide a justification, but it goes at the cost professional quality. Personal introspection and social honesty would improve the effects of our professions.