01/18/2024

Beginning With Real

by Jaime Kokaisel

Slowly the natural world has been replaced by shiny new surfaces and plastic replicas reminiscent of the past. At what point though is the past forgotten? Generation after generation passes by, and pretty soon fakeness become so embedded in a culture that reality is forgotten altogether. This article defines the characteristic traits of REAL and calls out FAKE for the counterfeit it is. The key to knowing what is REAL though is not to study the counterfeit, but to study the authentic.

In The REAL or FAKE Series Introduction, I talked about how failure and success is directly dependent on the intended purpose of something, and that can only be determined by the maker. As I made my list of Real And Fake comparisons, I also asked myself the following questions…

What material is it made of?
Who made it?
What is the makers end goal?
What purpose does it have to fill?
How full is its dimension?

Simple and tangible

BEAUTY

Nail

The HUMAN FINGERNAIL is made of three layers of karatin with amino acid proteins. Its purpose is to support the finger with strength and protection.

Real nails GROW.

The ARTIFICIAL NAIL is made of acrylic plastic. Monomer liquid is mixed with polymer powder polyethylmethylmethacrylate (PMMA), and resin modifiers are added. Its purpose is to embellish and/or cover up dry brittle nails.

Irregardless of which one you prefer, it is important to recognize real for REAL and fake for FAKE. What you wear on the outside communicates to other people how you want to be seen and, ultimately, how you see yourself.

Did you know: Artificial nails date back to ancient cultures in Egypt, Greece and China. Egyptian women wore them as a status symbol to show their wealth. It differentiated them from the working class whose manual labor prevented them wearing long delicate nails.

Eyelash

A HUMAN LASH is made of keratin, the same protein that makes up our hair and nails. Its purpose is to protect the eyeball from debris, dust or other foreign materials.

Real lashes last a LIFETIME.

A SYNTHETIC LASH is made of a plastic fibre called PBT, or Polybutylene Terephthalate. A mink fur lash is made of the tail of a mink. A human hair lash is made of real human hair. Its purpose is for sexier, fuller eyes and a healthy youthful appearance.

Did you know: Use of the false eyelash dates all the way back to the Roman Empire. Eyelash enhancements like rudimentary mascaras and even curling tools have a long history in Ancient and Ptolemaic Egypt. In most cultures, large eyes are among the most significant factors in overall “feminine” beauty. Consider how popular large eyes are in the modern “selfie” era. Falsies are an attempt to transition that screen presence onto a real being. In reality though? Just an illusion

HOME

Siding

WOOD SIDING and fencing is made of wood that comes from a variety of trees like cypress, cedar, redwood and pine. Its purpose is to create a barrier and protect the interior from exterior elements. It also helps keep the home cool in the summer and warm in the winter.

Real wood siding began as a SEED.

VINYL SIDING and fencing is primarily made of engineered polyvinyl chloride (PVC) resin. Its purpose is to mimic real wood plank siding by offering a more affordable material easier to maintain. It offers a full range of looks as well.

Did you know: Vinyl siding requires manufacturers to emit high levels of nitrogen
oxide, dioxin, sulfur dioxide, and other gases and chemicals. On average, it last 20-40 years. Since PVC is not biodegradable and recycling is expensive, it is sent to the land fill and is usually burned, emitting even more harmful gases into the air.

Decor

A GARDEN PLANT is primarily made of cellulose, which is the most abundant macromolecule on Earth. It grows up from the soil and return back into the soil. Its purpose is to provide
the planet with food, oxygen, and energy. They are also used to produce
fiber, medicines, building materials, and natural products.

Real plants FILL into their space.

An ARTIFICIAL PLANT is mostly made of silk, velvet and plastic fabrics as well as foam, paper and latex. Its purpose is to mimic the look of a real flower while lasting longer, costing less, and being easier to maintain. It is a hypoallergenic alternative for hay-fever sufferers.

FOOD

Cheese

CHEDDAR CHEESE is made of cows milk and sometimes goat, sheep and non-dairy milk. Rennet enzymes (harvested from the stomach of ruminant animals, vegetables, or microbial) are added to allow for the curdling process to separate the solid curd from the watery whey. It’s purpose is to nourish, taste good, and melt into foods. In the 12th century it was a means for extending the life of highly perishable milk protein.

Real cheese is MULTI-DIMENSIONAL (or rich) in flavor and nutrients.

An IMITATION CHEESE slice is made mostly with vegetable oil, water and a small amount of milk. Processed cheeses, like Kraft Singles, are made with more milk and even a small amount of cheddar cheese, but they are still required by law to say, “Pasteurized Prepared Cheese Product” on the label. Its purpose is to mimic cheddar cheese in taste, texture, and melting point. It has a lower price point and a longer shelf life

Did you know: With natural foods, you can support your bodies ‘good’ bacteria, help reduce blood sugar levels for those at risk for diabetes, support heart health, reduce the risk of heart disease and cancer, strengthen your bones and teeth, reduce age-related skin changes like wrinkles and loss of elasticity, feel younger and more energetic, improve sleep, benefit your mental health, and help your children regulate their mood and memory.

(Wow, I need to get back to eating more natural foods again!)

CITY

City Center

An urban or rural CITY CENTRE is made of small shops, boutiques, residents, and history. Traditionally in Europe the city centre is the oldest area of the city where the first settlements were posed. The absence of cars and parking lots is because the automobile did not yet exist and therefore why the old city centers are so pedestrian friendly. Its purpose is to reflect the cities identity since it is the geographic heart. It often holds historical, political, commercial and cultural influence.

Real City Centers BUILD UP over time.

A suburban REPLICA CITY CENTER (aka downtown) is made of big box stores, cars, and parking lots. There is typically no residential housing, although some may incorporate apartments in order to manufacture a sense of
community. Over the last decade, replica downtown areas have popped up in suburbs across the state, and South Washington County has many. Its purpose is to provide convenient, easy access to shopping, Therefore many are built along the 494 loop and other suburban highways.

I took this picture of Winchcombe in the English Cottswolds in 2003. My husband and I lived in the Nottingham area. Just about all the shops are independently owned by people living in Winchcombe.

SOCIAL

People

A HUMAN BEING PROFILE is made of a body, mind and soul with the ability to reason and make moral decisions. People have dimensional characteristics and their content is limited by time and experience. The profile account of a person is populated with friends and photos and ideas. It’s purpose is to communicate with other human beings.

Real Profiles are MULTI-DIMENSIONAL.

A BOT PROFILE is made of a set of algorithms and an automated social media account (robot) intended to look and act like a real person online. Thousands of accounts run on thousands of phones controlled by a few people on a keyboard. Its purpose is to mimic human behavior, converse with humans, and gather content from websites. At these clickfarms and botnets you can buy followers, likes, reviews of of product, and buzz.

A small number of people will flood a social media platform with Bots intended to drown out REAL people. This is part of the “game” you are forced to play as a political candidate. REAL conversation becomes impossible, and REAL voters fall prey to the FAKE chatter of a bot.

Game

A BOARD GAME or SPORT is made of people playing together in person on the same field or in the same room. They make eye contact, communicate thoughts, feelings and opinions verbally and non-verbally. Its purpose is to bond in relationship, grow in strategy, and build stronger muscles (body and brain).

Real games are FULFILLING.

A SMART PHONE GAME is made of metal: a touch screen, a display, electronics made with Nickel Gallium and Tantalum, a microphone, speaker, a Lithium-ion battery and a casing. Its purpose is sometimes to strategize remotely with a friend or algorithm but, for the most part, it is a way to kill time and cure boredom for a short period.

Characteristic Traits

After this exercise in simple seen objects, I am able to identify What Real IS and therefore What Fake Is.

Real IS

First (the constant)
leads
multi-dimensional
A seed in rich soil
Growing
Building up
timeless
filling
Healthy

Fake IS

Second
follows
one-dimensional
A seed in hard rock
stagnating
tearing down
bound by time
emptying
Unhealthy

REAL EXISTS IN THE WORLD INDEPENDENT OF FAKE. On the contrary, FAKE IS DEPENDENT ON REAL FOR IT’S VERY EXISTENCE.

The key to knowing what is REAL is not to study the counterfeit, but to study the authentic.

“Federal agents don’t learn to spot counterfeit money by studying the counterfeits. They study genuine bills until they master the look of the real thing. Then when they see the bogus money they recognize it.”

–Reckless Faith by John MacArthur

Real may be influenced by outside variables, but it does not deviate from the foundation of its Realness. REAL is the natural constant. REAL grows, builds, fills, nourishes, leads, feeds, and endures through time.

Fake is the variable that mimics and follows all that is real. It distorts and breaks down, empties and dies, binds and is bound by time and by space. It is hollow.

Study what is Real every day

until you know it so well

that the fake becomes obvious.

It is not easy to begin with what is Real. The brain naturally focuses on calling out the Fake first. As it turns out, this has been the most difficult obstacle for me personally to contend with and to overcome while writing this article. Over and over again, I had to retrain my brain not to default to studying Fake first.

Creation does not work backwards. Fake is not original. Fake is not the constant in this experiment to find Real. Real MUST become the forefront of our thoughts and Fake MUST be pushed to the back seat.

Real comes first and sets down roots that sustain life.

Fake follows without roots, without hope, without a future … Fake dies.

Up next in the Real or Fake Series is

Journey to "the End"

Before I move onto more abstract Real and Fake comparisons, I want to talk about the journey of learning. I will illustrate the topic of “The Means” and “The Ends” by comparing a couple of books assigned to Middle School students between District 833 and some of the local Private Schools.

It may be a week or two before the next article posts, so scroll to the bottom of this page to Follow the Blog. Enter your email address and hit “Subscribe”. Many of you follow me on Facebook, thank you! Subscribing to the Blog is another security measure though since the haters and hackers are in full pursuit of my identity on (and now off) Facebook. It’s pretty amazing actually.

Blessings to you all, Jaime