We recorded this conversation as an experimental episode but it quickly took shape as we approached the notion of our “Tibetaness”. This particular idea of a singular, yet complex, identity has troubled us, and our frustration with this uncomfortable question seemed to have found itself a cathartic outlet in this recording. We discussed an idea of Tibet that is pervertedly “romanticised” as to provide ourselves with an imagined incentive to participate in a movement. This, I think, leads to a contradiction of sorts. The image with which we fight differs from the Tibet that exists. The contradiction may be seen as a symptom of a greater problem lurking underneath our partial and incomplete nationalism. None of us born in exile has experienced Tibet in its truest. Whether it be under Chinese occupation or before the occupation. Our experience is moulded by other people's stories, pictures and videos, and numbers, which devoid us of an experience that we’re fortunate to not have. But this stroke of luck also devoids us of an element that seems vital to sustain an individual’s nationalisistic sentiment. Experience is immaterial and parts of it are embedded in that very nature of immateriality. Hence, any material representation of it, words, paintings, actions, fail to truly capture it in its entirety. This parallel impossibility to know "what it is like to be a bat" seemed, to both of us, the root cause of this sickness that plagues us both. In its absence, we must look for a substitute that will atone the abyss that we all share. (And although information is physical and future technologies might allow us to extract memories to replay them on other brains, it will still require all of the prior and later experiences to create a specific meaning of a particular experience. Thus, renders the possibility of an absolute recreation of an experience practically impossible.) After this, we discussed possible solutions to fill this vacuum we share - this was definitely the fun part. And we hope our listeners, if they happened to listen more than the average 14 mins, would participate in the conversation. We think this is an important issue to our generation but has no beeping presence on the radar of the older generations, thus it falls upon us to build a rationale to bridge this abyss. Also, whatever we discussed could very well be utterly rubbish. If that is the case, please let us know why. Reading recommendations: Jean-Paul Sartre - Paris Under the Occupation Ugyan Choedup - Historical Trajectory of Tibetan Identity: Some Preliminary Notes on the Role of Exile Educational Institution Palden Sonam - Nationalism: The Ideological Power to Sustain the National Struggle *all readings are available at the Google Drive link here: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1omqzlPiSUGUejyDV0DQ4Qhq-E55ZvTXA --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/the-odyssey0/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/the-odyssey0/support