Showing posts with label Research Expose. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Research Expose. Show all posts

Monday, 24 October 2022

Unique Ethnic Clothings From Around the World



Unique Ethnic Clothings From Around the World by Omar Cherif, One Lucky Soul


After meeting the crafty designer, Yulia, here in Dahab yet before acquiring the piece of clothing shown in the featured photo, I sent her a message, asking what it is called. I have been somewhat fantasising about seeing myself in one for as long as I can remember. And since I’ll be wearing it, one might as well be informed. I wrote, I’m sure it’s not a “Kimono”, but what is it then? She said she calls it “Cape”. Alright. Oh, like Superheroes; but I thought capes went backward. Well I certainly wasn’t going to argue with the actual person who designed and made it.

When sharing the photo on social media a friend commented that he likes the “Shawl” and wanted one. Again here, I’ve always thought a shawl is a smaller piece of cloth or fabric that covers the shoulders, head, and even chest.
 
In hope to clear out the confusion, my unquenched curiosity led me to dig into that mythical flappy “dress” in order to learn more, especially its correct name. Is it a cape, a cloak, robe, “abaya” (عباية / عباءة), jilbab/jilbãb, tunic, jillaba/djellaba, poncho, or, something totally different? The following are the interesting findings of the investigation.




One type of loose unisex “dress” worn in Africa, the Middle East, and parts of Asia are what they call in Egypt “Galabeya” — otherwise known as Jalabiya/Jalabeya/Jellabiya, Kurta, Thobe/Thawb, Jubbah/Jebba, Kaftan/Caftan among other names depending on where you are in the world.

Saudis, Kuwaitis, Omanis, Qataris, Bahrainis, and Emiratis each have their own traditional style of thobes. 

The same goes for different regions in Africa.

In Egypt, for instance, where there is significant diversity, galabeyas are worn more in the south where it is gets pretty hot. Unlike the thobe, those are more of a working man garb — farmers and construction workers. Bedouins, too, wear galabeyas; those are the nomadic Arab tribes originally from the desert regions who eventually spread across the Arabian Peninsula, North Africa, the Levant, and Mesopotamia. Others may wear them only at home as a sort of pyjamas.

While we can see the Arabic and Turkish influence on Egyptian fashion — see le tarbouche —  even further south in Nuba, where indigenous peoples of the central Nile Valley have been residing for millennia, things seem to become ethnically and distinctively tribal and perhaps more African, one could say, especially for western eyes. Be it clothing, art, or culture as a whole, you do feel their more pure nativity and aboriginality as well as their more direct and perhaps also undiluted ancestral link.

Unique Ethnic Clothings From Around the World by Omar Cherif, One Lucky Soul
Nuba, from the answer on Quora

Some of you may have seen me wear an actual galabeya recently, at least in photos. But then this flappy, sleeveless one-piece African-Medicine-Man-looking outfit we are trying to identify herein is not a galabeya. So what is it then other than mere cape? 



Well, in Arabic there is a similar sleeveless unisex overgarment called “Abaya” ( عباية / عباءة). It may be worn over a galabeya or anything else and is usually in plain colours, often black. Some may have limited embroidery, yet are almost never too colourful nor decorated with elaborate squiggles or symbolic designs. True enough, Abaya translates as “cape” in English — like Yulia initially mentioned. But also as “Cloak”, which from English to Arabic is translated as abaya; as well as: Mantle, gown, frock, negligee.

Other names for comparably loose items are Jubbah/Jebba/Jibba and Kaftan/Koftan. In Egypt, the “Jebba and Koftan” are usually worn together and remain the traditional attire of Muslim sheikhs and those at Al-Azhar — with the koftan ( قُفْطان ) worn underneath the jebba (جُبَّة  ) .

For Muslim women, there is also the “Jilbab/Jilbãb” worn as a conservative religious dress code. Oh boy, more words!, said the logo-lexophile. 


Now back to the English language. By mentioning cloak we must go back to cape. Both are sleeveless and made from a single piece of fabric, yet they do not describe the same thing. In fact, the Internet is full of cape vs cloak articles.

Capes are known to be shorter, typically reaching the hips and thighs, while cloak is full/floor-length or calf-length. Due to its bell shape, the word cloak in Middle English actually originates from Old French cloke, dialect variant of cloche ‘bell, cloak’; from medieval Latin clocca ‘bell. Aha, who knew!


Unique Ethnic Clothings From Around the World by Omar Cherif, One Lucky Soul
    Different versions of cloaks and capes as seen on Treasurie.com


Beside size, another apparent difference between cape and cloak lies in their purpose. Compared to the latter, the former is seen as more of a fashion article usually worn for aesthetics rather than functionality. That is in real life.

In the realm of fictional fantasy and Superheroes, capes could have legit functions — like Superman, Batman, Thor. Capes have already made it into storytelling even earlier with Zorro (1919) as well as Alexandre Dumas The Three Musketeers (1844). Then again, why many fictional superheroes are created and depicted wearing capes part of their costumes, somewhat stereotypically one might add? This is a more specific query found posed and answered on many websites and forums like Quora again, and Reddit.

One theory is to make them look larger in size while also more majestic, otherworldly, or intimidating. Love me some otherworldliness! Another use, as mentioned, is to provide cover and protection. Apparently the idea was inspired by theatre artists from the 1920s and 30s.
Interestingly, there is an established history in Spanish drama and fiction called “Capa y Espada” or “Cape and Sword”.

Let us not forget, however, that many story villains tend to be depicted wearing capes just as well, like Dracula for instance. The same goes for witches, wizards, vampires... and, of course, Little Red Riding Hood.
  

Unique Ethnic Clothings From Around the World by Omar Cherif, One Lucky Soul
The philosopher in a himation à la Ancient Greece, 2014 (L)
& the artist in perhaps a
tunic or kurta
handmade by Bedouins, 2022 (R)


Cloaks, on the other hand, turned out to be one of the earliest attires in history.
Worn by Ancient Greeks as outer garment over the left shoulder and under the right arm as a mantle or wrap, it was called a Himation”. The Romans then later copied the Greeks [surprise!], creating their own version, the Pallium. Scots and Celts, too, wore cloaks to warm up.

More about the history and origin of cloaks can be found in What’s the Difference between Capes and Cloaks?. As for capes, they are covered in length in Types of Capes.

Whether capes or cloaks,
it seems they are both prevalent in a multitude of folk tales permeating countless ancient cultures and the human psyche and imagination along with it. Indeed, there is something archaically magical and phantasmagorical about them, which for me personally remains captivating.  


Adding to the seemingly endless list of terms, there is also the “Tunic”, which is another unisex article originally worn in the ancient Mediterranean world, yet it also goes back to Ancient Egypt. It is a top shirt reaching either to the hips or knees, like Peter Pan or possibly myself [again] in the above photo. What to say: I cherish my individuality as much as I have a distaste for conformity. Sharing my own photos herein also helps greatly with copyright issues. So there is also that. 

A similar-looking collarless shirt is called “Kurta” in South East Asia. It is often worn underneath the unisex coat-like traditional Indian “Sherwani”.  

Resembling the western tunic, there is the “Smock-frock or smock for short. As a sort of protective outer coat or apron, it was originally worn in rural areas by waggoners and shepherds. Today smocks refer to a work overgarment worn for protection like for painters.


Still, while our novel item of clothing in question is made from a single piece of loose fabric, material wise, it is much thinner that what is usually described as cape or cloak. While there are no actual sleeves, there are two large side openings used as sleeves.

Linguistically, perhaps being English words is what makes it challenging to find the correct and suitable appellation within the existing nomenclature. Until now, however, no word says anything about the mysterious symbols and archaic squiggles printed on the material. More digging is necessary. 


Now as we look into Africa, we start coming closer to the truth.

In West Africa, there is the “Dashiki”, which is a colourful garment that covers the top half of the body. I am sure you came across them before. I remember seeing them as a child in bazaars throughout Egypt. Probably brought into the country from more African nations.  

In East and Central Africa
, dashikis are known as a “Kitenge/Chitenge”, which is piece of fabric similar to a sarong. It has formal and informal versions and varies from simple draped clothing to fully tailored suits.

 Kitenge is close to yet thicker than Kangas and Kikoi.



Unique Ethnic Clothings From Around the World by Omar Cherif, One Lucky Soul
Dashiki shirt (L) and a couple of Kitenge designs (R)


Minus the colourful designs, those seem close to the button-less open shirts I have been wearing for the past several years, which were initially designed and custom-made by an artist cousin. Or should should we say “blouses” as another friend once called them. Eventually I started designing more shirts. Different colours and materials, with/without pocket, with/without collar. Just to add some variety since I wear them a whole lot. I also used the same measurements to make a longer garment, which became the grey galabeya — seen in the below photo. Choosing to have it shorter-than-usual in length, it looks like the blue tablier we wore at Kindergarten or even those white attires worn at the Loony Bin. 

You see, at some point when I became who I always was, wearing Polo shirts seemed so... not me, for lack of a more descriptive word. Same goes for clothes with visible labels or marks on them. So I gave the few I had away and had to find something that suits my philosophy, authenticity, eccentricity, peculiarity, and mental states. This step had already followed getting rid of suits and ties almost a decade prior.

Then, with the long hair, beard, shorts, and flip-flops, the beach-living Bohemian artist look seemed to have been almost perfected. By my mid-late 30s I even started wearing pink again after kicking it out of my wardrobe 25 years prior. In case you’re wondering why, because teenage me wanted to “Be a man!” How juvenile. Without colours, or with only a few preferred ones that we stick to like peas in a pod, our choice of clothing can certainly become quite drab and boring. 

While I happen to feel highly comfortable in those custom-made shirts, they became my casual everyday attire. Plus, they are all plain. Hence the occasional fascination with certain unique, unusual, non-mainstream wear with cool designs, patterns, and imprints like the one we are investigating. Though actually, it will be worn on special occasions, such as drum circles or festivals — perhaps as some kind of costume and certainly not everyday. I do love my current style, yet being eclectic in taste means that change also remains needed while comfort is still kept. After all, I hold that when you are comfortable you tend to look good and not the other way round.

I once jovially wrote: Why only Yoda and the Pope among other wizards and spiritual figures get to enjoy life with free dangling cojones? I’m sick of this discrimination and letting the boys loose. Ah. What freedom.

Unique Ethnic Clothings From Around the World by Omar Cherif, One Lucky Soul
The Fool on the Hill.
They had something called Galabeya Party in 1980s and 90s Egypt
where modern people would wear galabeyas as costumes for the event. Ha.


N
ow, the following is from someone on Quora, answering to the question Why are “Robes” so commonly worn by males in Africa and the Middle East?: [“Robe”, too, could be another suitable word; without belt though]



Arabian heat and African heat, aren’t the same. Even in those countries, humidity is variable so there are different adaptations depending on your proximity to the Coast Line.”


Another answer about Africa in particular: 

“Robes are perceived as a sign of wisdom and all respectable males are expected to wear some kind of clothing covering their legs, therefore we have different varieties of robes for different venues and occupation.”

As we come closer to the one I had just acquired — in appearance, material, signs, designs — , there is the “Bogolan”: Another kind of robe that is “More convenient to do some kind of work like Agriculture, hunting and other outdoor activities, Historically worn by hunters, Farmers, and herdsmen.”



Like dashiki and kitenge before it, Bogolan does not seem to describe the type of clothe or garments, but it is the handmade cotton fabric, or textile, on which the symbols and patterns are then added. So just as there are Bogolan robes, there are Bogolan dresses, skirts, pants, tops, suits.

As shared in an illuminating article on Contemporary African Art (dotcom):

Etymologically, the origin roots of Bogolanfini are Bambara, the language spoken by the Bamana people of Mali and it is derived from three words: ‘logo’ meaning mud/earth, ‘lan’ meaning by means of, and ‘fini’ meaning cloth.”



 




From The Bogolan Mudcloth, another article on The Ethnic Home in which photos of how mudcloth have been and still are traditionally made; the spinning, weaving, and sewing may take the men and women artists involved up to two months. A truly extraordinary effort.

The Malian Bogolan, today, is probably the most distinctive African textile. To non-African eyes, all of its aspects embody the African “flavour”: Its colours embrace the entire ochre palette of the African earth; its patterns call to mind ancestral and mysterious tribal geometries; its textured cotton, so thick and sturdy, and its evident manual seams tell the story of an antique universe of skilful hands.

For the Malians, it’s a national treasure and an essential element of their cultural identity. They say that Bogolan is made of the earth, the river, the forests, and the sun of Mali. It’s literally true — it’s not a way of saying — but Bogolan is even more: as is often the case in predominantly oral cultures, a cloth is never a simple cloth.

The present bogolan textile often called “the African mudcloth”, has its roots in the traditional bogolanfini, a handspun and handwoven cotton cloth, hand-dyed following a complex process involving the use of plant extracts, fermented mud from the Niger River, a lot of tropical sun and water.

While it is certainly an ancient tradition, it is thought impossible to say how old it could be; for its origins remain unknown. Despite some scholars (as Luke-Boone, 2001) claiming it can be traced back to the 12th century AD, this is still an unverifiable hypothesis due to the perishable and fragile nature of the fabric.”

 

Literally produced from the very essential elements of Mother Nature and consequently also Life. How fascinating.
Unique Ethnic Clothings From Around the World by Omar Cherif, One Lucky Soul
It is like deciphering the story added to the item

 
What is equally interesting are the symbols and patterns embroidered on the actual garment of the ‘mudcloth’ Bogolan. Some symbolise Bravery/Fearlessness, Wealth and Luxury; others like the two arrowheads connected by a straight line — found on mine — represent the “House of Calabash Flowers”. Larger patterns may also have their meanings, such as “a drum calling warriors into battle”.



Apparently each outfit tells its own story. Depending on the symbols and patterns used, their specific order and arrangement can reveal a plethora of secretive information. What an inspiration for a storytelling djembefola. It was actually the artistic symbolism that had first caught my attention at the community Market here in Dahab; they truly “spoke to me” — somewhat subconsciously while drawing me towards it. This is when I met Yulia — almost in a trance. The fact that they are unisex was another interest. Starting by inquiring, eventually, I ended up acquiring.

Her cool native clothing brand and online shop Aervanshop can be found on Instagram.



As we carry on digging throughout the region and get more specific, here are other names for traditional African wear as seen in Traditional African Clothing That Identifies African Tribes At A Glance:


1. Kente: Ashanti and Ewe people of Ghana


2. Iro ati Buba: Iro and Buba (popularly called Iro ati Buba) are native to Yoruba women of Nigeria. The original version of the dress features five pieces.


3. Boubou: Senegalese unisex. 



4. Kanzu: Called “Thobe/Thawb” in Arabic and “Tunic” in English, those “jalabeyas” are white or cream worn by men in the Africa Great Lakes region — especially popular in Uganda while also including Burundians, Congolese, Ethiopians, Kenyans, Malawians, Rwandans, Tanzanians, and Ugandans.

5. Habesha Kemis: Belonging to the Habesha women of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Habesha Kemis is usually a robe that stretches from the neck to the ankles. It does sound like a woman’s full name. 



6. Jillaba or Djellaba: is a long, loose-fitting unisex robe usually full-sleeved and worn in the Maghreb region of North Africa. Traditionally, the main material for designing djellabas is wool. However, these days lightweight cotton ones have become available. Many also have hoodies, which makes you look like a monk, and which had captivated me as a kid when I saw them depicted in Tintin's book Le Crabe aux Pinces d'Or (The Crab with the Golden Claws), which took place in Morocco.

One cannot help see the similarity between the words Jillaba, Jilbab, and Jalabeya/J
ellabiya.

Speaking of, taken from
Words I Made Up — The Thirteenth, there is also Jill-Babs: A feminine given name common between traditional Arab immigrants who adhere to a certain religious dress code. Uhu.


Unique Ethnic Clothings From Around the World by Omar Cherif, One Lucky Soul
Even Dupond et Dupont (Thomson & Thompson)! from Tintin
et Le Crabe aux Pinces d
Or.
One day I shall get a blue hooded one... preferably from Morocco



Beside Africa and Arabia, variants of loose ethnic clothings were equally prevalent in North Asia, Eastern Europe, and Persia — where their long-sleeved silk or cotton robes are called Khalat/Kehlat/Khilat.

Central Asia and Eastern Europe also had their own versions. In Romanian, for instance the word is Halat

It is held that the Russian kaftan was likely influenced by Persian and/or Turkic people in Old Russia. A common garment since as far back as the 13th Century, the word “kaftan” was actually adopted from the Tatar language, which in turn was borrowed from Persia. The traditional Russian version of the kaftan look quite similar to ones worn by Ottoman sultans. It could be made of wool, cashmere, silk, or cotton.

In Turkey, they are known as Chapan — see photo below.

Parallelly, Jewish culture adapted a silky robe, bekishe, or frock coat, kapoteh, from the garb of Polish nobility.

South East Asians, too, were inspired to wear related garments after dealing with visiting Arab traders.

Much more recently in 20th Century Europe and America, some designers like Christian Dior and Balenciaga added loose fitting robes to their collections. For westerners, such wear was considered quite unique and exotic. 

Unique Ethnic Clothings From Around the World by Omar Cherif, One Lucky Soul
(L.) Hungarian cowherds in traditional Cifraszűr
or simply
Szírt at the Nationwide Sires Fair Budapest, 1929.
(R.)
The Kepenek is a traditional thick, tent-like cloak worn by Turkish shepherds.
Made from felt, this sleeveless and buttonless garment envelops the entire body.


In the 1960s and 70s hippie fashions were inspired by ethnic styles, especially through Americans who would return from journeying the “Hippie Trail”. Slowly but surely, the idea of wearing traditional clothings belonging to other cultures and regions became appropriated by designers. It was also a time when Kaftan-like dashikis became common between African Americans.

Today, culture appropriation is quite the controversial topic in the U.S. It is described as: When members of a majority group adopt cultural elements of a minority group in an exploitative, disrespectful, or stereotypical way.

The trouble, I think, is largely a by-product of the nature of the fabric of the current American society. From one side, Native Americans had their lands stolen, and from the other, Africans were enslaved and brought into ships. So maybe such minorities are not too keen to see white folks, who represent the majority, trying to mimic, embody, or steal [again] their own ethnic identities. For one, it is taken as disrespect.

As such, one wonders that perhaps if their shared history was more peaceful, the society could have been less segregated while people could have worn whatever they wish; because despite their different past and history, everyone will truly be part of one nation, in which there is not much enmity between the different groups and culture identities.

Taking myself as an example, my paternal family is originally from Turkey before great great grandfather arrived to Egypt as a young boy with his uncle Muhammad Ali Pasha. On my maternal grandmother side, they came to Egypt from Arabia, which followed their even more native, Kazakhstan in Central Asia. As such, I can say I am Egyptian, African, Turkish, even Arab and Asian. Not that I particularly enjoy flags or borders or labels, because they tend to divide us; I rather see myself more as a citizen of the world. Yet, these remain one’s roots. So choosing to wear items that are from outside the norm of my westernised upbringing — French school and American university — seems totally fine. These are somehow the clothes of my ancestors, which I cherish and wear with a certain reverence and respect rather than at a Halloween party; not that there is anything wrong with wearing costumes. It could be that I am subconsciously attempting to connect with my primal foundation... à la Bohémien.

Unique Ethnic Clothings From Around the World by Omar Cherif, One Lucky Soul
Great great great grandfather, or the father of the grandfather of my grandfather, “El Sayed” Mohamed Cherif Pasha “El Kebir” (circa 1760s — 1865) in a Turkish chapin. He was ( والي الشام ) or Governor of Syria and the land of Arabestan/Arabistan,
which was part of the Ottoman Empire.

While culture appropriation is a much more recent subject, in early America a related clothing item is found: the famous Poncho. Its utilisation, however, remain different, mainly due to the different weather, it still looks slightly close to our Bogolan garment here. The below description has been adapted from Wikipedia:

Spanish for blanket, woollen fabric, a poncho is an outer garment designed to keep the body warm. A rain poncho is made from a watertight material designed to keep the body dry from the rain. Ponchos have been used by the Native American peoples of the Andes, Valley of Mexico and Patagonia since pre-Hispanic times, from places now under the territory of Mexico, Ecuador, Colombia, Chile, Bolivia, Peru, and Argentina and are now considered classic American article of clothing.

For South American and Mexican cultures, ponchos are a distinguished archetypal costume.

Beside the traditional usage, apparently more recently in history there were “military ponchos”. Starting in 1850, those early models were used in the Civil War then later in World War II. Around then, the Germans Army likewise issued ponchos to their soldiers which could be combined to form tents. True story! Being portable, they are used as well in times of peace as sleeping mats, or again, tents during hiking or camping.


Unique Ethnic Clothings From Around the World by Omar Cherif, One Lucky Soul
Araucanos and Huasos in Chile, 19th century, Wikipedia
 

With all such compelling information and new terms, let us recap the findings of the comparative research before we go. Starting with what the garment at issue could have been but turned out not to be, and ending with what seems like it actually is.

We said it is not a kimono nor shawl. Neither is it a galabeya/thobe/kaftan, nor abaya/jilbab/jubbah, since those have sleeves. What about cape and cloak? Based on the description of both, the first is supposed to be somewhat short rather than full length, while the latter sounds quite western
again probably due to language. It is certainly not a tunic, because that is basically a long shirt/blouse with sleeves.

When we then explore the African continent, the identification process then begins to look more promising.
First in West Africa where there is the mighty colourful dashiki; then in East and Central Africa where we find the kitenge/chitenge. Both, however, seem to describe the vibrant prints on the textile or material rather than the actual garment. So it is said: Dashiki shirt, dashiki robe, kitenge dress, kitenge skirt and so on. When we finally come across the Malian Bogolan mudcloth, on which the symbols we were investigating are imprinted, we again find that the word Bogolan describes the actual fabric rather than the type of clothing. For there are likewise Bogolan dresses, skirts, pants, tops, suits.



As we have seen, since the kind of loose clothing is found pretty much everywhere around the globe, different appellations for what may seem like similar garments differ depending on one
s location and language. It appears that this kind of ancestral clothing has been around throughout a colourful variety of different cultures going back to aeons ago. While the names and styles may differ, the very idea or concept of a loose garment worn by men and women seems to be everywhere. Perhaps it is its sheer simplicity and comfort were the main catalyst behind how it became so widespread and universal

Another reason why some of us have always felt a certain mysterious connection drawn to it.




That is in addition to the enchanting fact that the Bogolan ‘mudcloth’ in particular is made of and from the Earth. I highly doubt that mine had gone through the traditional few-week procedure. But I am certainly ecstatic to have it while informed about its compelling history and origin.   

Et voilà. And now we know.


With all this eclectic variety of names originating from a variety of times and places, starting now I shall call it a Bogolan Robe.  



Now I am utterly excited for the next Full Lunacy Drum Circle here in Dahab or any coming music festival when the Bogolan robe will be wearing me… making it look fabulous. I hope you enjoyed reading this exposé as much as I enjoyed researching and writing it. 



Sources:

Why do superheroes wear capes?, Quora

Why do classic superheroes wear capes?, Reddit

Why are “Robes” so commonly worn by males in Africa and the Middle East?, Quora

What’s the Difference between Capes and Cloaks?, Raven Fox Capes & Cloaks

Types of Capes, Treasurie  

Bogolan Mudcloth, Contemporary African Art

The Bogolan Muccloth, The Ethnic Home

11 Traditional African Clothing That Identifies African Tribes At A Glance, African Vibes

Poncho, Wkipedia

 
ALSO FIND: 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 




 




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Sunday, 23 January 2022

The Intertwining of Pain and Pleasure



The Intertwining of Pain and Pleasure by Omar Cherif, One Lucky Soul


Pain and Pleasure are somehow devilishly connected.



✵ Ⅰ. The Intuitive Threshold


The phrase above is one of my earliest reflections shared back in 2013. Almost a decade later, I became curious once again and decided to delve into the topic to learn more.



When I first expressed that sentiment, I had never researched the mechanics. Basing my personal reference almost entirely on years of exercise, sex, and drug-use, it simply felt intuitive that a distinct relationship existed between the two states. Ever since, there had been plenty of time to put that view to the test. Finally, the inquiries and research followed.


Pondering questions like: Why do we laugh until we cry, or cry out of sheer happiness? Why do some tear up while playing a musical instrument, writing poetry, or staring at a moving painting? Why do we moan and scream from pain as well as from pleasure? Why is our “orgasm face” indistinguishable from our “pain face”?



Why do adrenaline junkies feel exhilarated due to risky, fear-inducing “daredevil” activities like extreme sports or riding roller coasters? Is this pain or pleasure... or both?

After The Intertwining of Genius and Insanity and The Intertwining of Music and Sexuality ― A Djembefola’s Tale, the following exposé deals with the peculiarly mysterious relationship between pain and pleasure 
― neurobiologically, psychologically, and philosophically.   


─── ✵ ───

This, then, is the human problem: there is a price to be paid for every increase in consciousness. We cannot be more sensitive to pleasure without being more sensitive to pain. By remembering the past we can plan for the future. But the ability to plan for the future is offset by the "ability" to dread pain and to fear of the unknown. Furthermore, the growth of an acute sense of the past and future gives us a corresponding dim sense of the present. In other words, we seem to reach a point where the advantages of being conscious are outweighed by its disadvantages, where extreme sensitivity makes us unadaptable.

― Alan Wilson Watts, The Wisdom of Insecurity: A Message for an Age of Anxiety

─── ✵ ───

✵ Ⅱ. The Neurobiological Currency


Historically, pain and pleasure were often considered to be actual diametrical opposites. But are they really? 



For the realised individual, they are simply two sides of the same coin. Both are worthy of thorough investigation. For it seems they share a multilayered relationship, fundamentally inseparable and intertwined.

When the perception of one increases, so does the perception of the other. In fact, they are ingrained into our neurobiological makeup, sharing the exact same brain circuits and neurochemical pathways. 

Be it pain or food, sex, and drugs, scientists tracking brain scans of people who were subjected to a certain painful stimulus found that similar neural regions are triggered during both experiences. Both entice the body to produce its own internal narcotics: endorphins.


Along with Serotonin — our natural antidepressant, Dopamine — dubbed the feel-good hormone, Oxytocin — dubbed the bonding or cuddle hormone, Endorphins are part of the four essential Happy Hormones. This neurological reality validates Carl Jung’s stark declaration: 

There is no coming to consciousness without pain.”




─── ✵ ────── ✵ ────── ✵ ───

✵ Ⅲ. The Architecture of Memory


An article titled Pain in the Past and Pleasure in the Future: The Development of Past–Future Preferences for Hedonic Goods, published in Cognitive Science, tracks this alignment further. 


Further research has found that the pathways used by pain impulses excite not only the areas of the brain that experience physical sensation, but also those associated with emotion and cognition. Pain is not only a physical experience; the association of cognition — higher awareness — and emotion attach meaning to the experience of pain. These additional features of pain appear to help humans create more refined memories of a painful experience, which may help keep the person from repeating it in the future.” 

These additional features appear to help humans create more refined memories of a painful event, preventing the organism from repeating the mistake in the future. 
But it may also be the exact reason why the mind tends to cling to the past.

This neurochemical relationship between the perceptions of pain and pleasure is exemplified through the opioid and dopamine systems: While the opioid system is handles the immediate experience of the sensation, the dopamine system regulates the anticipation or expectation of that experience. 
  


─── ✵ ────── ✵ ────── ✵ ───


✵ Ⅳ. The Reward-Punishment Matrix


At the start of my research it became apparent that, unlike pleasure, pain had been the core subject of a wide field of neuroscientic and medical research. We can only, however, say the same about reward in particular rather than pleasure in general. 

The
International Association for the Study of Pain (IASP) defines pain as “An unpleasant sensory and emotional experience associated with actual or potential tissue damage, or described in terms of such damage.” Related fields of study deal with the neurocognitive mechanisms of human perception, emotions and desires.

As discussed in a BBC Future report, Why Pain Feels Good, any standard painful stimulus forces the central nervous system to release endogenous endorphins. These natural painkillers act to block the distress signal while working in a similar way to opiates like morphine to induce states of euphoria.



Take the classic Runner’s High: proteins bind to opioid receptors in the brain, blocking pain transmissions while simultaneously stimulating the limbic and prefrontal regions — the exact zones activated by passionate love affairs and music. It is a post-pain rush similar to the high of morphine or heroin, also binding to the brain’s opioid receptors.


Evolutionary speaking, the ‘Runner’s High’ mechanism enabled our ancestors to endure the physical exhaustion of a marathon hunt.


Both states are equal components of the reward-punishment loop. Whenever pleasure is perceived, we associate it with positive reward; when pain hits, we process it as negative punishment. 




When test subjects had their hands gently warmed or painfully heated during Harvard Medical School brain scans, the circuits releasing the body’s natural painkillers fired in tandem with the same zones that normally respond to rewards like food, sex, and money.



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www.dreamstime.com


✵ Ⅴ. The Engine of Duality



Beside the shared neurobiology, fearing pain and desiring pleasure function as our greatest survival motivators. We tend to indulge in the latter strictly to evade the former.



Crying, for instance, turned out to be triggered by opposite sensory extremes. Because scientists have mapped distress to the same neural circuits that grant us ecstasy, we can effortlessly laugh until we cry — and cry out of sheer joy.



Such biological commonality explains why I occasionally tear up while drumming or while writing or reading my own poetry. It often occurs when consciousness shifts during Flow State — while floating in The Zone.


Motivation, however, operates as a two-way street. Memory plays a commanding role in the process. Organisms are hardwired to avoid repeating behaviours that previously induced trauma; this basic recognition is how primitive learning comes about. 



Similarly, we are driven to seek past ecstasies by projecting them into the future, hoping to relive those moments.



Yet, this automatic association with the past leads directly to attachment and expectation. It sequentially breeds future sorrow, disappointment, and psychological exhaustion. Our view of the horizon becomes foggy, paralysed by a dread of pain and the unknown.



The cognitive mind is conditioned to cling to skeletal memories of the past while completely forgetting to live in the present Here and Now.



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✵ Ⅵ. Somatic Remembrance & Neuroplasticity


The mind is not the sole organ responsible for the persistence of trauma; the nervous system likewise forms its own cellular remembrances. 

Something we learned from Gabor Maté is that the body keeps score of every memory the mind refuses to process, not metaphorically, but physiologically. Suppressed emotions turns into chronic stress signals. The culprit? Elevated Cortisol levels, while the nervous system stays in love-level threat mode. 

This tracking becomes clear when observing how anaesthesia prevents the conscious brain from forming memories during invasive surgery. Despite the temporary blackout, the peripheral nervous system can still form its own deep pain memories of the procedure.


Such type of memories — a form of systemic scarring — causes a structural reorganisation of nervous system functions. The chronic disturbance can lead to phantom pain patterns inside an otherwise healthy body.

This mechanism tracks back to neuroplasticity, or brain plasticity. Having dedicated a full chapter to it inside my book, the following adaptation was mapped out in Theory of Mind: Thinking About Thinking and the Benefits of Observing the Observer:


Through transformative learning and neuroplasticity the wiring between the different networks of the brain can be altered. …

 Cognitive Neuroscience shows that when we repeatedly perform a certain activity, learn a new fact, or practice a skill, the corresponding neurons consistently keep stimulating each other. Over time, the wiring between them becomes stronger, which can make the connection last an entire lifetime. The neurons become more sensitive to each other and are more likely to synchronise their firing time in the future. All this takes place in the brain to support learning. In other words, whatever we do we are always physically modifying the brain to become better at it. What a remarkable feature that is.”

With that, any practising usually leads to improvement; the reason being is that our brain changes physiologically to adapt to the novelty. Whatever we repeatedly practice improves because the brain physically alters its architecture to adapt to the novelty. 

But neuroplasticity is a non-local law that operates both ways: unused networks stop being hardwired and are systematically pruned from the motherboard.


Change your thoughts, and you rewrite your reality.



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✵ Ⅶ. The Cognitive Shrinkage


As such, the more we reinforce standard trauma circuits, the more the brain gets stuck in repetitive thought and distress patterns. Then, the brain — the neurological architecture — tends to shrink, literally. Fewer circuits and degraded connections make other creative channels obsolete. Fun networks related to music, wine, and camaraderie gradually wither from pure disuse. 


Fortunately, as it turned out, nothing is cast in stone. 



Through transformative learning and actively stimulating neuroplasticity, we know that the wiring between these brain networks can indeed be altered, again and again. This shift grants us novel perspectives along with the ability to see things under a truer light.



Most people either live in the past or in the future, you see — oscillating between the ghost and the anxiety.  Those who dwell on what was are depressed; those who overthink what will be are anxious. Only the few who inhabit their Here and Now find peace of mind. 



When we are led by — neurotically identifying with — either pain or pleasure throughout life, we live a partial, fragmentary existence. We are trapped in what Alan Watts described as “a corresponding dim sense of the present”.  



Conversely, when we learn to observe both forces with impartial eyes, it leads to unified awareness. Coincidentia Oppositorum. Awareness, in turn, allows the organism to become whole. To be fully in the present moment, in the Here and Now.


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✵ Ⅷ. The Partial Mind (The Krishnamurti Excerpts)


Most people spend their existence oscillating between the ghost of the past and the anxiety of the future. Those who dwell on what was are depressed; those who overthink what will be are anxious. Only the few who inhabit their Here and Now find peace of mind.
 

When we spend our lives identified with either pain or pleasure, we live a fragmentary, partial existence — trapped in what Alan Watts described as “a corresponding dim sense of the present.” Conversely, observing both forces with impartial eyes unlocks a unified awareness.

On a similar note,
Jiddu Krishnamurti remarked in the above excerpt from Chapter 5 — 5th Public Talk, Saanen — 21st July 1981:

A man who wants money, power, position, is perpetually occupied with it. Perhaps, the brain is similarly occupied with the remembrance of something of a week ago which gave great pleasure, being held in the brain, which thought projects as future pleasure and pursues. The repetition of pleasure is the movement of thought and therefore limited; therefore the brain can never function wholly, it can only function partially.


When defining the trap of pleasure during his 1970 interview by Oliver Hunkin at Brockwood Park, Krishnamurti added:
 
 You have enjoyed, say for example, an evening sunset, marvellous thing. A lovely colour, and all the rest. Then you want to repeat it the next day. Because you had great delight in that. The repetition of it is brought about by thought. Thinking that you had a pleasure yesterday you want to repeat it again tomorrow. Not being able to get that pleasure tomorrow, you feel frustrated, you feel angry, or afraid. So, thought is responsible for both the continuance of pleasure and the sustaining of fear.

To understand fear, one must untangle the search for pleasure.




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✵ Ⅸ. The Rebound of the Addict

 
I recall my early 30s, visiting Canada’s Wonderland in Toronto on three consecutive birthdays. This new phase closely followed seven years of heroin addiction. When I finally broke the script and got clean, the reformed addict in me still craved an intense velocity of excitement — a chemical rush my antenna was yearning for . I located it right inside those massive, wicked roller coaster tracks.



I did not mind the 45-minute lines; because I knew a reward was soon to follow, in the form of a massive dopamine dose — à la Pavlov. It seemed like I needed the stimulation for my own mental health, to shock the system back awake.



It was during that same Toronto chapter that I returned to jogging. Once or twice a week, my neighbour Brent, my Cocker Spaniel Caramella, and I would cut through the nearby Beltline trail. Recovering my health after a decade of self-medication felt spectacular. 



Bit by bit, our capacity expanded. One day we ran for two hours and five minutes straight from Davisville all the way to the Beaches. The post-run Runner’s High was immense.



It was my first time to ever run this long or this far, which turned out to be around 18 Kms when we calculated it later. Of course we had to ride both a bus then the subway to return home. But I certainly did not care as I was exhilarated and naturally high, and remained so till maybe the next day.

Eventually I concluded that natural highs don’t have lows. Meaning, unlike many substances, you do not wake up the next day feeling groggy, down, or in withdrawals.

That was when I discovered the defining law of sovereignty, becoming part of my inner truth: Natural highs don’t have lows. Unlike pharmaceutical substances, you never come down feeling groggy or trapped in physical withdrawals — and existential dread.


Now, is this pain or pleasure? Can we say for sure? It is clearly neither. 

Both forces are chemically and alchemically intermingled in the process together — inside the non-duality of the physical machine. In this matrimony, this bond, lies the oneness of the system.



There is a distinct pleasure hidden in pain, just as there is a silent pain lurking in pleasure.



During the subsequent American phase when residing in Bohemian Venice Beach, the jogging remained while [serious] writing and drumming were integrated into my daily cadence. All three activities keep me naturally high, especially while flowing effortlessly in The Zone — sometimes teary-eyed as mentioned. 


Shake the snowglobe operating system to rewire your neuroplasticity. New neural connections open up the Doors of Perception.


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✵ 𝐗. The Amusing Trip (Written in 2025)




But how exactly are the human body and psyche affected during these high-intensity experiences? The mechanics are quite fascinating.


Physiologically, the nervous system interprets the intense physical sensations as a genuine threat. Despite the conscious mind knowing the environment is engineered for safety, the automated fight-or-flight response triggers a massive cascade of chemical reactions.


Adrenaline is aggressively pumped into the bloodstream. Endorphins flood the networks, inducing instant euphoria. A massive dopamine surge hits the reward pathways.


This reward loop is why some thrill-seekers immediately loop back to ride again. I have shamelessly conquered three high-speed runs in a row, and I am not alone.


The entire experience functions as a form of positive stress — eustress — where the organism enjoys the visceral sensations that accompany a fear response within a controlled perimeter. The sensory fallout is immediate: a stomach-dropping threshold, temporary vertigo, and visual distortion.


Beyond the raw chemistry, distinct psychological factors contribute to this childlike enjoyment of physically risky activities:


• A Sense of Mastery: Resulting from directly facing your fears, daring your ego, and having fun simultaneously.

• Living in the Here and Now: Being violently compelled by the fast-paced action to remain fully present and attentive.

• Social Bonding: Shared high-intensity experiences that naturally breed collective narratives.

The final two mental mechanisms remain the most intriguing:


Sensation Seeking: A distinct genetic predisposition to enjoy varied, novel, and volatile physical experiences. It is the primary reason why not everyone can tolerate roller coasters... let alone bungee jumping.

Benign Masochism: What psychologists call the phenomenon where people enjoy experiences their brain initially registers as threatening, but the sudden realization of safety delivers intense pleasure.

The secret of this practice traces back to my early psychonaut roots. At 19, when first trying LSD in Los Angeles, my younger American neighbours — who favoured my company — casually mentioned that someone’s older brother’s friends used to trip at amusement parks.

At 19, still trapped in conventional matrix, mostly inherited, it sounded completely insane. At 34, freshly clean after seven years of heavy addiction, it became a calculated yearly ritual for a more experienced psychonaut navigating his inner journeys in Canada.
 

It is entirely about tricking the physical mind and body. What a stark, insightful find.


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✵ 
𝐗𝐈. The Evolution of Trade-Offs


Having repeatedly experienced ecstasy hidden in agony — and trauma lurking inside ecstasy — it felt imperative to unpack this enigmatic continuum. It became essential for someone who survived a heavy, multi-year addiction graveyard.

Carrying on in the BBC report regarding physical exertion: 

The pain of intense exercise also causes a spike in another of the body’s painkillers, anandamide. Known as the ‘bliss chemical’, it binds to cannabinoid receptors in the brain to block pain signals and induce the warm, fuzzy pleasure emulated by marijuana, which binds to the same receptors. Adrenaline, also produced in response to pain, adds to the excitement by raising the athlete’s heart rate.”



In a chapter titled Pain and Pleasure: Masters of Mankind, neuroscientist Kent C. Berridge

“In terms of evolutionary psychology, both seeking pleasures and avoiding pains are essential for our survival and may compete for preference within the brain. In the face of a large food reward, which can only be obtained at the cost of a small amount of pain, for instance, it would be beneficial if the pleasurable food reduced pain unpleasantness. Cabanac (2002) argues that the brain must contain a common currency that allows motivations for pleasures and pains to be weighed against each other.

These decisions involving trade-offs between costs and benefits make perfect sense. 



I am entirely capable of dedicating four hours to cooking, simply because I know the sensory payoff will be a mouthwatering, filling, and fulfilling meal. My 29-ingredient Jambalaya with salmon and shrimps is an unvarnished testament to this; it requires fierce patience and functions as a live exercise in active meditation.



From a scientific stance, one practical implication of this shared currency research is the refinement of pain medications — allowing drugs to target distress while producing minimal side effects.



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 Khalil Gibran quote about pain and pleasure, The Intertwining of Pain and Pleasure by Omar Cherif, One Lucky Soul
 

✵ 
𝐗𝐈𝐈. The Coincidentia Oppositorum

In another Behavioral Scientist article, The Pleasures of Pain and the Pains of Pleasure, professor of psychology Paul Bloom writes:

Plato describes Socrates rubbing his aching leg and saying, ‘How strange would appear to be this thing that men call pleasure! And how curiously it is related to what is thought to be its opposite, pain! If you seek the one and obtain it, you are almost bound always to get the other as well.”




Centuries before the birth of modern neuroscience, Baruch Spinoza and René Descartes similarly held that sensory suffering and ecstasy belong to a singular emotional continuum. They are part of one synchronised movement in action, intermingled in constant flux.



Like the Yin Yang relationship between light and darkness, or the conscious and the subconscious, one cannot exist without the other — its reflection. Again, there is degree of pleasure in the pain as there is a degree of pain in the pleasure. Yet, they are clearly not diametrical opposites in a literal sense, nor do they contradict each other. 


This tracks seamlessly with a previous text of mine A Dialectic With Myself: Practical Yin Yang Approach to Coincidentia Oppositorum

“This is the concept of Coincidentia Oppositorum, which is Latin for Coincidence of Opposites or Unity of Opposites. Those two components — the poles — are not antithetical, incompatible, or incongruent, but they are in fact complementary. One is needed to provide contrast for the other. Both are necessary to the balance of the ‘system’. For the road up and the road down are the same road
. ...

The metaphysical framework was first declared by the pre-Socratic Greek philosopher Heraclitus. Later, in the 15th century, the German polymath Nicholas of Cusa coined the Neoplatonic term Coincidentia Oppositorum. In On the Vision of God, he beautifully described the phenomenon as: “The wall of paradise, beyond which is God.”


It is a non-local oneness I explored further in my archival piece, Dance With Your Demons — and your angels will clap and sing along

Another reflective piece about the oneness beyond our seeming polarity is Dance With Your Demons — and your angels will clap and sing along.   



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✵ 𝐗𝐈𝐈𝐈. The Governance of the Masters


Like the “Runner’s High”, an excess in one extreme inevitably pulls through the other. Pain frequently does feel good. 

Think of how intense training exercising (no pain no gain), wild unconditioned sex — specifically BDSM — eating volatile spices, or even having the blues can alter and inspire our state of consciousness. Also transform our perception and experience of reality. 



Here, the neurophysiological, emotional, and psychological elements interact to translate distress into ecstasy — facilitating the experience of pain as pleasure.
Like crying, the body finds itself moaning or screaming from raw discomfort as well as from joy, surprise, or pure excitement.


The English philosopher Jeremy Bentham studied these hedonic frequencies, writing: 

All good feelings were pleasures, and “pain” could describe all that humankind sought to avoid”. Also, “Nature has placed mankind under the governance of two sovereign masters, pain and pleasure. It is for them alone to point out what we ought to do, as well as to determine what we shall do.

Knowing this data, my past actions became  transparent.

Looking back at my addiction years, I was dreading withdrawal symptoms so fiercely — since those early agonising detoxes were burned deep into the memory of my nervous system — that my survival mode would push me to do anything to evade that trauma. In other words, to keep getting high... again and again.



The extraordinary human imagination multiplies the suffering. As the Roman Stoic philosopher Seneca illuminated: “We suffer more in our imagination more often than in reality.” 







The addicted mind operates on an automated autopilot script, reducing the individual to a compliant zombie. While experiencing pain is a fundamental human reality, fearing the sensation remains a strict choice.


True suffering lies within that very choice — inside the abyss between the life you wish you had and the one you are actively creating; between the desire to heal from past hurts and the desire not to repeat them in the future. 

It is a gentle reminder that we create our own reality, as authors of our own parameters, and true sufferings are mostly self-induced.   
 


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✵ 𝐗𝐈𝐕. The Shadow of the Board





On the surface, pain and pleasure do not oppose each other; a fine, murky line separates them. They are only true opposites if we choose to think in binary, dualistic, or linguistic terms — lexical semantics. 



In truth, whenever we place our attention on one, we are inherently standing in the shadow of the other. As Khalil Gibran poetically captures in his masterpiece, The Prophet:



“Your joy is your sorrow unmasked. ... Together they come, and when one sits alone with you at your board, remember that the other is asleep upon your bed.”



Both forces are part of the same system. We cannot grasp the scale of one without expanding into the other.

If self-realisation is the ultimate intention, both principles, both movements must be thoroughly investigated, observed, faced, and honoured as they are. They cant be treated as a projected image, or as a positive/negative emotional and cognitive loop to chase or escape from. They must be realised neutrally — for what they essentially are. 



Pain is pain; pleasure is pleasure. It is our automated reactions — build upon past memories and attachments — that breed our suffering. 



This was the core lesson the Buddha delivered to his disciples: discovering that the desire not to desire is still a desire, and our frantic attachment to the script is what causes us to obsess and ultimately suffer.


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✵ 𝐗𝐕. Riding the Dragon




Establishing that a distinct continuum exists between our traumas and ecstasies — our pains and pleasures — provides a stark clarity. It systematically removes the veil of ignorance, helping us better navigate this volatile, dynamic couple.


This novel self-knowledge is physically capable of altering our neural wiring, permanently breaking through our automated conditioning.


If we cling to the formatting of past wounds by attempting to block them — or frantically avoiding future discomfort out of raw fear — we directly paralyse the fluid balance of an eternally ceaseless cosmic dance.


The exact same paralysis occurs when we chase future ecstasies, neurotically identifying with and hunting them.


When the natural momentum of this internal vortex is perturbed through our desperate attachments, our judgement is muddled. The cognitive associations compromise our ability to choose what is best for the organism.


To dissolve this conditioning and repair the internal systemic imbalance, a deliberate recalibration of the corresponding neural circuitry must follow. Neuroplasticity has proven that we are fully capable of executing this structural change on a neurophysical level.

A major benefit of examining these sensory forces comes about when we learn to utilise both dynamics, rather than letting them command us.


Only when both currents are accepted as standard parameters of the human condition can one begin to inspire the other. It allows you to ride the dragon, if you will, so it can carry you to unmapped territories.


Only when they are processed neutrally for what they essentially are can we gracefully coexist with both, and hence become whole.


When core truth is sought, experiencing both extremes remains essential — hopefully without drowning in either, and without allowing fear or desire to sabotage the raw observation. Active reflection, meditation, and quiet contemplation are the tools that facilitate this balance.


Perhaps they can even guide us to extract profound meaning from the suffering.


Pain and Pleasure are s̶o̶m̶e̶h̶o̶w̶ devilishly connected.



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After dissecting this captivating, multi-dimensional relationship, it appears evident that they are not merely devilishly linked as instinctively guessed back in 2013. They share a fundamentally inseparable, interrelated, and entirely reconcilable bond.


Whenever either pole is frantically pursued, we are naturally inviting its shadow counterpart into the room. Yet, both frequencies remain necessary to maintain the ultimate balance of the system.


We can now confidently remove the ‘somehow’.



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SOURCES:

 
The Pleasures of Pain and the Pains of Pleasure by Paul Bloom, Behavioral Scientist
 
 
Why Do We Remember Pain?, How Stuff Works
 
Why Pain Feels Good, BBC Future 
 
On Joy and Sorrow by Khalil Gibran, Poets.org
 
Pain and Pleasure: Masters of Mankind by Siri Leknes and Irene Tracey from a book titled Pleasures of the Brain by Morten Kringelbach and Kent Berridge

What Is the Relationship between Pain and Emotion?
Bridging Constructs and Communities, Neuron, Cell.com
 
Chapter 5 — 5th Public Talk, Saanen — 21st July 1981Jiddu Krishnamurti
 
The Prophet by Khalil Gibran 
 
 
 
 

 
 
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