I agree. When beauty harms you (through someone else's intent or not), it is because beauty instills desire, and the persuit of desire can lead you into dark waters.Plissken wrote:New thought: Perhaps one of the dangers of beauty comes not from it's possible deceit, but from the desire to own it. First of all, there is the distinct possibility that we blind ourselves to the dangers of the beautiful thing, and then we make it ugly by trying to own it. (I'm thinking of both psycho-Ex's and South African diamonds here.)
Beauty
Moderator: Fist and Faith
-
wayfriend
- .
- Posts: 20957
- Joined: Wed Apr 21, 2004 12:34 am
- Has thanked: 2 times
- Been thanked: 6 times
.
So, can beauty hurt you if you simply appreciate it for itself, instead of trying to possess it?
“If Tyranny and Oppression come to this land, it will be in the guise of fighting a foreign enemy.”
-- James Madison
"If you're going to tell people the truth, you'd better make them laugh. Otherwise they'll kill you." - George Bernard Shaw
-- James Madison
"If you're going to tell people the truth, you'd better make them laugh. Otherwise they'll kill you." - George Bernard Shaw
-
Gadget nee Jemcheeta
- The Gap Into Spam
- Posts: 2040
- Joined: Wed Oct 06, 2004 2:05 pm
- Location: Cleveland
This is how it is for me:
Those ex-girlfriends from hell, if I've learned that their nature is especially cruel, or hurtful... they lose the beauty that they had. As long as a part of me still feels desire for them, I see that beauty, but if I've REALLY learned that they are NOTHING but bad for me, I don't find them very attractive anymore. By that I mean, they lose the ability to attract me. It seems to me that everything works this way: As my knowledge grows, beauty shifts. Especially in the world of utility... the more useful something is, the more it helps in my life and the more it eases my pain, the more beautiful it becomes.
Of course, this might just be a personal thing.
Those ex-girlfriends from hell, if I've learned that their nature is especially cruel, or hurtful... they lose the beauty that they had. As long as a part of me still feels desire for them, I see that beauty, but if I've REALLY learned that they are NOTHING but bad for me, I don't find them very attractive anymore. By that I mean, they lose the ability to attract me. It seems to me that everything works this way: As my knowledge grows, beauty shifts. Especially in the world of utility... the more useful something is, the more it helps in my life and the more it eases my pain, the more beautiful it becomes.
Of course, this might just be a personal thing.
Start where you are,
use what you have,
do what you can.
use what you have,
do what you can.
-
Avatar
- Immanentizing The Eschaton
- Posts: 62038
- Joined: Mon Aug 02, 2004 9:17 am
- Location: Johannesburg, South Africa
- Has thanked: 25 times
- Been thanked: 32 times
- Contact:
Good posts guys. I think that the composition and interpretation is part of that nurture side of it WayFriend...And I think that Prebe was righter than I like to think with his view of learning beauty.
I also think that Plissken has an excellent piont about the desire to possess beauty as well. Perhaps that's why the things of natural beauty that we appreciate are so much more "peaceful," because we can't really own it at all.
Is it beauty that creates the desire Jem? Or the desire that ives things the appearance of beauty?
--A
I also think that Plissken has an excellent piont about the desire to possess beauty as well. Perhaps that's why the things of natural beauty that we appreciate are so much more "peaceful," because we can't really own it at all.
Is it beauty that creates the desire Jem? Or the desire that ives things the appearance of beauty?
--A
Anakin: "You are so...beautiful."
Padme: ""It's only because I'm so in love."
Anakin: "No...no, it's because I'm so in love with you."
Padme: "So love has blinded you?"
Anakin: "No, I'm blinded by this sappy dialogue."
Ha! Mallory's invades the Close! But this bears some relation to the topic at hand, and it's the only meaningful thing I have to say at the moment. I think I'll just stick with Wayfriend's and Alynna's views on the first page of this thread. Like Plissken said, philosophers can convolute things as happily as politicians (though I think politicians are still worse).
Wonder who will be first against the wall when Avatar stages his coup d'etat: the politicians or the philosophers? Maybe both? Any profession that starts wth the letter 'p'? Well, since Av claims his will be a benevolent dictatorship, I guess he'll just tickle them to death or something...
Padme: ""It's only because I'm so in love."
Anakin: "No...no, it's because I'm so in love with you."
Padme: "So love has blinded you?"
Anakin: "No, I'm blinded by this sappy dialogue."
Ha! Mallory's invades the Close! But this bears some relation to the topic at hand, and it's the only meaningful thing I have to say at the moment. I think I'll just stick with Wayfriend's and Alynna's views on the first page of this thread. Like Plissken said, philosophers can convolute things as happily as politicians (though I think politicians are still worse).
Wonder who will be first against the wall when Avatar stages his coup d'etat: the politicians or the philosophers? Maybe both? Any profession that starts wth the letter 'p'? Well, since Av claims his will be a benevolent dictatorship, I guess he'll just tickle them to death or something...
-
Avatar
- Immanentizing The Eschaton
- Posts: 62038
- Joined: Mon Aug 02, 2004 9:17 am
- Location: Johannesburg, South Africa
- Has thanked: 25 times
- Been thanked: 32 times
- Contact:
At least philosophers do it happily. Politicians take it far too seriously on the whole.
And I'll do my best to avoid sending anybody to the wall...unless they disagree with me, or disobey me in a manner calculated to bring harm to my plans.
But yes, I think that you are indeed hinting that desire creates the perception of beauty, so I think I agree.
--A
And I'll do my best to avoid sending anybody to the wall...unless they disagree with me, or disobey me in a manner calculated to bring harm to my plans.
But yes, I think that you are indeed hinting that desire creates the perception of beauty, so I think I agree.
--A
Anakin: "No, I'm blinded by your pants."Matrixman wrote:Anakin: "You are so...beautiful."
Padme: ""It's only because I'm so in love."
Anakin: "No...no, it's because I'm so in love with you."
Padme: "So love has blinded you?"
“If Tyranny and Oppression come to this land, it will be in the guise of fighting a foreign enemy.”
-- James Madison
"If you're going to tell people the truth, you'd better make them laugh. Otherwise they'll kill you." - George Bernard Shaw
-- James Madison
"If you're going to tell people the truth, you'd better make them laugh. Otherwise they'll kill you." - George Bernard Shaw
-
Gadget nee Jemcheeta
- The Gap Into Spam
- Posts: 2040
- Joined: Wed Oct 06, 2004 2:05 pm
- Location: Cleveland
Shouldn't that be his own pants?
Beauty
Beauty is such an abstract concept. The idea of purity goes along with beauty and maybe that is why the scenery in Africa is so beautiful- because its pure and untouched.
-
Avatar
- Immanentizing The Eschaton
- Posts: 62038
- Joined: Mon Aug 02, 2004 9:17 am
- Location: Johannesburg, South Africa
- Has thanked: 25 times
- Been thanked: 32 times
- Contact:
Welcome to the Watch Raen. (A WoT fan? Check out the Robert Jordan forum in the Library. )
It is indeed an abstract concept. Unfortunately, although large portions of it are, much of Africa is less untouched than we would like to believe. (Although in contrast to very developed countries, perhaps it is a lot afterall.)
Nice to see a newcomer to the Close.
Hope you'll be joining some other topics as well.
--Avatra
)It is indeed an abstract concept. Unfortunately, although large portions of it are, much of Africa is less untouched than we would like to believe. (Although in contrast to very developed countries, perhaps it is a lot afterall.)
Nice to see a newcomer to the Close.
Hope you'll be joining some other topics as well.
--Avatra