Michael your thoughtful posting below prompts a question -- and it's not a trick or a bait-and-trap question, it's just an inquiry. Is there anything you yourself would call "ugly"? Can you say why?
In a message dated 5/8/08 9:38:17 PM, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: > On May 8, 2008, at 4:13 PM, Chris Miller wrote: > > > Yes -- the dead and the dying. > > > > And for whatever reason -- some of the creatures that feed on > > carrion seem to > > be rather ugly too --- vultures, hyenas etc. > > > > Some parasites too -- like ticks, intestinal worms, leeches. > > > > Yuck -- they're ugly --- bad ugly. > > > Ever look dispassionately at ears? They're weird convoluted tissue > flaps, hanging off the side of your head. We don't regard them as > ugly. But if someone had eyelids that dropped in folds and looked like > ears, we'd probably be startled or even grossed out. And, btw, our > genitals are not that spiffy looking, when you think about them. But, > for most of us, they are pleasant to apprehend. > > Nature offers us many emotional occasions--sunsets, newborn babies, > gathering storm clouds, raging rapids and tranquil pools, animals big > and small with tooth and claw, lightning, offal and worms that eat > offal, sulphur springs, slugs, etc. etc.--none of which is beautiful > or ugly, good or bad, right or wrong. > > There is no tragedy in nature, as there is no vindication or triumph. > The earth shifts and kills living things, stones are crushed, waves > speed ashore and strip the ground of all its coverage, fires burn > uncontrolled until the ground itself is black. And then life > continues, everywhere. Nature is not wrong for producing these things. > > We may experience overwhelming feelings when we confront nature, when > we look upon the Aurora Borealis or an avalanche, fields of flowers to > the horizon and carnivores feeding on the slow members of the herd, > etc. These feelings come down, basically, to awe or repulsion, not > beauty or ugliness. Tics I hate, they make me cringe and recoil, but > they are not ugly. They're repellent, disgusting, horrifying even. A > blazing sunset, radiating beams through broken, burning salmon-colored > clouds, fills us with awe at the grandness of nature, which at that > moment is perceived as benign. But what happens a mere 30 minutes or > hour later, when the last rays of the sun have departed and the world > is wrapped in inky darkness? Fear and trepidation begin to rise in our > consciousness. The awe of delight at the sunset changes to the awe of > fear of nocturnal predators adapted to find their prey. > > Beauty and ugliness are words we use to describe properties we have > extracted from "out there" and placed "in here," in a WoA, to permit > us to contemplate things that otherwise are terrifying or comforting. > > There are only two emotions, or perhaps more precisely, only two proto- > emotions: fear and security. These are our raw, visceral reactions to > life, and they produce reactions like disgust at parasites or dung. In > tandem with them, we have appetites that move us and give us impetus > and motivation to behave in certain ways. Lastly, on top of the two > basic emotions and our appetites, we have developed a wide array of > social behaviors that are tied to them in amazingly subtle and nuanced > ways, which we refer to as "our feelings." They are our gut reactions > of security or insecurity in light of social behavior and social > customs or cultural artifacts. > > > | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | > Michael Brady > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > > ************** Wondering what's for Dinner Tonight? Get new twists on family favorites at AOL Food. (http://food.aol.com/dinner-tonight?NCID=aolfod00030000000001)
