Beauty on my mind?

[johnpalmer]

rivka posted an interesting thing that included thoughts about how some folks view "people", as a whole. Some folks view 'people' as "a huge bunch of lousy folks, with a few decent ones in them".

Now, people frighten me a good bit... I've posted about my phobias before. And, I guess I probably did go through periods of time when I was sure that most folks were the kinds of people who would dislike me, and so forth. But I don't think I ever went through a period of time where I felt contempt for the "common person".

I suppose there are some reasons for that. My siblings were quite good at this "sibling rivalry" bit. Putting on airs was a sure way to get cut down. And, part of it was a bit of modesty (whether healthy or not could be debated at various points in time).

However, I think one of the reasons I didn't develop that kind of thing was a weird kind of sensitivity I have. I feel things really strongly, and somehwere along the lines I realized that other people have feelings too and that those feelings could be as overwhelmingly strong as mine. It's easy to be understanding and forgiving of a lot when you imagine some really powerful need driving the person.

But, there was more to it. I've been thinking about this recently. I was at summer camp, with my older brother. We were in different cabins. I saw him, just eating a candy bar when he didn't know I was seeing him, and I suddenly realized he was beautiful.

Or, maybe, I suddenly realized how he could be seen as beautiful, though I suppose it doesn't matter. Once you realize that something CAN be beautiful, you've come most of the way towards seeing that it *IS*.

There are times when it seems almost overwhelming how much beauty can be in the world... even through the ugliness. My brother was *NASTY* to me sometimes, but I was struck by an incredible feeling of love for him that one day. People on the wrong side of a cause (let's pretend that it's something where there *IS* an objective wrong side, just for giggles) can be brave and honorable, and relatively decent... sometimes it's real blindness that makes a person a "bad guy".

I guess what I'm getting at is that I can see a lot of beauty in a lot of things, and a lot of people... and meanness just seems so *STUPID* when I look at it objectively (which, admittedly, I don't always do). Because meanness spoils so much that's beautiful, you see.

Chalk that up as another reason to avoid being mean to yourself, especially.

I guess it's something like the idea that Socrates put forth... that the more you know, the more you understand, the better you'll act. If you *REALLY* see beauty, and the despoiling of it, you'll want to encourage the beautiful, and discourage the ugliness. In the end, much evil can be chalked up to stupidity or blindness, and could be avoided by a bit of wisdom or an opening of the eyes.

Which doesn't mean that evil shouldn't be fought, of course... it just means it shouldn't be dehumanized while fighting it. Which gets us right back to the ideas that Rivka was talking about... funny how that all works out.

Comments

[jilesa.livejournal.com]

Which doesn't mean that evil shouldn't be fought, of course... it just means it shouldn't be dehumanized while fighting it.

Thank you, John. I've been feeling... uncomfortable with a couple of the threads on a.c recently, and you just very eloquently pinpointed what I've been finding uncomfortable about them. It's good to feel not quite so out of step for seeing that whatever evil a human being does is *human evil*, not animal/monster/vegetable/mineral/whatever.

[kightp.livejournal.com]

There are times when it seems almost overwhelming how much beauty can be in the world...even through the ugliness.

Have I mentioned lately how wise and perceptive you are?

[nsingman.livejournal.com]

Nicely put, as usual, John.

I've always believed that the vast majority of people are decent folks, and will be friendly and helpful more often than not. It dovetails nicely with my expectations of utopia in my wild, libertarian dreams.

People vs persons

[iamjw.livejournal.com]

I guess I have always differentiated between people (who come in groups) and persons (who are individuals). I have real problems with groups - the us vs them thing that happens; the group mind that seems to take over; the way groups seem to have a tendency to dehumanize the opposition - which seems to me to be exactly what you're talking about.

Individuals, otoh, I have few problems with. Sure there are people I don't particularly like, but I don't wish them harm. Yes, there are people (thankfully none I've met) who strike me as evil - but I don't actively wish them harm either - I let the justice system deal with them.

Over the years I've interacted with several hundred children. I've met precisely one I couldn't find any redeeming features in at all. Most of them are just doing what they can to get through however they can and with whatever tools they have at hand. Extrapolate those numbers and apply them to society at large and, yes, there's beauty everywhere.

Rhon

[eleccham.livejournal.com]

What iamjw said is right about on for me. Paradoxically, perhaps, the main problem I have with "people" is that they so often do not do this - they often behave as if they (or "theirs") are the only one(s) who matter.

Individual people I rarely have a problem with, when interacting one-on-one.

Thanks...

[liralen.livejournal.com]

... for getting words around the ideas. That helped clarify a number of things for me. I appreciate that a lot.