Playing the Angel
Last night, the room-mate and I had a long conversation about life, the universe, and everything. I've been doing a lot of thinking recently (me? thinking? NEVER!) about a great many things, from the nature of the universe, to the nature of my own existence, and I've realized a few things. I sometimes find myself caught in that long, dark, teatime of the soul wondering if I will wake up the next morning. I've also been thinking a lot about the difference between humility and self-degradation. Now, I'm all for making a joke at my own expense (I'm so giving that way), but there seems to be this post-Calvin sense among many people I know that they are in fact the most loathsome creatures to ever crawl up out of the primordial ooze. It seems like these individuals have forgotten how to love themselves just a little. Now, I'm not saying that we all need to start subscribing to that good old California cult of the self, but rather that we have mistaken emo crap poor self-image (which is just self-absorbed bull) for humility (which is really just accurate self-perception, including both strengths and weaknesses). You can't love, give, or forgive if you are convinced that you have nothing of value to give anyone, and you're doomed to be nothing more than a psychic vampire. And you all know my opinions on vampires, or at least I hope you do (namely, I don't hold truck with them). It's like people are so afraid of being arrogant that they just spend all their time trying to degrade themselves, but really, they haven't stopped talking about themselves. As Aristotle reminds us, the opposed extreme is still vice.
4 Comments:
Oh, the long dark tea time of the soul. Mmmm. I need to re-read that one again. I like your thoughts and agree, especially as I am all about that good ol' self assurance.
What strikes me as funny about the California cult of the self (being surrounded by it now every day!) is that it is just as much about poor self-image as the rest. SO much emphasis is placed on the physical self: the tan, the hair, the make-up, the clothes, the killer bod; and all these things are done because people can't stand themselves enough to be on their own, with only their minds and ideas to show who they really are. And without ideas to defend and release, all they have to talk about is themselves.
Huzzah for friend Sarah for getting it right! That's one obvious D.n.A. reference in my post, did you spot the other? I assume you did.
Mmmm, primordial ooze. "It's if right then and there they decided never to evolve again." At least we never have to suffer through their poetry!
There is that, and then there is also "Life, the universe, and everything."
Post a Comment
<< Home