Inferior

Reading blogs is not something I do often (No, I don't expect many to read mine either). A while ago I went through a few randomly. Most I decided were not of interest to me and moved on quickly. A couple were interesting. But one made me both irritated and sad. The actual blog was not memorable. It was a quote on the site that stood out:

"There is no good ... in living in a society where you are merely the equal of everybody else. ... The true pleasure of life is to live with your inferiors."

- William Makepeace Thackeray

This is exactly what is wrong in the world. People feel so bad about themselves that the only thing that makes them feel good is being with people they think are worse off. What makes me really sad is that many of those people would think themselves better than me because they have more money or power. Perhaps if that was my goal it would be a valid comparison. But it is not.

Anyone with a desire to be surrounded by their inferiors, I believe, has already defined themselves as inadequate. If people lived their lives trying to do something useful, improving the world, not just beating someone else, we would all be much better off.

Beauty versus Sex Appeal

A friend of mine compared herself to a celebrity model. It was only a casual comment and I forget the exact wording, but it was a gentle acceptance that she was not as beautiful as the model. What bothered me about it was that I did not agree with her statement. In my opinion, my friend is more beautiful than the model.

If we accept what mass media tells us then the measure of beauty in women is directly related to the sexual arousal they instill in men. The formal definitions of these terms would indicate otherwise.

Dictionary.com lists the following definition for beauty:

the quality present in a thing or person that gives intense pleasure or deep satisfaction to the mind, whether arising from sensory manifestations (as shape, color, sound, etc.), a meaningful design or pattern, or something else (as a personality in which high spiritual qualities are manifest).

In contrast, this is the definition of sex appeal:

the ability to excite people sexually.

My own interpretation is that beauty is what a person is naturally. Sex appeal is determined by how someone dresses or acts.

Back to my original issue about the comment from my friend, I think the issues of beauty and sex appeal should be considered separately. My friend does not deliberately dress to arouse men and if that is the goal, then the model wins. But she wins by default because my friend does not compete.

I am sure some who read this will think the model will win on beauty. What are we comparing? Consider the whole scene. Most will have an image of a model similar to what you might find in a photo shoot, on a magazine cover or perhaps on television. Compare this to my friend at work. That does not work for me. There needs to be balance. It can go either direction. Either picture the model on her day off when she has to do everything for herself with ordinary products or my friend with a professional to handle hair and makeup. And don't forget the unlimited budget for her wardrobe either.

In addition to physical aspects, personality does influence my perception of beauty. The beauty in the people I know is more meaningful to me than all that I see through the media.

Cadbury

Why is no one ever satisfied with what they have? The bid for Kraft to buy Cadbury makes me wonder what people really want from life.

BBC article

I would love to hear why this is a good idea and how it has nothing to do with greed. Cadbury is a great, but will it stay that way?

Greyhounds

While I have always loved dogs, greyhounds have never been of much interest to me. They look half starved and something about them just seems wrong. Some friends have two former racing greyhounds and I have started to appreciate them more. They may not have the same playful demeanor as their border collie companion, but they are very gentle and quietly affectionate. The large brown eyes also have a look of innocence. I wonder what they would be like if they had never been racing dogs.

Mammatus Clouds

One of the things I miss about Kansas is the weather. Yes, I loved having a lot more sun than I see now I live in Devon, but one of the most impressive things for me was tornado weather. There were numerous times when tornado watches were announced but did not appear. It disappointed me if I could not see mammatus cloud formations when that happened.

Occasionally, there would still be high visibility and no rain, so I would go outside. Even the wind died down. All the animals knew something was up. Nothing made a sound. It was a strange calming feeling standing outside watching the sky. It seems a bit ironic considering the threat looming over me at the time.

The shape of mammatus clouds reminds me a little of bubble wrap. Then I remember all those friends I have had who seem to be addicted to popping any bubble wrap they see. Perhaps it is this strange link in my head that makes me like that type of weather.