PastorAIO:




“For beauty is nothing but the beginning of terror
which we are barely able to endure, and it amazes us so,
because it serenely disdains to destroy us.
Every angel is terrible.”


― Rainer Maria Rilke, Duino Elegies

I don't know how I can agree with that.
Terror is the when we recognize the absence or denial of beauty.

Most things isnpire beauty from a distance, a safe distance.
Their appearance of beauty tend to take on a more terrifying posture when we get closer.
Examples are Oceans, mountains, sand dunes, the sky, the stars, even beautiful maidens, lol.

Works of art, on the other hand, present these terrifyng works of nature to us in a safe and comfortable format where they do not threaten us.

We allocate the attributes of beauty to objects of our chosing.

When was the last time you experienced an aesthetic attack while starving for food or thirsty for water ?


Let me add again, how come those maidens tend to take a more attractive features after 2 shots of Hennessy?

How come everything seems peaceful , more colorful and larger than life after a whiff of cocaine , a puff of magic mushrooms or herbs ?

When the mind is altered, the attributes of beauty are equally altered.

Therefore, beauty is in the mind/eyes of the beholder.

all4naija:
The major reason is that that human beings are reasonable animals with high curiosity and nature has a lot of things to offer in that direction which need answers!

Nice..

plaetton:

Most things isnpire beauty from a distance, a safe distance.
Their appearance of beauty tend to take on a more terrifying posture when we get closer.
Examples are Oceans, mountains, sand dunes, the sky, the stars, even beautiful maidens, lol.

I see those women on the streets everyday.

Beautiful from Far
Far from Beautiful.

PastorAIO:

Next time you think you've seen a beautiful girl don't bother to strain yourself to look closer. The disappointment can be crushing.

Why do you people bother trying to open the eyes of those who have sworn not to see. Let the religious ilks continue in their arrant stupidity. There are more important things to discuss. I look forward to seeing progressive intellectual discussions on various subjects from politics to science and the humanities. Wasting brain cells on pseudo humans who have been brain washed by their European counterparts is a waste of higher conscience and learning.

plaetton:


I don't know how I can agree with that.
Terror is the when we recognize the absence or denial of beauty.

Most things isnpire beauty from a distance, a safe distance.
Their appearance of beauty tend to take on a more terrifying posture when we get closer.
Examples are Oceans, mountains, sand dunes, the sky, the stars, even beautiful maidens, lol.

Works of art, on the other hand, present these terrifyng works of nature to us in a safe and comfortable format where they do not threaten us.

We allocate the attributes of beauty to objects of our chosing.

When was the last time you experienced an aesthetic attack while starving for food or thirsty for water ?


Let me add again, how come those maidens tend to take a more attractive features after 2 shots of Hennessy?

How come everything seems peaceful , more colorful and larger than life after a whiff of cocaine , a puff of magic mushrooms or herbs ?

When the mind is altered, the attributes of beauty are equally altered.

Therefore, beauty is in the mind/eyes of the beholder.

It is not necessary that you agree after all as you yourself say, 'beauty is in the mind of the beholder'. Someone says the subjective experience that he calls beauty is akin to terror. I don't see how you want to argue with him/her over his/her own subjective experience. Personally I totally get what she means.

Also You seem to be unable to separate the Object of beauty from the experience of Beauty itself. We each can see beauty in different things, okay. But what is it that we experience when we say something is Beautiful, whatever it is?

Also I would make a distinction between Attraction (e.g sexual attraction) and Beauty.

Also, Beauty is not necessarily Harmony.

You were right when you said you can find beauty in anything and everything, it's just the state of mind that will allow you to see it where you see it.

Some see beauty in the aftermath of a great battle with the bodies strewn all over the field.

some see beauty in a puddle of water.

Some see beauty when they contemplate the cycles of life from birth to death to rebirth. The struggle for survival. Competition. The way Life strives against life, Life overcomes life, and Life is eventually overcome by life.

There is beauty in everything, we just don't all have the perception to see it in everything but everybody can see it in some few select things or others.

1ord:
Why do you people bother trying to open the eyes of those who have sworn not to see. Let the religious ilks continue in their arrant stupidity. There are more important things to discuss. I look forward to seeing progressive intellectual discussions on various subjects from politics to science and the humanities. Wasting brain cells on pseudo humans who have been brain washed by their European counterparts is a waste of higher conscience and learning.

I'm feeling particularly sensitive and touchy today. Are you talking about me, sir?

plaetton:


I don't know how I can agree with that.
Terror is the when we recognize the absence or denial of beauty.

Terror is often when we find ourselves at the mercy of forces that we cannot control. Especially when those forces threaten/promise to totally engulf us and/or cause a dissolution of our ego.

Such an experience can definitely occur when one is in the presence of great overwhelming beauty.