Continuing with the theme of Beauty
and related topics:
and related topics:
Today I'm thinking about love in the context of beauty.
Love = spiritual desire: in this framework, desire is
that which draws us spiritually upward toward something or someone. Imagine standing
in the Sistine Chapel viewing the amazing works of Michelangelo. Something
about his work draws us, causes us to admire and appreciate it. The astounding
beauty of it pulls us higher and we open ourselves to the magnificence of it
all. The beauty of it attracts us. We love and admire what we see. That is love/desire in this framework.
Love of Beauty
Appetite = carnal
desire: every impulse of the animal flesh to pursue, hunt and kill, dominate, to
consume, to devour and fill the belly, to own, to take, to control, manipulate
and copulate, to satiate the flesh. It goes without saying that in our consumerism driven world, advertisers and the media as a whole know well how to appeal to the appetite.
Love of Appetite
As humans we have both impulses and the capacity to experience both. We also have the habit of confusing the two, mistaking one for the other. Actually, what we do is lie to ourselves by justifying our appetites, telling ourselves we’re “in love”(filthy rich, soulless marketers do a great job encouraging us in this direction). We also have the ability to choose between the two, to encourage the one and devalue the other or to exalt the one and dominate the other. We can either be an intelligent beast or we can be a god and ride the beastly part of us to unforeseen victories. Without love there is only appetite.
“Lust is a poor, weak, whimpering, whispering thing
compared with that richness and energy of desire (love) which will arise when lust has been killed.
– C.S. Lewis, The Great Divorce
– C.S. Lewis, The Great Divorce
I ain't no saint but I'll suggest this. Turn off the TV and radio and stay away from the movies awhile and then switch them back on. It's almost unbearable. It's like the spell is broken you can see how you are being manipulated... and then you lose that awareness if you don't switch them off again.
ReplyDelete(ooo pretty lady! Told you I ain't no saint.)
Yep. Our boob tube is in storage. I occasionally get tempted to hook it up again but then think about all the insulting commercials it pukes out wile waiting on the insulting programs it pukes out.
DeleteYou ain't no saint? Me neither, but for the grace of God He makes us so.
Well said, Rog.
ReplyDeleteLust cannot compare to the beauty of love that inspires love of beauty.
Lust is just an irritating noise compared to the inspirational symphony of God's love for us and our love for another.
True love has no eyes of envy and makes no demands, and the eternal rewards of love are far greater than all the treasures of the world and temporary pleasures of the flesh.
Indeed, Captain.
DeletePhilippians 4:8 - Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.