The Ugly Reader: Ugly Identity
(Part 4 of 10.)
Ugly is not something to be ashamed of: ugly is a common ground. There are many so-called positive thinkers who would tell you that all people, without exception, are beautiful in their own way. Nothing could be further from the truth. All human beings are ugly, and their ugliness is legion.
Once upon a time, we amusingly referred to men who found themselves in exclusively male environs, such as prison, as “situationally” homosexual, as opposed to “actually” homosexual. In this way, I believe that humans are “situationally” kind and loving, but not “actually.” If you are kind to someone, it is because they have cancer, or because they are your parents, or because you think they’re really terrific, or some other specific and all-too-rational reason. You are not kind to all comers, due to any innate kindness in your personality. Most people you treat like dirt. This is because you are an ugly person.
If you look around, you will see that beauty has not served us well so far. Beauty puts up monuments, but ugly wears away, if not their presence, then their significance. Beauty establishes charitable funds, and ugly spends all the donations on administrative costs. We focus on beauty, and ugly pulls the rug out from under us.
Ugly is not heartless, however; it merely will not tolerate our hubris. Ugly has often saved us when it counts; for beauty, whether it be in the form of Helen of Troy or a hope for a different future, starts wars, but only the ugliness that subsequently is revealed can scare us into stopping them. Ugly does this for us, despite our copious lack of patience or compassion for it. Imagine what ugly could do if it was ugly we doted on! What if ugly was the favored child? We would have far more favored children.
by Jack, October 16, 2003 11:26 AM | More from The Ugly Reader
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