Beauty

Cassie and I got to watch lots of birds today on our rainy hike. We didn't see any wolves or wolverines or bears so that made me happy. They're all supposed to be roaming the area according to the rampant stories on Facebook so we try to be aware.

We saw some trumpeter swans that were pretty impressive. Since I'm not a birder, they could have been any large, white bird with a funky call, but I'm going to put my money on trumpeter swans. 

And then we saw a bazillion Canada geese. 

For a moment, I thought how beautiful they were and then I remembered how foul they are. Seeing them fly off with such grace was breathtaking; thinking about the enormous amount of poop they leave behind is nasty. 

We despised the creatures back in St. Ignace. I taught Sophie to yell, "Go back to Canada" when we'd come across a gaggle at the playground. Unfortunately, one time, there was a crew of tourists from Ontario who might have been offended. 

Anyway, I stopped thinking about birds after five minutes. That's my attention span for them and I started thinking about beauty and foulness. 

Hannah and I watched The King's Speech the other night. It's a beautiful movie with Harvey Weinstein's name all over it. 

Harvey Weinstein is accused of doing horrific things to many women. He's left a stinky mess in this world and ruined countless lives. He's also created works of great beauty.

Does the beauty and value of art depend on the character of the artist? 

Hannah and I spent some time talking about that after the movie. If we suddenly realized that Hitler painted beautiful pieces under a pseudonym would we take the paintings out of museums and destroy them?

I don't know the answer. It really bothers me. I struggle because most of the folks we tend to label as pure are often boring artists and besides who gets to make the lines of who is pure enough. 

But I also don't want someone who is destructive to profit from and influence generations to come.

Can something beautiful and valued come out of something foul? 

This might seem like a silly philosophical query, but I think in this day where we are seeking to find and speak truth about abuse of power, we need to have some sense of how much of a person's influence do we erase. 

It is also about keeping people human. When I encounter someone, I try to see what is beautiful about them. I don't mean I'm only looking for nice pecs or pretty eyes; I look for what is delightful and of value in them. (Unless it's Hugh Jackman, then I am only thinking about his physical aesthetics). 

Beauty might be corrupted and hidden, but finding that spark of delight helps me keep them human and I do believe that's how we preserve our own and their humanity.