From the beginning, we are attracted to physical beauty. Long before we are adult creatures, at all, we are attracted to beauty as surely as if we were hot-wired that way. We are attracted to youth, and repulsed by age, as a rule, in people we do not know.
An ancient great-grandmother of mine loved me no end, yet I was scared to death of her... as a toddler... simply because she was old. We fear old, because deep inside, we know that one day it will also claim us... and we fear it, until it actually comes upon us. Then we can almost laugh at the joke of youth and beauty... as our own fires begin to diminish...
But why can't we, as young people, be attracted to things that are good for us? Why can't we be attracted to people who will do us the most good, instead of beautiful people who will physically gratify us, for a time, before they themselves lose that spark of stinging, intense beauty, and become ordinary, like the rest of us?
Beauty is of course youth, and symmetrical features, and pleasing appearance... but it is not always nice. Some of the most beautiful people I have ever known were some of the most unpleasant sorts. Yet, the attraction to them was still there for me. And why? Because of their powerful genetics? Because of their ease upon the eyes? Because that others would see me as somehow great, if I could be seen with this type of a woman? Sadly, yes.
I have actually dated some of the most beautiful women in the world. Girls from modeling shoots for VOGUE and GLAMOUR Magazine used to come to Marker 32 for dinner, where we played weekly Chess games with our Halifax Chess Club, and many of them were so bored because none of the area men had the guts to even speak to them... let alone ask them out to dinner...
I spoke to a number of them, between Chess matches, and they were so glad to have someone, anyone, to talk with... Guys were always so afraid of them, they complained. They were afraid of being rejected by someone so perfect.
But I wasn't. And I said so... (I told them that just figured that If I was gonna get turned down by one of these remarkable ladies, I would at least completely understand the reason why!)
Many of them did go out with me. For dinner. Maybe a walk on the beach, later... nothing more than that. And we enjoyed ourselves, very much. It was then that I developed my skills as a Southern gentleman, which have served me very well, ever since. And I got to enjoy an evening of complete fascination, at least to me. All of these girls had aspirations of becoming actresses, though few of them ever got the chance.
Yet, Beauty it is a fleeting thing. The girls knew, and understood this. They knew that youth would come and go, and take their beauty with it. They wanted to make their money with the magazines, now, and save it for later... college, or whatever.. They talked of having to go out into the surf in January, and pretend like it was fun, and 100 degrees, when it was really freezing! They had to do this because, in the Summer, the beach in Daytona is littered with campers and tourists and kids... No magazine spread wants any of that background! I learned a lot about what a hard job these girls actually have! And how they have to stay beautiful! Preparation H is one of their greatest tricks for getting rid of bags under the eyes! The truth behind beauty is not very pretty, at times!
Beauty, when it is all said and done, will only benefit your children; the next generation... and then only in the half doses of genetics, because they only get half of that, as a rule, at birth...
So why must we be so enamored of the Beautiful thing?
Is Beauty really all that beneficial to the next generation? Or do we believe it to be so because of a fault in our DNA? Why do we first desire beauty, above all the other traits, when we are searching for someone special?
And if we are all so programmed for Beauty, then why are we not all Beautiful, yet? Why has Beauty not taken over the earth?
Why does ordinary still rule the majority of us?
Because Beauty, like life, is unpredictable, and cannot be contained, nor plotted and programmed... We only have the possibility of beauty in the next generation. And less than gorgeous sorts do end up mating, many of them much more than the average, in fact. Jacob was attracted to Rachel, but he was having loads of kids with the plainer Leah... True, Rachel was barren, but Leah sure got her share of attention! For not wanting her, originally, Jacob sure was with her, enough! Ten kids?
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