Tuesday, April 03, 2007

Humanity Gained +

Decay


I really have let this place slide. It would bring me a lot more distress if the cause was simple neglect. No, it really amounts to not having something which truly inspires me to write volumes. As it is, I really want to write more posts, but there just aren't any sitting in my head screaming “write me!”


I only have a half-hour or so to write anything at all right now, but I'll give it my best shot.


Beauty and the Beast


In a post providing something of a response to IM's observations in my previous post, my friend Gold brought up the Beast. He referred to a Beast separate from the pointy man who lives downstairs and smells of brimstone...or did he? Do not mistake my meaning: I'm not calling my good friend a devotee of ultimate evil. As he rightly points out, Lucifer's transgression was only to feel, apparently only a sin for the divine. It is that very argument which illustrates the flaw in Gold's reasoning. He says of the Beast:


... anger, lust, love, passion, strength, calmness, enjoyment, happiness... these are the hallmarks of the Beast.


But if Lucifer was cast out from heaven for feeling the human emotion of greed, why would any other display of emotion result in a different punishment? Less damaging, less ill-intentioned emotions would have been seen in another light? Fat chance! All emotions can be equally damaging under the wrong circumstances. All would have presented the same risk to a divine being, this being the case. If you can accept this, than the Beast which lives in all of us is none other than Lucifer, whether or not you believe a word of the Bible. For that matter, if human emotion taints the divine, we are all cursed to begin with.


This is not to say I disagree with Gold. On the contrary, I'm just pointing out a logical error in his treatise. I agree that the Beast is not to be caged, although our ability to do so is another component of our humanity.


I am also considering the idea that the Beast includes fundamental needs as well as passions. I'll let you know what I think up


3 comments:

GoldMatenes said...

The Beast is instinct and base animal nature. Greed is not a function of the Beast because animals only feel Need, not Greed. They may want, but they do not want far more than they need.

Lucifer was a higher being who cast heaven aside for greed.

GoldMatenes said...

I like Tales Of Symphonia's idea that angels do not think, feel or speak for themselves. They do not sleep, or eat, because there is no reason for them to...

Other emotions may not have angered God, but greed went against all his teachings. (Besides, Lucifer did try to overthrow God.)

Priestshinigami said...

you got that right

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