Comments on: Bothered by aesthetics http://jjtravels.net/2008/10/19/bothered-by-aesthetics/ Reflections from a year and a half vagabonding through Latin America Fri, 20 May 2011 20:01:26 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1.2 By: Say http://jjtravels.net/2008/10/19/bothered-by-aesthetics/comment-page-1/#comment-23 Say Fri, 24 Oct 2008 03:28:43 +0000 http://jjtravels.net/?p=134#comment-23 Maybe the wince is a good thing ~ maybe it is a sound that reminds her how grateful she is for her children, the one using the high chair as well as the one helping bring it closer to her. One of my favorite quotes "Most people don't know that there are angels whose only job is to make sure we do not get too comfortable and fall asleep and miss our life." I could fix my pacemaker scar, which would be an asthetic improvement to most people, and cause less pain when the scar tissue pulls. But I don't, and I won't; I always want to be reminded how lucky I am, how I am forced to give up control, and to love me as I am. That being said, I am obsessively Felix Unger organized, and use the remote like (most) of the rest. But I don't try and change the choices other people make anymore, unless they are truly endangering. I miss how you make me think, Shers... MWAH!~ Maybe the wince is a good thing ~ maybe it is a sound that reminds her how grateful she is for her children, the one using the high chair as well as the one helping bring it closer to her. One of my favorite quotes “Most people don’t know that there are angels whose only job is to make sure we do not get too comfortable and fall asleep and miss our life.” I could fix my pacemaker scar, which would be an asthetic improvement to most people, and cause less pain when the scar tissue pulls. But I don’t, and I won’t; I always want to be reminded how lucky I am, how I am forced to give up control, and to love me as I am.
That being said, I am obsessively Felix Unger organized, and use the remote like (most) of the rest. But I don’t try and change the choices other people make anymore, unless they are truly endangering.
I miss how you make me think, Shers…
MWAH!~

]]> By: Josh http://jjtravels.net/2008/10/19/bothered-by-aesthetics/comment-page-1/#comment-22 Josh Thu, 23 Oct 2008 22:56:11 +0000 http://jjtravels.net/?p=134#comment-22 Good points, Stine. I could definitely stand to give up some of my sense of control. Always a wise prescription for traveling. But I don't see any evidence of organizing time as opposed to space, in fact they're just as disorganized in that regard. Arnie just explained it to me a bit, since she grew up in a similar fashion. They simply don't see the mess, therefore they're not bothered by it. But my question remains - ok, so they don't share my same sense of aesthetics, but why do they not see the practical things they could do to make their lives a bit better? For example - my family's high chair - whenever one of the older kids drags it through the kitchen to get the baby closer to mom, it makes a god-awful sound that mom winces at. All it would take is a bit of tape on the feet of the chair and it would glide without making that sound. But mom chooses to wince at the sound every day rather than consider that there might be a way to avoid the sound altogether. To me, one of the great tragedies of the human condition is when we don't acknowledge our power to change things. Any of us has the power to change the world, all we have to do is step up to the plate. Look at Gandhi. Good points, Stine. I could definitely stand to give up some of my sense of control. Always a wise prescription for traveling.
But I don’t see any evidence of organizing time as opposed to space, in fact they’re just as disorganized in that regard.

Arnie just explained it to me a bit, since she grew up in a similar fashion. They simply don’t see the mess, therefore they’re not bothered by it.

But my question remains – ok, so they don’t share my same sense of aesthetics, but why do they not see the practical things they could do to make their lives a bit better?
For example – my family’s high chair – whenever one of the older kids drags it through the kitchen to get the baby closer to mom, it makes a god-awful sound that mom winces at. All it would take is a bit of tape on the feet of the chair and it would glide without making that sound. But mom chooses to wince at the sound every day rather than consider that there might be a way to avoid the sound altogether.

To me, one of the great tragedies of the human condition is when we don’t acknowledge our power to change things. Any of us has the power to change the world, all we have to do is step up to the plate. Look at Gandhi.

]]> By: xtine http://jjtravels.net/2008/10/19/bothered-by-aesthetics/comment-page-1/#comment-21 xtine Mon, 20 Oct 2008 23:55:45 +0000 http://jjtravels.net/?p=134#comment-21 hey josh, yes, Holland is beautiful. I love it there. It is interesting to hear your questions about design and the appreciation of it. I wonder if the culture you are experiencing has a different logic in regards to design. For instance, what if their focus on design is on organizing time as opposed to space? Also, I am imagining something beautiful in the haphazard rush to move on to the next project or idea without considering the finish of the current one. Perhaps it is about giving up a sense of control? Allowing the anarchy to take over? hey josh,
yes, Holland is beautiful. I love it there. It is interesting to hear your questions about design and the appreciation of it. I wonder if the culture you are experiencing has a different logic in regards to design. For instance, what if their focus on design is on organizing time as opposed to space? Also, I am imagining something beautiful in the haphazard rush to move on to the next project or idea without considering the finish of the current one. Perhaps it is about giving up a sense of control? Allowing the anarchy to take over?

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