A Celebration of all Things Human
I always had such a terribly hard time as a child with trying not feeling happy and proud to be a human, which, of course, institutional religion wants to stamp out of our collective conciousness. I was never one to walk in a forest and feel humbled by the planet or some god who was supposed to have designed it. I felt strong and smart and glad to be taking a breath. I didn't feel that I owed that breath to anyone. Since I shrugged off religion some years back, I've spent many happy moments feeling strong and smart and being happy to take a breath. I was reminded recently of my early buried atheism by a poem, my favorite poem, actually, that I first encountered as a girl. I never got the whole "god" thing out of this poem. My first reaction was the same as when I walked through the forest, being glad I was a human being.
THE TYGER (from Songs Of Experience)
By William Blake
Tyger! Tyger! burning bright
In the forests of the night,
What immortal hand or eye
Could frame thy fearful symmetry?
In what distant deeps or skies
Burnt the fire of thine eyes?
On what wings dare he aspire?
What the hand dare sieze the fire?
And what shoulder, & what art.
Could twist the sinews of thy heart?
And when thy heart began to beat,
What dread hand? & what dread feet?
What the hammer? what the chain?
In what furnace was thy brain?
What the anvil? what dread grasp
Dare its deadly terrors clasp?
When the stars threw down their spears,
And watered heaven with their tears,
Did he smile his work to see?
Did he who made the Lamb make thee?
Tyger! Tyger! burning bright
In the forests of the night,
What immortal hand or eye
Dare frame thy fearful symmetry?
(1794)
One traditional interpretation of this poem is that Blake is describing the Fall of men from grace. But I always thought Blake was asking who would "create" something like us, knowing what we were capable of? What furnace, however "intelligently designed," would even dare to make such a brain? I find this to be a perfectly poetical expression of the pride I feel in myself without the need for some magical overlord to come down and pronounce me "good."
--Virgil
posted by contemplator at Saturday, December 09, 2006
11 Comments:
Why should you feel proud to be a human? It's not like you did anything to earn it, or even deserve it. People should feel proud for things that theyv'e earned, or accomplished, like winning a race, or getting an A on a test, or doing something constructive.
In other words, one should only feel pride for doing something good in which there was the chance that they could not have done it. And the more effort that went into achieving the objective, the more pride should be felt.
What do you think the word "self-esteem" means?
To me, that only means that a person believes that they have the ABILITY to do something. Doesn't mean that they are going to get it. I feel that pride should be reserved for things that were earned, not automatically gained.
In case of a person being born, the only people who should feel pride are the parents, especially the mother, because it was the mother who had to endure 9 months with the baby, instead of getting an abortion.
endure?
Run everybody it's a repressed pro-lifer with their doctrine of ignorant hate. That's right, pregnancy is a punishment for sin rather than a special stage in life to be cherished every day as you feel a life grow inside you and a bond develops with another being.
Face it puppy, some people like to roam free, others like to chain themselves to something bigger than them and grovel. Mad wolf you're not.
The fuck your'e talking about?
I support a woman's right to choose. It was just an example of how and when a person should feel pride, like when they put effort into it. I am against having pride for things that you are not responsible for.
OK, animals, stop fighting.
This is how I look at it.
Self-esteem or pride is more involved than just "ability." Ability is a distinctly American notion. I'm proud of my family. I had nothing to do with its shaping before I got here. But I'm proud of them just the same. I'm proud of Susan B. Anthony and the gals. I didn't have any say in what they did either. I'm proud of my son. I'm proud of him for no other reason than he exists and he makes me quite happy. Plus, he's cute, and he says funny things. So while I think ability has something to do with pride (and I was born with ability, not granted it), I don't think it's the ultimate definition of pride.
Also, bambi: I assure you of two things. One, mad dog is definitely a pro-lifer. Two, pregnancy is indeed to be endured. I don't know anyone who has given birth and carried a child who hasn't had to endure something about the pregnancy at one time or another. That's why I named my son "Dante." It means enduring in Italian. :) Like the piano term "andante."
Mad Dog, I encourage you to expand your definition of pride.
Pride: satisfaction with your (or another's) achievements; "he takes pride in his son's success"
Exactly honey. Somethings - not the whole nine yards/months, right? :)
(Damn you're not encouraging me to nude up with talk like that) - even if you did call me an animal, tiger. ;)
Yes, I agree, self-esteem is independant of reactions to deeds. It's a base perception and the key to how you regard yourself (obviously) - and more interestingly, others.
Oh and thanks for the Italiano - I assumed it simply meant slow, not painfully slow.
bambi: some women have to endure the entire nine months of vomitting, pain and so on. Let each woman call it for herself. I had a terribly difficult pregnancy with Dante, and was pretty much told that it was a given that I would likely miscarry him. Even when I wasn't in pain, I was worried. So that I had to endure.
Mad Dog: Stop clinging so rigidly to one definition. A quick glance in the dictionary I have just lying here by the computer says this:
a sense of one's own worth; self-respect as well as a feeling or object of delight.
You're free to define it as you choose for yourself, I suppose, but for goodness sakes stop assuming everyone else has to follow that definition as well.
But don't worry, doggie. I may teach you some new tricks, yet. ;)
Whoopsy. I meant to say that mad dog is definitely pro CHOICE.
It's been a long week. My apologies.
Well, I know that I'm proud, just for the hell of it.
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