Those, then, who acquire smoothness and delicacy of skin by their clothing make their bodies worse, inasmuch as plainly the pampered and soft body is much worse than one that is sturdy and bears evidence of hard work. But those who strengthen and invigorate the body by the clothing they wear, those, I say, are the only ones who benefit the parts of the body so covered.
It does not improve the appearance of the body to cover it completely with many garments, to smother it with tight wrappings, and to soften the hands and feet by close fitting gloves or shoes unless perhaps in case of illness.
It is not good to be entirely without experience of cold and heat, but one ought in some degree to feel the cold in winter and likewise the heat of the sun in summer and to seek the shelter of shade as little as possible. Wearing one chiton is preferable to needing two, and wearing none but only a cloak is preferable to wearing one.
Also going barefoot is better than wearing sandals, if one can do it, for wearing sandals is next to being bound, but going barefoot gives the feet great freedom and grace when they are used to it. It is for this reason that one sees couriers wearing no sandals on the highways and the runners in a contest unable to make the best speed if they have to run in sandals.
I never could manage to appear physically attractive to anyone, not for any lack of trying, but I suspect that this was a blessing in disguise, of the sort that Providence is often ready to offer us.
Discovering that I was unable to impress anyone with my looks, it began to dawn on me that true human dignity is to be found in the heart and in the mind, not in any accessories to the body. My own failure at being shallow forced me, kicking and screaming, into deeper waters.
People will often scoff at warnings about the vanity of appearances, insisting that it hardly matters if we care about how we come across to others. I will maintain, however, that the danger is very real, because it so easily confuses our priorities. Instead of simply being good, and allowing others to judge us however they wish, we get caught up in merely seeming good, neglecting the content of character for the sake of winning esteem.
In other words, if I am living well, that should stand on its own merits. Once I start to focus on the image over the substance, that defeats the goal of building my own moral worth. The external has now overshadowed the internal, and I have surrendered my own judgments to others.
If my fancy clothing, and all sorts of refined cosmetics, are intended to keep my body looking smooth and delicate, that sadly reflects my deep disrespect for the very purpose of that body. Am I ashamed that work has given me wrinkles or callouses? Should I not wear what keeps me healthy and strong, not dainty and effete?
Observe how easily we are tempted to wear too many layers of clothes to create a certain false outer form, or clothing that is too tight to arouse and titillate. Even when I still wore them back in the 1980’s, I had to laugh out loud at those ridiculous shoulder pads in our jackets, and the girls I knew never ceased to complain about how their painted-on jeans always rode up into the most uncomfortable places.
I once fancied a girl who liked to wear a little black dress and high heels, and she certainly could turn heads with it. Still, she grumbled that she was freezing most of the time, and that her poor feet were aching.
I was hardly any wiser, wearing my oversized, thick wool greatcoat, covered in heavy straps and buckles, feeling so overheated that I was afraid I was going to pass out. What a deluded pair we made!
I must admit that I still like a good hat, though the years have taught me to care more about it being useful and comfortable than coming across as dapper and debonair.
I have even come to the point where I wonder if shoes are terribly overrated, only really necessary in rough terrain or frigid weather. I used to frown at an eccentric fellow I knew who went most everywhere barefoot, which regularly got us kicked out of restaurants, though I am starting to think he might have had the right idea.
Hard experience has proven that it’s never worth wearing anything awkward or ungainly for the sake of putting on airs.
It does not improve the appearance of the body to cover it completely with many garments, to smother it with tight wrappings, and to soften the hands and feet by close fitting gloves or shoes unless perhaps in case of illness.
It is not good to be entirely without experience of cold and heat, but one ought in some degree to feel the cold in winter and likewise the heat of the sun in summer and to seek the shelter of shade as little as possible. Wearing one chiton is preferable to needing two, and wearing none but only a cloak is preferable to wearing one.
Also going barefoot is better than wearing sandals, if one can do it, for wearing sandals is next to being bound, but going barefoot gives the feet great freedom and grace when they are used to it. It is for this reason that one sees couriers wearing no sandals on the highways and the runners in a contest unable to make the best speed if they have to run in sandals.
I never could manage to appear physically attractive to anyone, not for any lack of trying, but I suspect that this was a blessing in disguise, of the sort that Providence is often ready to offer us.
Discovering that I was unable to impress anyone with my looks, it began to dawn on me that true human dignity is to be found in the heart and in the mind, not in any accessories to the body. My own failure at being shallow forced me, kicking and screaming, into deeper waters.
People will often scoff at warnings about the vanity of appearances, insisting that it hardly matters if we care about how we come across to others. I will maintain, however, that the danger is very real, because it so easily confuses our priorities. Instead of simply being good, and allowing others to judge us however they wish, we get caught up in merely seeming good, neglecting the content of character for the sake of winning esteem.
In other words, if I am living well, that should stand on its own merits. Once I start to focus on the image over the substance, that defeats the goal of building my own moral worth. The external has now overshadowed the internal, and I have surrendered my own judgments to others.
If my fancy clothing, and all sorts of refined cosmetics, are intended to keep my body looking smooth and delicate, that sadly reflects my deep disrespect for the very purpose of that body. Am I ashamed that work has given me wrinkles or callouses? Should I not wear what keeps me healthy and strong, not dainty and effete?
Observe how easily we are tempted to wear too many layers of clothes to create a certain false outer form, or clothing that is too tight to arouse and titillate. Even when I still wore them back in the 1980’s, I had to laugh out loud at those ridiculous shoulder pads in our jackets, and the girls I knew never ceased to complain about how their painted-on jeans always rode up into the most uncomfortable places.
I once fancied a girl who liked to wear a little black dress and high heels, and she certainly could turn heads with it. Still, she grumbled that she was freezing most of the time, and that her poor feet were aching.
I was hardly any wiser, wearing my oversized, thick wool greatcoat, covered in heavy straps and buckles, feeling so overheated that I was afraid I was going to pass out. What a deluded pair we made!
I must admit that I still like a good hat, though the years have taught me to care more about it being useful and comfortable than coming across as dapper and debonair.
I have even come to the point where I wonder if shoes are terribly overrated, only really necessary in rough terrain or frigid weather. I used to frown at an eccentric fellow I knew who went most everywhere barefoot, which regularly got us kicked out of restaurants, though I am starting to think he might have had the right idea.
Hard experience has proven that it’s never worth wearing anything awkward or ungainly for the sake of putting on airs.
Written in 6/2000
IMAGE: Statue of a Philosopher, from Gortyn, Crete (second century AD)
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