I've learned a lot about temptation recently. But that doesn't make me desire any less. If anything, to be reminded of the possible perils of succumbing to what's forbidden only makes it more alluring. But while I'm playing Hamlet with my willpower (Should I or shouldn't I?), there's always the distraction of gawking at the travails of those who simply couldn't resist. We can all gather, like urchins at a hanging, to watch those poor souls who took a chance on fantasy and came up empty-handed -- to remind ourselves to keep to the safety of the middle path.
An article I just read gave a name to the kind of temptation I'm talking about. It's not a striking body or a pile of money or a new toy, but something more intangible. It's the inevitable by-product of living a respectable life. The author surmised that the more we live a life governed by conventional norms of proper behavior, and the nicer and more responsible we force ourselves to be, the further we drift from the essence of our true self - one that's ruled by passion and instinct. Give in to your deepest longings (like Mike Tyson and chomp off your tormentor's ear) and become an outcast; conform utterly and endure a potentially dispiriting, suffocating life.
I've seen the cycle up close in the past year. Two members of my family chased an idealized alternative to their life. One left behind an embittered wife, and another, in what looked to be a hedge against mortality, fell in love with youth and surrendered his judgment in the process. Both became poster boys for bad behavior. Perhaps they deserved it. Perhaps they should have known better. To whom much is given, much is expected, right? The interesting thing was the ferocious condemnation of their excursions beyond the bounds of acceptable behavior. Since when does someone need to apologize on television for getting divorced?
But perhaps there was some comfort in watching the necessary order assert itself. The discontents of civilized life look positively benign when compared with the holy terror visited upon the brave and stupid.
Maybe it's a sign of degraded thinking that we wrap our women's issue in an archetypal image of temptation. But who needs another pantload of platitudes about women being the new potent force in American politics. That sounds like campaign sloganeering, and since the airwaves are election free at the moment, I want to keep the peace.
- John Kennedy
0 comments:
Post a Comment