symmetry

Click the title to see what's fueling my post du jour. I'm ruminant on the concept of symmetry. Hopefully my brain has achieved symmetry today and I've figured out the vagaries of the upload feature - see the screen capture to the right for the official widget dictionary definition of the word "symmetry. In particular the second listed definition caught my roving eye, and I have this to say about it:

I was reading the aforementioned article, and realizing why it was that I lost my mind last night. The backstory: I've been feeling lately that I should really have my own zipcode (yes yes, nobody's that big, but tell that to my addled brain), and I've always had a problem with my "waist-to-hip ratio", so when a symmetrical male (at least in my own primitive brain view) exibits those ages old signals, and even tells me I'm beautiful, I freak out and do things not too bad but not mentionable, really.

But this isn't why I'm writing.

I'm writing to lament the un-evolved primitive hard-wired behavior that produces a society that values youth and beauty over wisdom and experience.

My honors english teacher for both freshman and junior years in high school had a lovely plaque stuck to her desk that said: "Old age and treachery will overcome youth and skill." I didn't truly understand the didacticism of this statement until a few years ago (specifically after turning 30).

As I approach the inevitable dawning of my 35th year (which is technically the first part of my 36th year) and creep closer to the magical age of 40 (holding on to my younger appearing visage by will and scary biological agents), not only do I contemplate plastic surgery to enhance my own symmetry, I also realize the inevitabililty that younger people will seem somehow dumber. Yet why is it taht we want to look and feel dumber?

I'm convinced it's escapism and illusion.

That's it. I'm getting more sleep next week...