More thoughts and feelings swirling from the weekend ~
Saturday ~ In the documentary film on the 30,000-year-old cave paintings found in France, other than the fact that the paintings were done by human hand, it was noted that both visual depictions of humans and remnants of their physical presence was almost completely absent from the scene. Instead, the cave was devoted to animals ~ both in the paintings on the walls and the bones scattered on the cave floor. The exception is a single drawing of the lower half of the female torso.
The modern mind goes directly to pornographic thoughts, but the paleo mind goes to the mystery and beauty of a woman's body. Not only was she the source of physical pleasure for paleo man, she was the source of life. And this drawing was paying homage to that source. It's similar to the well-documented statuettes found in archeological digs from ancient communities.
Today's culture often trashes and even reviles the female body. Scientists have reproduction "all figured out" and are maligning the mystery of sexual attraction, procreation, and the beauty of life unfolding within, and coming from, a woman's body. The paleos may not have "known" the scientific details of reproduction but they surely revered it's beauty and power. It will be a sad, sad day for mankind when we have reduced the making of new life down to its basic, fundamental building blocks with little to no regard for its enduring beauty, its incredible power and dare I say, its on-going mystery.
Sunday ~ Jump over to Sunday, a day in which we celebrated newlyweds and 50-year partners. At lunch we revisited the excitement and newness of marriage with a young man and woman who have just begun their life journey together. Their exuberance was infectious. Our advice minimal. The conversation inevitably turned to babies ~ if, when, how many. It was clear that this young couple, while reveling in the new-found pleasures of each others bodies, regarded the potential new life from this pairing with great respect and anticipation. Scientific details were not important to them as we discussed the profoundness of creating new life.
We left them to celebrate a 50-year marriage. A marriage that has seen its share of joy and heartache, love and anger, fulfilled expectations and disappointments. Along the way they have formed an inseparable bond that goes far beyond the early lust and the making of baby. And they share far more than sexual attraction yet each is attracted to each other still. It's the mystery and beauty of living life together. Of each knowing the other physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually and every other way like no one else could know them.
I walked away from these encounters filled with the profound belief that the "humanness" of mankind can never be reduced to facts and figures. There is deep longing within us to be loved and to love, to bond and be bonded, to be fully known and yet to respect the mystery of who we are. This is truly the beauty of life ~ both then and now.
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