At some point, most people encounter someone whose sense of style, fashion, or decor feels consistently off. At first, this is easy to dismiss as a matter of preference. Taste is subjective, we tell ourselves. But when poor taste recurs across different contexts, it raises a more unsettling question. What exactly is taste? How does good taste develop? Why do some people seem unable to acquire it? Good taste is often misunderstood as trend awareness or personal expression. In reality, it is something far more restrained and disciplined. Good taste is the ability to recognize proportion, coherence, and intention within a given context. It reflects an understanding of relationships between elements rather than attachment to any single element. People with good taste notice balance, scale, rhythm, and absence. They sense when something is excessive, distracts from its purpose, or draws attention to itself unnecessarily. Most importantly, they adapt their choices to context. What works in o...
1. Gentleness requires power. Gentleness without power is manipulation. The elephant must be gentle with the ant. Without conscious effort, the elephant will destroy the ant. The ant's gentleness to the elephant is an act, an attempt to convince the elephant of his great power. The elephant uncertain of the ant's potential may grow to fear the ant. Gentleness is merciful to our inferiors, manipulative to our superiors.
Torch: discounting the idea it could be a genuine expression affection here?
Jack Kelly: Affection and Gentleness are unrelated. Gentleness is the acknowledgment of & adjustment to someone's frailty. Affection is empathetic in nature attempting to suppress the universal loneliness plaguing humanity. It is expressed with both gentle & rough methods so cannot be synonymous to either. The elephant is more likely to feel the craziest hug the ant has to offer. It is unlikely the elephant could tell the difference between a gentle ant & a brutish ...