~well Mannered Animals~ Comments

Your thoughts here and the poem itself remind of Pico della Mirandola's ORATION ON MAN, a startling, epoch-making statement on humanity by this Renaissance scholar. Pico was a devotee of the Emerald Tablet and other Hermetic influences. But the Oration focuses on the radical freedom which is unique to human beings and can be either our path to Glory or our descent to Evil. Or sadly a mixture of both so the good and evil cannot be isolated from each other but we must deal with both simultaneously. We are not beasts which have a natural innocence - we are divided beings; our moral mission is to close the rift or transcend it. Emerson can help with that.

'Life feeds on life'....The law of the survival of the fittest and might is right hold good! We know that we are all pugnacious by nature and donot hesitate to prey upon others. We control our inclinations because there are well defined laws and breaking them invite punishment. So do you mean to say that humans appear refined only because there are strict laws to check their beastly urges as 'chaos is the unstructured order of all things'! To some extent, you are right Allan.... but cannot agree with you fully! A great write!