Duty Free gift

A number of authorities on the subject of psychosis agree that one of its symptoms is a skewed sense of salience, meaning in its simplest form that the case attributes importance to things in a way not recognised and perhaps not justifiable to most of us. There is no doubt, we would add, that such imbalance is also the result of advertising, in the form of the thousands of messages we deal with each day. Even when we do not fall prey and purchase, we still need to correct the stimulus, to choose to ignore, and therefore we expend energy on these communications. To remain neutral is not possible. Mental muscle is the result of resistance, flab is the outcome of our giving in. "Just right", under such pressure, is impossible.

 

To spend is much more important than to have, we are told. It is in this confusion that financial predators can act, as they can count on almost limitless power and presence. The chronicles of the affluent, duly reported daily, focus on what they squander rather than on what they own. One reason is that we can all copy this attitude: anyone can consume, driving a bank account from zero to minus something. It is more difficult to pretend to be wealthy. Another reason is that accumulated financial assets only benefit the possessor, and this is not enough for some agents.

 

There is a sparkle in a truly beautiful woman I share these corridors with. The confidence radiating from her person is enhanced by a range of little tricks - but never trickery - she employs to extend the effect of her features: the sparkle of white gold may travel for hundreds of metres, a perfume can linger long after the person has disappeared, hair augments volumes occupied in cloud-like but never overweight dynamics. Sounds such as voice, fabric rustling, steps and more announce an unmissable event, heels project, lashes embrace, colours dance, cheeks refract Flemish light caresses.

 

If the inner dimension is able to explain, nourish and sustain all this, we have true beauty, in its the purest form: that of giving. No duty, no weight of any tax, nor a simple overflow of the greedy who have gorged on so much their crumbs and pennies just fall from their pockets, schizophrenic features betraying ownership not existence. Loveliness depends on the beholder, feeding off it inasmuch as it generates true pleasure.

 

Package that and sell it, and on your hands will be the blood of an age.

Exploit it, and as your lack of anything human will finally become evident to all: you will have done a service to humanity, by cutting yourself off, and sparing the executioner the effort of having to wield his axe - it would be below him to kill what is already carrion.