Saturday, October 19, 2024

Oct 19– “On the Realities of Imagination” (1820) by Leigh Hunt

 Manly tears!

Oct 19– Essays by Leigh Hunt

Summary: Technically gender neutral tears, which is even better. Also, imagination is good!

Commentary:

 But where we feel that tears would relieve us, it is false philosophy to deny ourselves at least that first refreshment; and it is always false consolation to tell people that because they cannot help a thing, they are not to mind it. 

    Leigh Hunt said it was ok to cry 200 years ago. Anyone who says that's modern sissy mumbo-jumbo is lying to you. 

Whatever is, is.” Whatever touches us, whatever moves us, does touch and does move us. We recognise the reality of it, as we do that of a hand in the dark. We might as well say that a sight which makes us laugh, or a blow which brings tears into our eyes, is imaginary, as that anything else is imaginary which makes us laugh or weep. We can only judge of things by their effects. 

    There's a lot of debate about perception, facts, feelings, etc. But the simple answer is that what we feel (both emotionally and physically) is the basis of our reality. We might be able to (to an extent) "override" it if we know something doesn't match up (an optical illusion, being unreasonably afraid of something, etc.) but what we feel one way or another is what our life is. 

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