Chapter 2

"You miss all the fun if you obey all the rules." -Katharine Hepburn (The Art of being human, Katharine Hepburn, Page 18, Left margin quote two)

17th Century, Market Scene with a Pick-pocket, France, Louise Moillon

Ever since a young age, we are stubborn and refuse to abide by the rules. Why go home at curfew when you can go ride your bike over the hills? Why miss a party when no one will notice you gone? No one is perfect and sometimes the most enjoyable options are the ones we aren't allowed to do. We need to break from the mold at least slightly or people become bland and just plain mundane. It may lead to people simply being lazy because they only strive for what's asked from them and not what they can achieve. Every person has a unique personality and a nice blend of interests, hobbies, preferences. I may art while you love sports, Or you may like math while I like history. We can not be who we are meant to be if we listen to everything everyone tells us to. 

This quote reminds me of one of my favorite quotes 'Rules are mostly made to be broken and are too often for the lazy to hide behind.' (Douglas MacArthur, 1962, MacArthur Close-Up, p. 137) . Of course, they both don't refer to all rules, there will always be certain rules that can not be broken, whether they be social or legal depends on where you are from. But you can't hold all rules on a pedestal. 

"Problems are only opportunities in work clothes." -Henry J. Kaiser (The Art of being human, Henry J. Kaiser, Page 24, Left margin quote two) 

~1660-1663, Self-portrait as a Lutenist, Netherlands,, Jan Steen, Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum,

I should probably start this off by saying why I chose a photo of a bard. From what is taught about medieval bards they were clever and quick on their feet. Although their job was simply to play music and sing many bards would double as spies or simply seek out problems so they may have the ability to blackmail someone with the issues they caused/shared with the bard. Those charlatans managed to use their charisma to manipulate any situation so that it may benefit them. Immortal? Yes of course but it was a job and they did a rather good job. 

You should never bow your head when under pressure. Look around at your surroundings and see how you can make the best of what you have even if you have to break a few rules.

"Other things may change us, but we start and end with family" -Anthony Brandt (The Art of being human, Anthony Brandt, Page 25, Right margin ) 

1579, Scenes from the Life of the Artist's Family, Rome, Federico Zuccari

I take issue with this quote because I can be a rather literal person. Not everyone starts with family some are born to no parents or simply abandoned. We do not always start with family but that does not mean we cannot find our own. An ideal life is to have a kind and supportive family but not everyone is so fortunate.  The family doesn't have to be blood it can be close friends or a significant other. Family can be animals  'The blood of the covenant is thicker than the water of the womb.' (I can't find a proper source for this quote) is a good example of what I'm trying to say. The blood we shed with others forms stronger bonds then family at times. Even when some people start with the family the family you end up with may with a whole different set of people.

Chapter 1

"The ancient Greeks... were convinced that an explanation of, and definition for, Beauty was as concrete and discoverable as the answer to why the days got shorter in winter" - Bruce Maddox (The Art of being human, Bruce Maddox, Page 5, Right margin quote two)

1882, Ancient Greek Female Costume.  London: Sampson Low, Marston, Searle, & Rivington

I agree with the premonition that beauty is in the eye of the beholder. What was beautiful to the greeks would not be beautiful to say someone from an African tribe or a native American. Different cultures shape who, what, how, has beauty and why it's considered beautiful. The Greeks may have been able to perfect their own definition for beauty but that would vary person by person. Personally, I don't even know what I find beautiful so the idea that one concrete thing can be beauty is bizarre. Everyone holds themselves differently and looks better wearing/doing certain things. Also, one's personality contributes to how we perceive them. A supermodel may be demonized as a horrible person because she bad mouthed a disabled person or went on to disrespect someone's culture. The beauty that the public once recognized her for turns to resentment and recognition of a spoiled and shallow human being. Physical beauty is not all there is to the world.



"The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the source of science" -Albert Einstien (The Art of being human, Albert Einstien, Page 11 right margin quote one)

after 1456, Portrait of Jean Miélot. France 

Mystery sparks wonder in people. If you stare into the unknowing it's just human nature to poke at it and attempt to define it. People are stubborn they don't like not knowing things, it scares them. Mysteries are dangerous and make people go against what their cultures shape them to believe. Even in a utopia, a man will attack to show he is not apart of a machine and that there is more to life then just what is given. The thoughts that something else lies past your current world make people try and create those things. I find it a wonderful thing it makes us creative, and inquisitive! Without the instinct to know a little about everything we would be stuck in the past with little technologies and possibly no religions or arts. What would we need humanities for if we didn't want and wonder what could be?



"Reading is to the mind what exercise is to the body" -Joseph Addison
 (The Art of being human, Joseph Addison Page 10 left margin quote one)

                  1850 and 1855, Monk in White, Seated, Reading. France                       

I have been a bookworm for as long as I can remember. The experiences books can give you are unmatched and irreplaceable. Books give your mind somewhere to drift off to and think about things that would be hard to think about on your own. Once you begin to read you find out new interests that engulf you. Personally, I found out I love psychology and mythology. I love to read about ancient religions and how they believed the gods watched over them. Languages, History, Gods, reading about any of that expands your knowledge and truly is what exercise is to the body.

I believe this quote also correlates to the previous quote about the beauty of mystery. Reading can lead to so many questions that provoke you to read more on the topic or others. I know personally, I have fallen down the rabbit hole of trying to figure out how the hierarchy works in the old Irish Celtic culture before the British caused a large famine and then went on to look at their gods and other traditions. The same can be applied to science because a scientist may read a study about how X is impossible and become infatuated with solving X until eventually they come up with a solution or discover something completely unrelated