The nature of things

The Jakarta Post ,  Jakarta   |  Thu, 12/28/2006 2:13 PM  |  Opinion

It is with some interest that I have followed the Aa ""Gym"" Gymnastiar affair in The Jakarta Post's news articles, editorials and letters. It might seem that there is not much more that can be said about the matter but, like tectonic tremors that shake foundations and tumble our secure dwellings, social tremors, which have similar effects, may also have aftershocks, the most widespread likely being the cacophony of wagging tongues - human nature.

Several thousand years of human experience have shown that security, sufficiency and happiness are proportional to our understanding of nature, harnessing its energies and living in harmony with its laws.

On the social side, it has been my observation during the past half century that religious teachers and preachers of kindness and family values naturally attract like minded followers and, if the teacher is a physically attractive man, a flock of fawning females as well (more human nature).

On the psychological side, recently I read a BBC web page article that began,sight of a pretty woman really is enough to throw adecision-making skills into disarray, a study suggests. The more testosterone he has, the stronger the effect....""

Logic suggests that age should ameliorate this effect however, occasional personal experience suggests otherwise. It may be nature's design that we men can be easily bedazzled by ""the weaker sex"". And I have read, not far from here, that some, on occasion, actively pursue such dazzle ""as an art

RICHARD E. HARTMAN
Bandung

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