The story of Pygmalion is such a fun one in my opinion. I mean, come on… Where else can a guy get his thrills off of making out with an inanimate object and call it art? There is a happy ending too, which is nice. After the sculptor creates his beautiful stone Galatea and falls in love with it, Venus (or Aphrodite) makes the statue come to live and blesses the couple’s marriage. What fun. I think the best part about this story is that it describes the internal workings of Pygmalion’s struggle to find love. It well shows the desperation few people have in seeking out the one whom they will spend the rest of their mortal lives with. I think it’s absolutely awesome how he even earnestly prayed (in this case, of course, it was the goddess of love) about the woman that he loved. I can relate because I actually do that! Burnt so many times on a system that I perceive to be fatally flawed; namely the dating game, I now just pray to God (the real one of course) that He bring my wife and I together, and that He makes me into the loving husband that she deserves. Now, that’s not exactly how Pygmalion went about it, but I think the parallel is clear enough. One last thing, and something that I hope I’m not so shallow to fall to, but really, Pygmalion fell in love with Galatea on the sole basis that she was beautiful, and I think that’s really sad. I mean romantic, yes, but the basis of a good relationship? I don’t think so. Beauty fades, and in pursuing my lover’s hand in marriage, I had better not be thinking in so narrow and superficial terms.
Posted by JohnHaddad at February 18, 2004 08:35 PM