Beauty and success



On the talk shows today there was a discussion.  Is beauty more important than intelligence to achieve success?  I know the answer we are all supposed to give is "No Way is beauty more important than itelligence!"  But these questions really cause me to think. Movies are full of the dumb female that the guy can get over on so she will have sex with him.  Marilyn Monroe made an entire career out of playing a beautiful but dumb character.  But Marilyn Monroe was also intelligent enough to know that that image would sell.  In fact a beautiful intelligent woman is a great combination in almost any profession.

Above are some pictures of things that i think are beautiful. A flower, and my four legged childeren.  But none of them have to worry about success.  I doubt a flower really cares if it is in a beautiful garden or growing in 1 patch of grass.  The four legged children like to show me what good hunters they are by bringing in an occasional mole or bird or even a rabbit.  I doubt they really worry that they won't eat.  I think they just want an alternative to cat food.  They know they are loved, and they will always have food and a shelter.  What about people with disabilities?  Most of us struggle to get what we want in life.  We usually stay poor.  and we have to depend on government programs for stability.Which is a joke.  How can you be stable when someone else controls what will be paid for and how much money you have to buy food?  I know it's up to the individual to measure success but I think we are not sucessful under a lot of measurements.

Why is that?  I think there is some fear on the part of people with disabilities that we can't succeed without help.  But I also wonder if it's becuse a lot of us either don't fit the idea of what is intelligent or the idea of what is beautiful.  Take me for example,  I am intelligent.  I have a Master's degree.  I got good grades.  I also have twisted feet and sit in a chair all day.With someone with cognitive issues be it a learning disability or an inellectual disability, they may be beautiful on the outside but have a tough time learning or dealing with things.  So we never seem to quite get there.  We need to remember that there are lots of ways to show intelligence.  And some of the most physically challenged people I know have written bills for our state legislature and have some of the most beautiful souls.