When You’re Ugly
I fucking love everything about these humans and this video. It’s one thing to watch this and be entertained by all the absurdity. The penis heads. The deadpan faces. The napoleon dynamite moves. The rage against two mailboxes and a keyboard. The incredible compositional and creative talent. But beyond entertainment – what moral lingers here? This too – perhaps above all else – is fucking gold.
Be Cool.
It would be a mistake to feel this merely as a take on physical beauty or superficiality, which is subjective and a source of ridiculous concern in our society.
Humanity is an ocean of experience and we all share the water. It doesn’t matter how isolated one might feel. You are the product of millions of people who have touched you, whether personally or indirectly. Equally, you have influenced other people millions of times. This is undeniable.
How then, are you reacting to the influence you receive?
How then, are you influencing the world?
Lesson 1 – Be Resilient to Ugliness
From the song: “Fuck the world”
Not in a vengeful, spiteful, cynical way. In a “move on” way.
Sometimes the world feels straight up shitty. Whether it’s bad luck or someone being an abject jerk toward you, for zero reason. Or some kind of unfairness. Here’s a suggestion: Don’t fucking worry! Don’t take it personally. It may be tempting to look for meaning or feel sorry for yourself. Water off a duck’s back. Of course we ought to meditate on how we feel and work toward fairness. To stand up for our values and defend ourselves. But don’t meet ugly with ugly. Don’t grab victimhood as an identity. Don’t hold a grudge. Strive to be resilient and move on.
Lesson 2 – Don’t BE Ugly
From the song: “Be real cool”
If you are bitter, or resentful, or worried about all the ways your life is not meeting your expectations, this is a vibe that will absolutely be perceived by everyone around you. This is a bummer, because when we sense the world feeling that vibe about us, it reinforces bitterness, resentfulness, and worry.
Turn the tables. If you really pull back for a moment, away from all your worries and desires and concerns and thoughts and feelings, you will find that the only thing you need for your own happiness is you. Then, the exact opposite happens. You bring that happiness out INTO the world. By mastering your own wellbeing, you help other people do the same. You are beautiful in the most important sense. This behavior is what we need more of in the world.
Louis and Genevieve
I don’t know a ton biographically, but I’ve binged much of their work for a few years and fallen in love with how their art speaks. Not merely the music, but all the surrounding creativity and obviously huge community of artists they have around them. Humans cooperating and producing something wonderful together. With a proper dose of strangeness that reminds people to live authentically. The sum of all of this produces a reaction that is seriously hard to put into words. The world is better for having this. I’ll let the most upvoted youtube comment on this video speak to that:
“Ok, this is going to sound pathetic, but I’ve been having a mental breakdown like I was feeling real bad, crying alone in my bed at the fact that I’m pretty ugly And listening to this has pulled me out of it and really did lighten my mood Thanks”
Links:
Louis Cole
Genevieve Artadi
Knower