"One must be a sea, to receive a dirty stream without becoming unclean."
The word "vulgar" comes from latin word "vulgaris" which means belonging of common people or of crowd - from the word "volgus" which means mob or common folk. The recorded meaning dates back to 14th century, according to Etymonline.
1. not suitable, simple, dignified or beautiful; not in the style preferred by the upper classes of society.
2. rude and likely to upset or anger people, especially by referring to sex and the body in an unpleasant way.
3. not polite or socially acceptable; not suitable or acceptable in style.
4. rude or offensive, esp. because referring to sex.
(Retrieved 28 October 2023)
1. not having or showing good taste; not polite, elegant, or well behaved.
2. rude and likely to offend, especially because it is connected with sex or bodily functions.
3. connected with or characteristic of the ordinary people in society, usually people who are not educated.
(Retrieved 28 October 2023)
One who is firmly grounded in truly superior values would not be discomforted in using or doing that which the mediocre consider "vulgar."
The word "vulgar" refers to the common people or the majority. What may be considered "vulgar" changes as paradigms shift over time. As Nietzsche's lion abandons the values imposed by the dragon, one must first abandon the contemporary mediocrity and then overcome it in order to liberate oneself.
The abandonment is not liberation itself but a step towards liberation. By merely avoiding a thing rather than overcoming it, you acknowledge its superiority over your fragile values.
Among many things that are considered vulgar in contemporary of this article, a few are sexual intercourse and other bodily functions.
The ancient Indian culture celebrated Kamasutra as a guide for leading a healthy life. The scripture addresses many contemporary societal factors including courtesans as respectful members of society who helped people develop skills in various fields in order to be able to build a healthy life and a stronger bond with their partner and family.
Your physical body is as natural as air, fire, water, and land. Addressing your body in a derogatory way is an anti-value which is advanced by life-negating systems. Colonials massacred many colorful cultures in Indian subcontinent and replaced them with a system grounded in life-negation.
The English word "pornography" comes from the Greek words "porneía" and "gráphō" meaning "fornication, prostitute" and "I depict" respectively. "Pornographos" may be translated as depection of prostitutes. Ancient Greeks celebrated life-affirming values and human traits - a contrast to a life-negating system.
The term "prostitute" carries different connotations across time and place just as the term "democracy" carries different connotations across time and place. Many cultures have had (and still do) respectful positions in their societies for prostitutes, companions, hosts, entertainers, and other professions which are frowned upon by those blinded by life-negating systems. The Japanese have Geisha, Indians had courtesans, the Greeks had more than what I could describe.
Sex is a force of life and a life-affirming act. Values and systems must be grounded in life-affirmation and must be celebrated. One must prioritise perceiving pornography as a medium that can help an individual in various ways including helping build a stronger bond with partner(s) rather than as something to be frowned upon as alleged by those willfully ignorant.
You must build yourself in such a way that the thing you once abandoned would no longer hold superiority over you, and you would no longer cower as you once did in its presence.
Look at the things which are considered vulgar by the people in your time, and build yourself values and systems that can accomodate those so called vulgar things in such a way that they would not hinder your growth, but support your growth.
Look at the things which are considered normal by the people in your time, and avoid and transcend those so called normal things, for they are the new vulgar.
Published on 29 October 2023