Beauty and the Beast By J.R. Nyquist 11.27.01

[kabud]

Beauty and the Beast
By J.R. Nyquist 11.27.01
http://web.archive.org/web/20020209023510/www.sierratimes.com/archive/files/nov/27/nyquist.htm
Today I received a note from a friend. It said, "In meditation I
learned that the existence of beauty is proof that there is a God."

This is an intriguing thought, and elegantly plausible. Turning it
over in my mind I came upon a question. If the existence of beauty
proves there is a God, does it then follow that the existence of
ulginess proves there is a Devil?

People often think of beauty and ugliness in terms of physical
appearance -- the face and body. But the face is only a mask. The body
is only a shell. The spirit or underlying soul is the real essence of
a person. The face gives us an image only. It communicates something
that does not necessarily exist within. And thus is born the
deception, the tangle, of inner and the outer, of body and soul.

Consider a human being who appears to be a church-going family man,
devoted to his country. This is an outward impression, which might
tell us something of the underlying man. Then again, it may be a
deception.

Take a look at Adrian Havill's, "The Spy Who Stayed Out in the Cold,"
about FBI traitor Robert Hanssen. "Bob was brilliant," admits Havill.
"No one ever disputed that." And Hanssen's brilliance desired
something extraordinary. Here we find a perfectionist whose treason
was conceived as an artistic work -- a thing of beauty in and of
itself.

Few are given the opportunity to craft a masterpiece. Yet that's what
Hanssen was aiming at. His double life, on some level, was to be a
demonstration of Machiavellian artistry. As if he were putting on
clothes, Hanssen donned a personality. He appeared to be a right
winger, a Rush Limbaugh listerner, a reader of the Washington Times
who worked diligently for the FBI. But inwardly he worshipped Kim
Philby, the British traitor who spied for Moscow. Deep below his
superficial outer shell, he was the secret servant of the Soviet Union
and the KGB.

Biographer Havill quotes extensively from Hanssen's missives to
Moscow. They are psychologically revealing. Here we see the soul of
the inner man. "Perhaps you occasionally give up on me," wrote Hanssen
to the Russians. "Giving up on me is a mistake."

A small misshapen man often tries to puff himself up. Perhaps this is
why Hanssen bragged about his knowledge, his contacts, his insights.
Russian spy Stanislav Gusev was caught bugging the State Department.
"I could have prevented that," boasted Hanssen. "I was aware of the
fact that microphones had been detected at the State Department."

Referring to a Soviet agent once lodged within the State Department,
Hanssen wrote, "Bloch was a such a schnook. I almost hated protecting
him, but then he was your friend...."

A small misshapen man, mistaking himself for a god, enjoys criticizing
others. "If you are wise," Hanssen told the Russians, "you will rein
in the GRU. They are causing no end of grief."

The god-like Hanssen lectured his Russian bosses. At times he worried
about money. But why should a god worry about money? "Never patronize
me at this level," he once wrote, referring to Swiss bank accounts.
"It offends me."

Alternately bragging, scolding, advising and betraying. This is the
inner world of a traitor. It is the world of a self-appointed emperor.
As a child he told a friend that he identified with Ming the Merciless
rather than Flash Gordon. He was inclined to admire a successful
villain. Classmates later said that he was ready to identify with
anyone who exuded strength.

Robert Hanssen despised weakness.

"The U.S. can be errantly likened to a powerfully built but retarded
child, potentially dangerous, but young, immature and easily
manipulated," wrote Hanssen.

It would seem that Hanssen identified with Russia because he saw
America's weakness. As a student of world events Hanssen decided to go
with the winner. He decided to work for Russia.

Jerrold M. Post, founder of the CIA's Center for the Analysis of
Personality and Political Behavior, theorizes that traitors like
Hanssen are egocentric narcissists who affirm their own superiority by
tricking and deceiving others on a routine basis.

Robert Hanssen wanted to be god-like. Reaching upward for ascendency
he fell down into an abyss. In despising his humanity and the humanity
of others, he sank to the level of a beast. Instead of marvellous and
beautiful, he became pathetic and twisted. He wanted the very best
results for himself. He treasured strength and intelligence. But he
sided with a country that could only gain advantage by underhand and
treachery.

Beauty is not all there is to life. There is also ugliness, error and
pain.