u/El_Robski

I was unsure whether to post this in r/philosophy or askphilosophy but I felt it would be appropriate to post my rambling here since it also relies on visual language;

The kiss. Most of us have had it before whether it be cordial, romantic, passionate, sloppy, proudly, shy, whatever. There is something uniquely horrifying about betrayal when it arrives through intimacy like through the kiss. Not through violence first, not through a fist, not through a knife, not through a gun, but through the intimacy of human touch; the kiss. Even worse is when it inexplicably leads to death which coincidentally occurs in the three examples shown here.

The top, first visual is a detail from Giotto’s Scrovegni Chapel (1306) retelling the moment Judas kisses Christ, betraying him, and leading to his eventual execution. Christ actually already knows. The kiss is just the physical confirmation that the soul, be it his or Judas’, has already departed from this earth, or in Judas’ case departed from loyalty and innocence

The same thing happens in The Godfather Part II (1974), the middle image when Michael kisses his brother Fredo. Fredo doesn’t die right there but spiritually he does. The kiss marks the exact second he becomes nothing to Michael. To those who’ve seen the movie or read the novel Fredo dies barely on-screen, his death only confirmed through the silhouette of a revolver and Michael agaze as he hears the gunshot. Fredo betrays Michael but the betrayed kisses the betrayer. Apparently this was a thing with Italian mafioso where a person is considered dead when kissed by one of the higher ups.

The bottom inage, a marble statue in Barcelona called The Kiss of Death (1930) by Jaume Barba is actually a tombstone of a textile manufacturer who also had a verse from poet Jacint Verdaguer written on it. The verse expresses the idea that *the person's youthful heart can no longer continue, their blood slows and freezes, their spirit embraces lost faith, and they feel the kiss of death as they fall.*

The original poem in Catalan goes like this;
"Mas su joven corazón no puede más;
en sus venas la sangre se detiene y se hiela,
y el ánimo perdido con la fe se abraza,
sintiéndose caer al beso de la mort."

I thought this literal depiction of the Kiss of Death was a decent visual ending to this series and the start of my pseudo philosophical mini essay; All three works feel connected by this idea that the real death is metaphysical before it’s physical. The body is or becomes secondary. What matters is the moment someone becomes unreachable, the moment they leave the human world emotionally, spiritually, cosmically, even if they’re still standing there in front of you. Is the kiss a confirmation the human soul exists? Judas must kiss Christ because betrayal without intimacy is too “ordinary” according to his own ethics. Michael must kiss Fredo because execution alone cannot communicate the spiritual magnitude of killing his own brother. Death itself must kiss the living because otherwise mortality feels mechanical rather than transcendent, this may appear more literal in the bottom sculpture. Any thoughts on other media of the Kiss of Death? On the existence of a soul?

I take Uber’s from the station to my work in Brussels. I never request upfront so the driver will never wait. I will always see them coming to pick me up at a convenient less busy part of the station. I rarely talk unless there’s something interesting like an ethnic souvenir or cool music playing. I try to tip as much as I can even though money’s tight.

I must admit I’m somewhat of an alcoholic but I drink white wine and chew gem or take mints to conceal any sign of smelling like a 3€ white wine bottle. I don’t smoke either. I do my best to make it unnoticeable.

So, my rating is 4.69 which I feel is kind of low. Is this a European thing? Also I feel like the 2x 2 rating really dragged the number down. Do you think drivers would avoid me based on my rating as of now? Thanks in advance for any discussion or suggestions