**3. Conclusion**

Immoral functionalism is about obscene reductionism, wherein the human body is isolated from its humane framework and aesthetic design, namely compassionate intimacy and soul-

**2.6. The spiritual beauty of the human body: sanctuary of compassionate soulfulness and** 

It was Socrates who described the body and its movements as spiritual indications of the 'workings of the soul' [49]. The idealisation of the beauty of the human body was in Greek art closely related to the interplay between the way feelings affect the body in action and represent the 'workings of the soul'. Due to the fame of Pheidias, the sculptor who Pericles entrusted to supervise the decoration of temples (480 BC), the classic approach to represent the human body in any position or movement reflected 'the inner life of the

The human body is not an idol of lust but an icon of soulful aesthetics and compassionate intimacy. The human body is thus designed to create intimate spaces of human encounter, wherein the 'other' is exposed to unconditional love, compassionate caring—caring that seeks

Compassionate intimacy should enhance humane authenticity, as well as sustainable friendship and an ethos of non-discriminatory equality and unconditional acceptance. The notion of compassionate intimacy is an attempt to emphasise and introduce images of companionship,

**Figure 10.** Plaster copy in of the Royal Cast Collection, Copenhagen. Permission from museum; photo D.J. Louw. The child Dionysus in the arms of a Sicilian found in 1594 in Greece, fourth century BC. I was totally overwhelmed by the combination between male vigour and strength combined with sensitivity and caring embracement. The genitals are an inherent part of the intimate space of care created by the 'patriarchal figure'. One can say that the sculpture portrays 'sacred phallicism' healed by compassionate intimacy. The penis nurtures and cannot destroy; the penis as an icon of intimacy and faithful commitment. The macho male can become indeed an idol of a caring and compassionate human

ful integration.

56 Perception of Beauty

figures' [50].

**icon of intimate aesthetics**

to overcome the fear for rejection and loss.

trustful partner, faithful colleague and caring nurturer (**Figure 10**).

being beyond the boundaries of merely gender differentiation (either male or female).

Embodied intimacy and sensual spirituality imply the following paradigm shifts in an anthropology of human nakedness (noble nudity).

• From the soul-body dualism to integrative and compassionate intimacy.

Embodiment then represents qualitative intimacy as the realm for creating a space for human dignity through the enfleshment of unconditional love. One should accept one's body as home: A living space meant for communication and relationships.

• From gender performance to human beautification. The body is no longer viewed and handled as a machine but is holistically enjoyed as a living organism. Embodiment represents processes of personal sensitivity and caring other empowerment.

Beauty implies more than physicality. It refers to the representation of meaning and the body as the evidence of grace and humane nobility. The proportions of the body and the harmony of body wholeness project beauty. The anatomy of the body reveals 'inner beauty'.9 The human body partakes in the divine beauty of creation; every part of the body contains an element of divinity and hence of beauty [52].

The notion that the beauty of human corporality embodies the aesthetics of the human soul ([53], p. 16); the human body as the anatomy of the human soul should be rendered as a deconstruction of the pagan thinking and metaphysical dualism in anthropology. The advantage of the Michelangelesque perspective on nudity is the paradigm shift from the hedonistic perspective of promiscuity to the aesthetic perspective of beauty: from the performance of sexuality to the enjoyment of sexuality. Why? It is because the human body and the genitals are not designed to destroy and to ruin, but to heal and to beautify. Beautification then means instilling human dignity and guaranteeing trust and faithfulness. The paradigm shift is from violent sex (the abuse of power) to intimate sex (compassionate caring)); from carnal promiscuity (destruction and exploitation) to spiritual aesthetics (healing and intimacy).

It is my contention that *compassionate intimacy* can help to shift paradigms regarding the meaning of the naked human body from threat power and abusive exploitation to the beauty of vulnerable sensitivity. In this regard, the human genitals become sacred instruments for the maintenance of a significant life. They are not designed for promiscuity and rape. A penis and vagina should be reframed; they should be viewed and beautified as icons of compassionate intimacy, vulnerable care and graceful harmony.
