When someone says something is beautiful, ask yourself, "is it? Who gets to define what is beautiful?" Some argue that deep within our reptilian brain lies a primordial mechanism that favors voluptuous bodies, full lips, red flowers, cool waters, and green landscapes. These are the origins of beauty, the chemical triggers that give us the pleasure of continued existence.  But is it still true today? To be sure, we are still attracted to the same things, but for different reasons. The corporations and politicians and others vying for our attention and cash know how to short circuit our senses. They have studied us and perverted our basic systems into receptors for selling cereal boxes, pop stars, and nationalist projects.  Beauty is power. It is a tool of manipulation-- sometimes good-- sometimes bad. The flower attracts the attention of bees and those who would aid in its propagation. The potential mate advertises DNA. Cool water entices us to drink safely and the green lands