aloof

aloof: (adj) removed or distant either physically or spiritually and usually by choice and with indifference to the feelings, opinions, or interests of others
(from merriam-webster's unabridged dictionary)

my newest dc friend used this word in a sentence yesterday. he was describing someone. the word stuck in my head. it was like i immediately needed to know more about it and what it means. so i guess i'll write about it for a minute so i can see what i think about it.

i don't see myself as aloof. it's a mysterious quality to me. for some reason, the word conjures thoughts of one of my favorite scenes in moby dick. the word aloof describes, to a tee, the character of ahab. to sum up his personality in one word is to say that he's aloof. at the very least he's aloof. but the scene i'm thinking of has nothing to do with ahab. in fact, it envisions the exact opposite of aloof.

in this scene, the crew is processing the oil (spermicetti) from a freshly killed sperm whale. it's so cool- they have to dip their hands into this big tub of the oil and squeeze the lumps out. ishmael adores the physical feeling of squeezing the oil and his narrative becomes almost frenzied with delight. as he's squeezing the oil, he accidentally grabs the hands of the other sailors. this is the passage i love:

Such an abounding, affectionate, friendly, loving feeling did this avocation beget; that at last I was continuously squeezing their hands, and looking up into their eyes sentimentally; as much as to say, - Oh my dear fellow beings, why should we longer cherish any social acerbities or know the slightest ill-humor or envy! Come; let us squeeze hands all round; nay, let us all squeeze ourselves into each other.

okay, i know that's a bit homoerotic and over-emotional. but i also think it provides the perfect foil for ahab. and the perfect opposite to the word "aloof." it also describes me when i am with people i love. in fact, maybe the opposite of aloof is love.