Beauty

“Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder”, arguably touted as one of the most quoted proverbs ever in our lives. Beauty is an omnipresent part of our lives; we see the beauty in nature, inner beauty in people and the simple beauty of random acts of kindness in life. Our lives are so full of beautiful things that it is only our perception and understanding of its true meaning that actually makes all the difference.

Mother Nature was the divine creator of all the natural beauty that makes up our world: heavenly azure skies, the lush greenery of the forest, the sparkling diamond oceans and the infinite variety of fauna that roam the Earth. Without these elements of nature, Earth would just be a dull and barren wasteland; no beauty exists in emptiness. There would be nothing for us to feast our eyes on when taking a simple evening stroll, no flaming sunset to behold and no twinkling stars and moon to gaze upon a sleepless night. Beauty also resides in the serenity and peacefulness of our natural surroundings, which are so important towards restoring calm and tranquility in a turmoiled self. Just listening to the natural cadence and harmony of all creatures big and small going about their daily activities, the ebb and tide of flowing water and the breezy air will just somehow lull you into in a sense of quietude. One might also say that rejoicing in the beauty of an unpolluted outdoors is almost therapeutic.

However, the type of ‘beauty’ that always manifests in problems is actually the beauty of humans, or to be more precise the exterior beauty of people. Physical beauty especially in a woman has been known to spawn grief and heartache, revenge and war. Young men are especially privy to this, and they would, in both Shakespearian times and now, do anything to win the hand of their fair maiden. The pages of history have illustrated this fact countless times. A famous example would be the dreadful Trojan War which was fought between the Trojans and the Spartans, to win back the beautiful Queen of Sparta, Helen who had eloped with Paris of Troy. Being intoxicated by passion and blinded by great outer beauty is extremely perilous because it clouds the mind and dims one’s better judgement. Friends can turn to enemies and brother can turn on brother in the blink of an eye when a beloved is concerned. For example, in high school, it is perhaps an everyday mundane occurrence to hear such sad tales of ‘betrayal’ and ‘destroyed friendship’ when 2 parties have a falling out over a particular boy or girl. But then again, take heed of the old adage that says beauty is only skin deep and fades with time. That beautiful, perfect face and body can only take you so far, yet in today’s superficial world, physical beauty has become almost an obsession especially in Hollywood, with more and more A-List stars going under the knife to enhance and perfect their natural features. No longer are blemishes and imperfections accepted in Tinsel town, the true beauty in today’s fashion magazines is actually plastic surgery.

While that worrying trend is taking the world by storm, it is actually very difficult to step forward and remind the general population once more of the age-old lesson that true beauty comes from within. Humanly beauty stems from our inner qualities, the ones that define our true worth as a person such as compassion, creativity, selflessness, intelligence and many others. The modern generation is taking so much notice of physical beauty that they are neglecting the need to “beautify” and “decorate” their inner self with moral values and esthetics that will last long after one’s youth and beauty has faded with time. For example in a marriage, the mutual attraction between 2 individuals based on physical beauty will diminish over time but in the end, it is the qualities, personality and inner beauty of the two people that will keep their union alive even when they are old and wrinkled. Didn’t the fairytales of yesteryears get it right by pointing out that the handsome prince always chose the “nicest” girl to be his princess, showing that inner beauty should be the top priority in choosing friends and life partners?

There are also so many other kinds of beauty, such as the external beauty of material possessions which are comparably like humans: it is all on the surface. The maxims “All that glitters is not gold” and “Never judge a book by its cover” underline the importance of looking beyond the pretty wrapper or cover; to the flaws or faults that may be lurking just beneath the surface. This theme is very well explored in the novel “The Pearl” by John Steinbeck, where the protagonist, Kino, was blinded by the pearl’s beauty and the lovely images he saw on its surface. He became more and more disillusioned until finally he found himself a changed man, a monster, who hurt and killed without hesitation. Kino even went so far as to hit his wife Juana in order to keep the pearl, eventhough misfortune continued to rain down on him as long as it was still in his possession. Ultimately, he lost all his belongings and his beloved son was killed, leaving him a regretful man and with a moral lesson and warning to all the readers.

In conclusion, it is up to us to decide which beauty we deem the most significant in our lives, physical or internal. We should take care not to place too much emphasis on surface appearances as it undermines the importance of the inner person. Society should also try to change their outlook and view of beauty, and not condemn their whole lives to conforming to Hollywood’s take on beauty ideals. God does not make trash, so all in all it is only a degree of how mature and wise one’s self is in order to realize that all the things in our world were already made beautiful.