Beauty means different things to different people. There as many definitions of beauty as there are people. Some common views on beauty are: harmony with nature, ripe in time, perfection and so forth. The early Greek philosophers such as Pythagoras perceived beauty as symmetry and proportions. Plato saw it as a virtue and good leads to beauty. Latter perceptions held considered beauty as a product of rational order and harmony of proportions.
Another middle age philosopher Francis Hutcheson argued that beauty is ‘unity in variety and variety in unity’. In the modern times there have been views suggesting that human beauty is a combination of both inner and outer qualities? Inner qualities such as politeness, fairness, joy , grace, charisma, integrity, elegancy – I like to call them ‘beheld’s virtues’ and outer qualities which are the physical attributes of human body –I like to call them ‘beholder’s virtues’.
I think beauty has a lot to do with how one perceives oneself. What you see when you look at yourself in the mirror depends largely on standard for beauty set in your subconscious mind which is formed over your life. Every one is a beauty ‘beholder’ and a beauty ‘beheld’. The standard you use to measure what is beauty that you behold on others is a reflection of the standard you behold on yourself. Besides, what you behold in yourself is what you reflect to the outside. That is why I believe beauty is as inside business as it is outside. It emanates from the inside, when the beautiful spirit within manifests to the physical world.
Historically, society has viewed beauty in dualistic way. You are either beautiful or ugly. In most case the media sets the standards of who is beautiful and who is not. The beautiful ones are included (in the movies and magazines), the ugly ones are the rest of them-left out. Worse still is when the standards for beauty become racial. The movie and advertising industry portrays the blonde as the standard for beauty. That being the case many non-blonde persons end up seeing themselves as not measuring up.
How we perceive ourselves inside affect how we feel. Not being in a position to appreciate who we are is the reasons people go to all length to imitate, alter, adjust what the ‘ugly’ in them and adapt the ‘beautiful’ in others. As we know this is multi-billion business and spread all over the world. I believe being beautiful starts by appreciating oneself as a wonder, a miracle and a beauty and by all means a perfect gift from the maker.
It is when we stop wanting to be someone else and you start working on who you are that you set yourself on the beauty trail. . Loving and appreciating oneself enables one to develop as sense of value and identity. You want to take care of yourself as an act of gratefulness to the maker for the gift that is you. Because what you do not value, you destroy and what you value you build and nurture. Nature has provided you with all that you need to be beautiful. Just look inside, there lies the beauty that you dream of.
The essence of this blog is to encourage people to feel and act beautiful naturally, without trying too hard. Just working with what you have and enjoying it all the way. I invite comments and views on beauty to be shared in this blog. Welcome.
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