Over the last 24 hours, my mind has been ruminating on beauty.
I was feeling annoyed that people (more in Western Society I would say, but not necessarily) ... women, but men too, desire good looks or physical perfection, to the extent that they base their self-worth on their appearance. People feel good if their hair is nice, people feel bad if they have cellulite, 'undesirable' body hair or acne. I am also annoyed that the industry targeting our insecurities is vast, wealthy and continues to grow.
I fall into the category of "people desiring physical perfection", trust me. I worry about body hair, I fret over jiggly thighs and sagging breasts, I am concerned that my breath might be bad, or my wrinkles and the appearance of grey hair is making me undesirable. I don't always try to fix these things (I haven't yet dyed my hair, and I am not likely going for Botox treatments or injectable fillers any time soon) but it doesn't mean that I'm not concerned about them - and that fretting is a waste of my time and energy.
A friend said: "Beauty has power and I imagine everyone wants to be pretty/handsome. But it is also ephemeral ..."
So ... what is the power of beauty? Who possesses this power?
I believe the power of beauty comes from its mystery. It can not be defined and it can not be possessed (sort of like God or the Tao or source energy).
Men are attracted to a beautiful woman, but they can not own her, they can not take her beauty and make it their own; they can not transfer a woman's beauty into themselves and it is this mysterious, unattainable quality creates beauty's allure. But, the power doesn't belong to the woman either ... she can't hold on to it or keep it safe, somehow.
To possess beauty would be to destroy it. As soon as we pick a flower, we kill it. If we cage a bird, we destroy the thing that enchanted us in the first place - the bird's freedom to fly. If we try to possess a person they ultimately lose their mystery (because that which is familiar to us is no longer mysterious) or we kill their soul in our attempt at owning them.
Beauty is elusive. The closer we look, the less we are able to see it. Where is it? What makes something beautiful? Colour? Symmetry? Scent?
Beauty is subjective and personal ... it is in the eye of the beholder. It must be a mysterious blend of different factors, never the same for each person and never to be repeated again.
Youthful beauty fades, but is it replaced by something deeper? Something of greater quality? Does one's 'inner beauty' become more apparent as one ages? Are men who leave their wives for younger women unable to see this inner beauty, so blinded are they by the allure of physical appearance?
When I was younger I became upset when told I was beautiful. I felt as though I were an object being assessed and praised on my external appearance, but it felt as though no one was looking at my inner self, where the 'real' me hid. And I didn't think the 'real' me was beautiful.
Now, I still don't see it in the external physical sense, but I really feel it. It is inside. And it's lovely. And it's there for all of us if we stop and get to know it.
When it comes to beauty, I would encourage humanity to seek depth. Look past wrinkles, into eyes. The knowing and recognizing of another soul is the most beautiful experience possible.
