beauty …

I was once challenged that I made a link between the fact that “… if beauty is in the eye of the beholder … then we have to say that Truth can be in the eye of the beholder!” and so, saying that there are many beauties and many Truth’s? It was interesting that these design students who agreed there cannot be more than one truth, wanted to still have the right to define what is beauty and that it has to remain relative!
Can truth exist as a multiple? and so can beauty exist as a multiple? are they both relative? or is one absolute and the other relative?

Well I would guess it t all depends on our view of the world, its origins, its Raison D’être (reason of being) and our convictions about where it should be going! After all to make sure truth prevails, we need to discover it, acquire it, live it and teach it! To live beauty, we need to do the same, right? Yet can there one sort of Beauty? And is beauty relative or absolute? I guess by now you are wondering why would we bring up such a question? Is it important to ask the question whether beauty is a thing every individual or group has the right to own?

Another popular quote is that “Beauty is only skin deep” and that there is more to beauty than meets the eye. Often it is referred to inner beauty, something more relating to character and virtue. Beauty for many in this camp has to do with a concept, a way of being rather than appearing. I guess then whether you are beautiful on the inside or on the outside, you are considered only in part beautiful, and one may hope that in the end one achieves both outer beauty and inner beauty, I Wonder whether that is fulfilling.

Lately I have realized that on TV the latest craze is about “make overs”, meaning you don’t look too good and so we will help you look great! Be it physical looks like how to dress, or homes, restaurants, stores and so on, the world is working hard at looking good. Some shows reveal the potentials of knowing how to place objects and combine well, so the overall look is pleasing and acceptable to oneself and your environment! For some this is then portrayed as life changing, but what about after the make over is over? how do we maintain beauty?

Then there are other shows, like Dr. Phil and Oprah and a few others local ones in every country that try to uplift the inner being. This has much to do with peoples inner view of themselves or those around them. Often its mending relationships and restoring the value of the individual. These are moving stories where extreme situations are taken and mended for maximized success sales! Of course general talk shows where people come and show the ugliness of their life, sadly, sells more than if your life is in order!

I am not sure if you agree, but should we not have a new definition of what is beauty? Who will rise to the occasion of defining beauty? Which individual, community or culture will not then come and disagree? I guess defining beauty is a tough one, I am not so sure we can ever get to defineing beauty once and for all, it might just like be, that as much we grow into the knowledge of Truth, Love and Faith … beauty might just be another journey we have to embark on and discover day by day, moment by moment, what do you think?

But can there be such a thing as absolute Truth, beauty and so on? The answer honestly for me then is yet another question, can there be an absolute without finalization? Here is a hint I think of: Are we less humans because we are still 1 year old?

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