Thought #18. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

Writing a comprehensive essay about beauty is far beyond my ken. I am a mere observer and a simple listener, one who can smell, touch and taste. I am sensible hence I am able to perceive the senses, and not by any stretch of the imagination could being sensible describe me as an expert in the art of unveiling the mysteries of beauty.

I have mixed feelings about beauty. I often feel the urge to take pleasure in delighting myself with something alluring, but at the same time, more often than not the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak. Maybe this could somehow explain how being in the mood is the key to enjoying beauty in all shapes or forms.

Having said that, I allow myself a dose of insanity and hereafter you will find four different approaches to the concept of beauty. I hope I prove myself and eventually show that there is method in my madness.

One: being ignorant friendly. All that glitters is not gold or how you can hear the ocean in a shell. Do you remember how blissful you became when, trudging through the sand on the seashore, you stumbled upon a big seashell? I bet you would end up holding it up to your ears in an effort to listen carefully to the ocean. What you really hear, pardon me spoiling the enchantment, are the surrounding sounds, but isn’t it beautiful anyway?

Two: being ephemeral friendly. The feast of blossom in spring. Rambling through the field and lanes in the countryside can be of great pleasure, especially on the brink of spring, when bushes and trees are in their splendour. But, sooner or later, autumn will hopelessly arrive and, before long, only silhouettes of bare trees will remain, clear against the winter sky. 

Three: being ambiguous (and adverse) friendly.  “La Traviata” or The Fallen Woman. This opera composed in 1853 by Verdi tells the terrible story of Violetta, a prostitute, who ends up agonising while swearing with her beloved Alfredo to live together. Unfortunately, time is up and she breathes her last breath as she remembers the beautiful days lived with Alfredo. The extreme beauty of the music in this Opera makes you believe that you are in front of a comedy. But as life, this opera is a drama, and yet beauty is allowed every now and again. 

Four: being true to yourself (self-friendly). I like the picture on the top. I really like it. I love my creation. It shows a boy inside a box, artless. For want of a gorgeous landscape or an appropriate lighting, I simply took the picture at a relatively low speed considering that the little boy was in movement. I panned the camera slowly across the scene, not even seeing through the viewfinder but staring at his soulful eyes, and triggered the shutter gently. This boy did not have any toys so he made do with a box. Isn’t it beautiful? Is not there something magical in his soulful eyes? Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.