Blog 16

Beauty is an ambiguous and often incomprehensible concept. Everyone perceives beauty differently and when asked how you view beauty, your answer will most likely be different than the person next to you. If beauty is in the eye of the beholder, then how can we use it to better our society? By getting more than one outlook on anything, you are instantly opening your mind to multiple views and hearing others out. This is just one of the many ways beauty can improve society. By experiencing even the smallest amount of beauty every day, you will become a happier and healthier person, therefore improving society on an individual level.

As stated before, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. This is apparent in  “What Is Beauty? And the Importance of Beauty in Our Lives,” by Mark Goddard when he describes all of the different ways beauty effects our lives. One way is by describing beauty in nature. Goddard expresses that “Any discussion of beauty has to begin with the natural world.” I interpret this as beauty and nature go hand in hand, so if you want to experience beauty, a great place to start is with nature. This could be taking a walk in the woods, biking to work and seeing the trees change in the fall, or even having a small plant that you water to foster it’s life. By doing such things will often make you happier and feel more in touch with the world around you. That experience in itself could be described as beautiful.

Personally, I know walking to class every day and taking in the trees, the grass, the sky, etc. calms me down and leaves me with a feeling of security that can only come from such experiences with beauty. To me, beauty often does take a form of beauty, mostly in water. One of my favorite things to do at UNE is go down to Freddy Beach and watch the ocean’s currents sway in and out of the sand. Although I do not usually get to go to Freddy Beach every day, the experiences I have when visiting there is always memorable.

Another interesting take Goddard had on beauty that I relate to the most is the beauty of people. Goddard explains that “Kindness, for example, when it flows from deep and sincere pity, is a wonderful sight.” and I could not agree more. Kindness is perhaps the most beautiful thing one human can show another. It isn’t only an action, it most certainly is an experience. In today’s age, it is especially important that empathy, compassion, and kindness should always be displayed to everybody with no exceptions.

My greatest experiences with beauty have to do with kindness. Often times my best relationships with people began by showing compassion and empathy.