20/01/2007

  • True Beauty

    (This is my comment on Justin's blog in support of his ideas on beauty.  This is Justin, in my top 24 on my myspace Friends List.  Though he is handsome, he is one of the relatively few true gentlemen of this world.)

    It (being called "ugly") would be devastating since we would tend to take in personally to the holistic level rather than just the trait of looks.  The area of looks is definitely to be considered in a person; however, it shouldn't be given such weight that it eclipses the other traits of a person and thus effectively relegates the beholder to a superficial opinion of the one whom (s)he beholds.  There are physicially beautiful people who are truly hot/gorgeous/beautiful because of their personality, character, dress, goals, related drive, and interests; and there are some physically beautiful people who are holistically ugly because of the negatives in their other traits.  

    Now, looks and dress can also be interlinked with their character and drive.  If they are lazy and don't care about life, that will generally show in their appearance.  However, again, their appearance shouldn't be the sole criterion of whether a person is ugly or beautiful.

    How one reacts to life challenges and trials is included in the trait of character and maybe a little in the trait of personality.  If a person reacts negatively, then that is ugliness.  However, if one sees that (s)he can overcome that challenge and works to do that, then that is beauty.   Similar with mistakes or bad decisions a person makes: recognizing a mistake or bad decision, admitting that it is a mistake or truly bad decision, and then working to correct the situation is beauty in addition to being highly respectable.

    In my humble but strong opinion; ugly means an overall negativity of the person and not just in apperance, and beauty means the person has mostly positive traits.  That person could be myself or another person.  I do not automatically write a person off if I consider them ugly since things can change for the positive and ugliness can be reversed (depending on the will of the person).

    ....

    An addition which I didn't include in my comment:

    Now going beyond this to transcendental, higher-level beauty (which even fewer possess) is found in the Word of God (the Bible alone):

    "How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, who publishes peace, who brings good news of happiness,  who publishes salvation, who says to Zion, "Your God reigns." - Is. 52:7

    "And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, 'How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!'" - Rom. 10:15

    The penultimate, perfect, and highest level of beauty (which no man can attain):

    "From Zion, perfect in beauty, God shines forth." - Ps. 50:2 (I believe that is referring not to Zion but to God since God alone is at the center and headship of Zion and also the only one perfect in beauty.)