Reflections on "Real Beauty"

Beauty is one of those abstract feelings which makes the world an interesting place to live in. It is a wonderful feeling that is triggered in us when we see or experience something sublime to ones senses.  As someone rightly said “Beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder” making it a very subjective experience. The ability to feel beauty is one of the greatest gifts to mankind.

When I think of beauty it immediately conjures up images of material objects such as the lovely clothes in my closet, the colorful handbags and jewels. I have seen beauty in little children in their innocent chuckles and  sweet chubby faces, the actresses with their god gifted looks and flawless fair skin, a house with modern and chic interiors, the colorful flowers which I stop to look at every day on my way to work, the natural beauty of majestic mountains and rivers flowing through them to name a few. The world seems to be filled with so many beautiful things and sights....but I wonder what characterizes “real” beauty? 

Real beauty to me lies in the feelings evoked while and after witnessing the object of beauty. They should take the breath away and leave me with a deep-rooted feeling of bliss, hope and positive energy afterward. Real beauty should be lasting. I witness real beauty in nature when I see a rainbow in the sky or watch the towering snow capped mountains or a majestic canyon carved out by a river or glacier. These sights numb my thoughts making me forget the stresses of my everyday life. I am left with a feeling of serenity.  However when I see a beautiful actress or lovely house or clothes I enjoy them momentarily but they leave me with reminder of what I lack - the good looks, the not so fair complexion and the money to buy the house and good clothes. These objects are beautiful but do not constitute real beauty because with true beauty one is transported to a place of positive energy after the experience. 

I have felt real beauty in many ways and it has been a great de-stresser at any time of the day. I have felt it in the simplicity of a flower, in a butterfly happily fluttering in the garden, in a piece of art, in the grandeur of the Shiva linga at Brihadeeeshwara temple, in the myriad hues of the sunset sky, in the soothing sounds of music and in the the rhyming verses of a poem.

Beauty is ubiquitous. It can be experienced in any part of the world. It is a universal feeling transcending man made barriers of gender, religion and nationality. 

“A thing of real beauty is joy forever”.

This is my submission to the IndiBlogger writing contest on "Real beauty"