I was reading a few articles on the internet recently that really made me think enough is enough. You know the types—current events, entertainment gossip, general lite reading, etc.
And there it was—another article about body shaming by the internet trolls.
Internet trolls (by my personal definition) have Oppositional Defiant Disorder. They’re the immature of the immature, those with the lowest self-esteem, those who need to divert attention away from themselves by doing the only thing they know how to—attacking other people.
This was the third article about this disgusting behavior that I had read in as many days, and I’d had it—enough was enough.
Everything Has Beauty!
“Everything has beauty, but not everyone sees it”
Confucius
Since “everything has beauty,” and “beauty is in the eye of the beholder,” the beauty that one sees has everything to do with who they are and nothing to do with the beauty itself.
If we all saw the same beauty, it would mean that we would all be alike. We would all see and want the same things. We would be living in a world where everything, looked, acted, smelled, and tasted the same. Everything would have to conform to some single idea of beauty.
There would be no variety, no alternatives—it would be a dull, boring, and monotonous world.
The beauty that we each see makes us individually unique.
We don’t all need to see the same beauty—in fact, we’re better off not all seeing the same beauty. Why?
Think about it—if we all saw everything alike, we’d spend all of our time chasing after the same things. Can you imagine the relentless competition? What would be the point of it?
We wouldn’t explore new or different things. There wouldn’t be different art, music, food—you name it, it would all be the same.
The beauty of things—and people—being different is what makes us special. We aren’t like everything, or everyone, else—and that’s a good thing. That’s what makes each and every one of us stand out in the crowd.
We live in a diverse world. A wonderful world full of choices, variety, and all kinds of beauty. We live in a world of highly complex people who have different physical features, dispositions, intellects, emotions, beliefs, and more. Each of those facets has different layers, too, and each of those layers is what makes us special.
With so many places for beauty to be found, it’s actually difficult not to find something beautiful about each and every person.
“We delight in the beauty of the butterfly, but rarely admit the changes it has gone through to achieve that beauty.”
Maya Angelou
Beauty itself is like a kaleidoscope—it is constantly, growing, morphing, and changing from one beauty to another. Who knows which beholder will miss this beauty only to be amazed at the beauty yet to come?
Is Beauty Missing From Your Life?
If you aren’t seeing the beauty, you might not be looking. Beauty unseen is beauty, nonetheless.
You are not the arbiter, the keeper, or the definer of all beauty. You are only responsible for your own personal beauty. You don’t have to see the same beauty as others—you also don’t need to comment on it.
If you don’t like something, simply go find something else that you do find beautiful.
Ask yourself these questions:
Why would you continue to stay in a situation that you find to be not to your liking?
Why wouldn’t you prefer to find a situation that is pleasant to you?
Why do you want to be angry rather than happy?
Every few years, the workers at hospice clinics are asked what their patients’ last thoughts on life were. Typically, the answers unanimously have something to do with living life to the fullest, laughing more, arguing less, and being kinder.
I think that in the future—once the social media generation gets to the age of hospice care—some of the answers will be along the lines of not spending as much time online, not wasting time posting negative comments, wishing they’d spent more time living life to fullest, laughing more, arguing less, and being kinder.
The next time you see something and think, that’s not beautiful—your very next thought should be to me. If it’s not beautiful to you, it still could be to someone else.
I wrote this for those who would body shame others, for those who would ridicule, for those who belittle, disparage, mock, and scorn. I wrote this to educate them as well as to create a single, united reply for all those who fall victim to them.
“United we stand, divided we fall.”
Aesop
Beauty Challenge
This week’s challenge for you is to spread the word about beauty—denounce those who would deny that beauty is all around us. Beauty is where you find it, all you have to do is to look for it. Trust me, it’s everywhere.
Yes, you are beautiful, too. Everyone is beautiful in their own way.
“… Seek and ye shall find …”
Mathew 7:7
Good Together: your guide to healthy, happy relationships
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