Dostoyevsky once said that beauty will save the world. Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn kind of agreed with him in his 1970 Nobel Lecture. (that’s just an excerpt but it’s so worth reading.)
Beauty will save the world.
But what exactly is beauty? How can you define it?
I believe beauty is not just an abstract notion, but an experience. Impossible to define, it can just be felt.
What I find to be truly fascinating about “beauty,” and not just in the world of arts, but in our day to day lives, is that it doesn’t necessarily provide answers or raise questions. When we say about a painting being beautiful, or a person, a flower, a house, a city, a monument, we talk about something we feel. It’s irrational, illogical, and, quite frankly, I believe that our capacity to feel or experience beauty is the very foundation of your humanity; the most primordial aspect of what it means to be human.
I know a lot of artists who say they make art because they want to create something beautiful. They feel the urge to create beauty, to be able to project it on a canvas when there was nothing, to put some words together, to give a rock a different shape, and so on.
Now for the big question: how can beauty actually save the world?
Solzhenitsyn tried to answer this question in his lecture, and in a way, I agree with him, but I also believe there’s also a much more simpler answer: beauty brings the best in us, because experiencing it is never meaningless.
Beauty itself does not provide answers, or raise questions, it’s not a call for action, it’s not a plea. It just is. It can last forever, or just a few minutes, like a beautiful song. Or a sunset. And not only do we derive pleasure, but we also construct meaning from the experience.
Based on our own ideals and beliefs and set of skills, we absorb beauty and we want to do something with it. It’s rarely a passive experience. We see a beautiful painting, and we may feel the urge to make something just as beautiful. Or simply tell everyone we know about it. Or photograph it. Or just cry.
For whatever reason (or for no reason at all) beauty fills our minds and souls with emotions and thoughts. And in that moment of simple contemplation, we feel as if all of life’s questions have been answered. Pointless worries and petty frustrations are discarded. Time seems to stop, and all that’s greedy and dark and vile about our humanity evaporates.
And in that moment, no matter how long it lasts, we catch a glimpse of our own greatness.
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I got shivers reading this! Beauty as a concept is so profound, and you've really captured that here. Thanks for the link to the lecture. I'll read it later when I have time to give it my full attention. In appreciation for another great post!
Reblogged this on Ancient Secrets For Health.
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, as they say – Beauty takes our breath away, if only for the moment, and engulfs our soul, which is a very profound and personal experience.
Do you feel that the existence of inhumane acts such as violence and war is due to people failing to see the beauty in life?
I don't think it's as simple as that. There are a million different causes for violence and war, and sometimes there are none. But I guess the question is, would someone purposefully hurt or destroy something they deem as beautiful?
When I think of this question, the first thing I think about is a beauty and evil co-existing. But then beauty is just artificial; it has been poisoned by evil, so it's no longer truly beautiful. And that doesn't apply just to people, it applies to what we consider life, or the entire world, or just a single country.
Yep, I think I'm with you. It's always complex thinking about abstract terms. It's usually very subjective, so when applied to a humanitarian situation, becomes even more complex. It's one to think about, that's for sure. Great post.
Indeed, when it comes to abstract notions we tend to talk in absolute terms. But it's never that simple.
Beatiful Article Christian, thank you for sharing ! Prozit to Venus Goddess. I only want to add that beauty can also heal ugly moments of life, it motivates to walk on the earth , full of mud, notice it, but look high and pay more attention to a light…
So very true. "Without Art, the crudeness of reality would make the world unbearable". I love how you define the nature of something we all know about and experience, but rarely sit back and try to explain. Beauty can be as complex as the perception of our souls, or as simple as the single vein in a leaf from a maple tree.
Great post Christian :) Beauty can be felt by all of us, but different stimulus causes the feeling in different people. If we could stop focusing on the stimulus which pushes us apart, arguing over what's beautiful and what's not. And instead start focusing on the shared feeling of beauty then the world would indeed be a nicer place :)
Thanks for sharing!!
All the best.
Rohan.
Simply beautiful! xoxo
Seems like you certainly did experience something very beautiful recently and are still hung over on it. :) :D ;)
I do agree with you, beauty does have the potential to inspire us. It obviously arouses desire. Beauty, perfection, yes, we all strive for it don't we?
It was a tangential thought, I had on one of my flights while looking over the clouds and then the air hostess : what has this world reduced beauty to? And here I am talking about physical beauty and more specifically beautiful women? You doll them up so that they can serve customers who do not look half as good as they do. Look at the models selling us cars, mobiles, houses, toothpaste, anything and everything. Look at all those mindless television programs. Objectifying women is one thing, but degrading beauty. It felt like a curse that day. To be beautiful.
But that is how society is and these are all marketing ploys, it is another story how they affect our views about a lot of things.
Well, yes, I agree with you, but don't you think that using beauty as a marketing ploy turns it into just a package? Most people won't see this, but some will be able to see what's hidden inside, what shouldn't be there. And thus beauty feels less real.
package? objectifying?
it just kills the beauty..all the bloodied dress of marketing they put on it…
Most people do not it and that is why they want the "real" stuff.
I read a very intriguing article in Elle magazine back in college, so this is 15+ years ago. It was a survey and what they determined from interviewing a large group of couples was this – the physical feature that people found to be the least beautiful aspect of themselves was what their significant other found to be their most attractive feature.
That's why we like flawed characters. In fact, I'd say that those flaws make a character compelling or not. Perfect characters are boring.
Sadly, I can't believe that beauty will save the world.
For one thing, the world was already as beautiful as anyone can imagine in the millenia when humans first started walking the earth – and first started destroying it. Beauty did not stop them from killing and destroying then, so why should it now?
Which brings us to the second unfortunate point: while beauty can move people to be their best, so can it move them to become possessive, greedy and jealous. These emotions can lead to inter-personal violence, or larger-scale conflict.
Yes, beauty has power; but its power is value-neutral and hard to control. (But that won't deter me from striving to make 'beautiful' drawings!) Thanks for the thought-provking post, Cristian.
Just lovely to wake up, sip my coffee and find this online this morning. Amen and Thank you!
http://www.catholic.org/international/internation…
I immediately thought of my Faith and Pope Emeritus Benedict when I read this post. The link is a general audience talk he gave about BEAUTY. It's very similar to what you describe however it ascribes all beauty to the handiwork of God.
Reblogged this on Saturday Socks and commented:
This morning I had the pleasure of sitting down at my computer, coffee in hand and encountering this post by blogger, ________ about the role of beauty in our lives. It caused me to abandon my planned post and share this with you today. Do yourself a favor and take a moment to think about how personal the experience of beauty is for the individual; one experiences the simple pleasure of painting Easter eggs with a child, while another finds beauty in the raw clashings of John Cage.
The experience of beauty is as singular as one's birth or death. It is impossible for two human beings to ever have the same experience of beauty. It is informed by our own thoughts and walk through life.
As a long time performer I have learned that the artist who aims to create beauty for its own sake is chasing his shadow. For the artist as writer, painter, singer or poet, one’s target must always be the universal truth, and the only way to uncover this collective reality is to reveal what is deeply personal to the artist – even if the uncovering reveals something revolting.
The beauty lies not in the final product, but in the exchange between the artist and the viewer. As the viewer absorbs and contemplates a creation, has "the artist" moved the viewer to feel – and at times act on that emotion.
"The feel the urge to create beauty, to be able to project it on a canvas when there was nothing, to put some words together, to shape a rock so to evoke this feeling."
For me, the artist is a facilitator between the human impulse to create with the Creator. The creator knowingly or not, becomes the hands, eyes and voice of the Creator on Earth – and in the doing tickles the mind and soul of the viewer, nudging them toward action.
Reblogged this on ladylinchpin~Supreme Art Advocate! and commented:
Beautiful!
What a wonderfully inspiring post for writers, artists, musicians, etc. Why do we invest ourselves so fully in our craft? In the hope that others might experience a glimpse of their own greatness through our offering. (you DEFINITELY succeeded with THIS offering . . . thanks!!!)
" Beauty brings out the best in us." Excellent point. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder because what is the best in one is not necessarily the best in another. So beauty is subjective, but only insofar as it is personalized. The search for beauty in ourselves helps us to recognize beauty in the world. It is a beautiful world.
Very well put Cristian. Thank you!
This is a Beautiful post :)
Well said! I agree.
Great post, Christian! :)
Wow. :)
There is that quote appearing on bottle caps: Everything has beauty but not everyone sees it. For me, choosing to look for beauty (for what's good, what's meaningful, sometimes just not accentuating the ugly, even,etc.) has changed my outlook and helped keep peace and calm in my life. Not in a Pollyanna kind of sense, but as a shift in my perspective that I work to maintain.
Thank you for this post.
Reblogged this on Carey L Macpherson and commented:
Finding everyday beauty….
Today in these thoughts by Christian Mihai
Beautiful! :)
I think you captured the essence of beauty in this post, it moved me thanks for sharing.
Two sayings on a box of card I bought are: "A thing of beauty is a joy forever" by John Keats and "Write more happiness into the world" by Frances Hodgson Burnett! http://bmoreenergy.wordpress.com/2013/03/05/the-n…
I really enjoy your words. I'm emerging from a long period of darkness. Rebuilding myself and hints of my spark are returning. I'd like 2 share 2 films with you which are quite amazing to behold http://barakasamsara.com later~xx.
I remember the first time I saw a Renoir original in the NY Metropolitan Art Museum — I stood in front of that painting for over 30 minutes and couldn't move. I LITERALLY was transfixed on the beauty of it. I can't explain it because there are no words. It WAS a feeling, a reaction, a connection with something special. What an experience!
Sounds like love at first sight. Or the Stendhal Syndrome.
Thanks for a beautiful post.
Beauty makes my soul sing and all becomes well again in the ugliness of the world around me.
I have nominated you for a Liebster Award. If you'd like to accept it, you can check out this link http://molliesong.wordpress.com/blog-awards/liebs…
and the wise man said…
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder! Beauty is everywhere around us. It is just a matter of noticing it, We all see it in a different way.
Enjoyed reading this post.
beautiful!
Eckhart Tolle would suggest that what you just described, these moments of beauty and creativity, are moments of "being" or enlightenment. Same concept, different words. Your thoughts are eloquently expressed, and I appreciate that :)
I have been reading a lot of David Foster Wallace's essays and articles, which is kind of messing with my style. I think this is the only post in which I didn't write "and stuff."
Great blog. I wrote on a vaguely similar theme here – http://jamesgillingham.wordpress.com/2013/02/03/w…
Cristian,
You certainly have a way with words! Very beautifully presented! There definitely is a rare beauty in words and you have captured that beauty!
Thank you for sharing.
Reblogged this on MetaRead360 Small Press presents and commented:
Excellent!
Maybe looking at or making something beautiful, help saving a bit ourself, and giving sense to life in general, and if we are a few to do this, hopefully it will bring our neighbougrs in this way, creating a better world to live in…yeah I know it is a bit utopic, but got to believe in something…:)
Reblogged this on Poet Charms.
I Love beauty and everything is beautiful in his own way, a beautiful line, but also a truism we Counseled the over weight people for twelve years and I found them all beautiful all 200 lbs or 150 lbs. for the beauty is in the vulnerability, we all can see beauty in everything and anything.
Absolutely beautiful post!
That's a wonderful definition of beauty that rings so true. Well done.
Hey Cristian- first off, thanks for following my blog.
Second- This post really caught my attention. I live in a big arts community that strives to beautify what people don't normally see as beautiful. We've really taken steps to let people realize that beauty is right in front of them and can be seen, simply. Love your posts, take care!
More importantly, we catch a glimpse of beauty incarnate, the Lord Jesus Christ. He is beauty epitomized. His name is Beauty, and he will "save the world".
Somehow we all know beauty when we see it, but sometimes it is beyond definition. Thank you for your wonderful take on the subject. (And thanks for visiting Discover Santosha today!)
Hi Cristian, I really like your post, although I cannot agree that beauty will save the world. I believe that beauty is a creation or construct of the creator, and only He can save the world.
We can appreciate beauty, because we have the eyes to see it from being made in the Creator's image.
"He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end." Ecclesiastes 3:11
We can't fathom it. Why would a just Creator permit ugliness or defilement? Why would He allow beauty to be polluted or trampled upon? Confronted with that assault on our senses, it causes us anguish and we lose faith. If we can overcome and keep believing, there will be an answer. He will give beauty for ashes.
"May your eyes see the King in all his beauty, and view a land that stretches afar." Isaiah 33:17
Reblogged this on Visions Of A Blooming Mind and commented:
Beautiful thoughts on Beauty.
I agree with harulawordsthatserve, almost to the word. I too will read again and the lecture tomorrow..I live possibly in a similar manner to Claudia McGill and reading her comment gives me hope for your posts truth. Though I accept the truth in the words of Gabrielagarbowata I dare to disagree. We are the only animal on this planet (that we know of) that has the ability to appreciate things purely for their aesthetic value. That we have destroyed so much and failed to learn it seems does not mean that when all is barren and desolate; when nothing is left. Maybe only then our 'sudden' realisation and search to return will save, something. Maybe only that utter destruction taht brings people together will show us the beauty that there is in life. Maybe, maybe and always more.. I had a conversation, just yesterday with a (beautiful, not only physically) young lady suffering from some self-doubting depression. During our chatting I asked her which she would rather, the shit or the jam? (it sounded much more poetic at the time, in French ;-) Upon responding I asked her which flavour. As ClaudiaMcGill, I and we all, at our most successful, our happiest, our best.. we all see the beauty that makes our day worthwhile.
Tarl says that we "search for beauty in ourselves helps us to recognise beauty in the world." I find that it is more often the opposite. We seek beauty in the world to remind us of our true potential.
Thank you for sharing some beauty as you see it, expanding our visions, and helping many remember.
Hi Christian,
I also used to believe in the power of beauty–consider Bali, a country where each act often involves the creation of beauty–as well as the power of art and education…and then I learned that Hitler and other Nazi's were aficionados and advocates of art and beauty; and as a health educator I found that education is not the change I was hoping to create in the world since a person's original bias is often immovable, and sometimes beauty incurs possessive feelings or those of hierarchical power or is used to manipulate for profit.
While I'm like you in that beauty, whether Van Gogh's painting of his bedroom or almost any line Ondaatje has written, inspires me to also create or moves me to my core, our sensibility is not the only response. I wish it were. Thank you for the post. You're remarkably blog-prolific and I like how you go with a thought and share it. Good luck with your non-blog writing. Peace.
Beauty is a deep level of appreciation.
First of all, thx for your visit. Very much appreciated …. a beautiful thing :)
I do agree with your title and well in a certan way. Although in some sentences you do speak about our experiences and you do give some place to our mind, in the end i think the used definition of Beauty is a common one, but a resticted one. I think Beauty is a positive sensation what we lend to a piece of art, of nature, of another human being etc.
If it was an internal characteristic of sth/someone it needn't change in time and place. But to appreciate a work (to speak about art) as a Beauty we have to learn to see, to experience it in a certain way. The work of art remains the same, but in the course of time our appreciation can change. So we play a much more active role in the thing that we call Beauty as often is suggested by essays about this subject. Of course there has to be some qualities in the subject itself to evoke our appreciation, but …. as said …. that's surely not a guarantee that we will lend our esteem.
Back to the title. Yes when we will see more Beauty in our world, we will surely treat it with more respect and so the world will become a safer place and will be saved from our destructions !
ps i maybe would use some other entries, but i think you've written a great thoughtful , evocative and inspiring article. I don't mean to break it down. On the contrary ! Thx a lot !
Reblogged this on Broadcast and commented:
" Read "
billyxoxo