The Most Beautiful Thing in the World

It has often been said that “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.” While that may be true, it really tells us nothing. When I hear people make such glib statements, I get the impression that they don’t want to think about it and don’t want to be bothered by it. They see it as just an opinion. I disagree, there’s much more to it than that. Everyone understands what is meant by beauty, but it is very difficult to describe. Just what is beauty?

In order to find some sort of an answer, I simply entered the word “beauty” into Google images. What I found was a disappointment. My computer screen was filled with pictures which seemed to come from advertisements for eyeshadow, mascara, lipstick, and such things. This is not what I had in mind, and pictures of lovely young ladies in expensive lingerie would have been an improvement, but would not have helped either.

I tried landscapes, wildlife, flowers, but although the pictures were beautiful, they didn’t bring me any closer to an answer. Perhaps I was too restricted in my approach, after all, music can also be beautiful. I listened to various pieces of music from a variety of sources, but I was left as frustrated as before.

Was the problem that I was always seeking an answer in material things? Was beauty something deeper, something that is experienced more than it is perceived by our senses? Something cerebral, perhaps even spiritual? There had to be something that all of these things had in common, something universally recognized. Was it Love?  I wanted to believe that I had found the answer, yet there are so many types of love and so much disagreement about just what is worthy of love that the answer had to lie even deeper. What is the foundation upon which beauty rests, the spring from which it flows?

In a quiet moment the word “truth” appeared in my mind. Yes, truth is beautiful, and without truth no other form of beauty can exist. How can there be love without truth? Nature can be brutal, even violent, but it is always truthful. Think of a political discussion, or business dealings with each trying to outsmart and out maneuver the other. Is it truthful? Is it beautiful? Truth isn’t loud or boastful. It seeks no gain. Truth exists for its own sake. Truth is.

Ah, you may object! Isn’t it sometimes painful to hear the truth? Doesn’t the truth often hurt?

Indeed it can, but is that the fault of truth or the ignorance or deceit that preceded and necessitated it.

The pain we may feel when learning the truth is no more the fault of truth than it is the fault of a physician when we learn that we have a serious health condition. Indeed, without the truth we would never correct our ways or seek the answers we need. Truth is the guide to the healing, and not the cause of, our pain.

So I conclude my investigation into just what is beauty, or even, what is the most beautiful thing in the world. My answer is TRUTH. For without truth there can be no beauty, no love.

What do you think? What is beauty? What is the most beautiful thing in the world? What makes beauty possible?

It’s something to think about.