(Observations and thoughts about Beauty)
I. Since the beginning of humanity all societies and groups and even tribes were thinking on the question what beauty really is. Do we have a definition, or a single answer on this subject? No, we only can have so many points of view and opinions of philosophers, sociologists, or fashion experts. To start with, I want to point out something, which people so rarely think about! That`s namely the term “beauty” and “Beautiful”. This word comes from early XIV century and means two things: 1. physical attractiveness, 2. goodness, courtesy;
We can now observe the topic of beauty in the way of division to this two categories. Then we will make conclusion what really beauty means. On the first sight, their meanings are really different from each other. The category “physical attractiveness”, or being pretty, charming, handsome…does it include goodness and courtesy? It could be, it could not. And now lets make one game, what do you imagine when you think of physical attractiveness? Write it down, for example what features do you like in others, for example for a man or a woman. Based on his personal preferences and tastes, based on many other sub-conscious issues, everyone will describe his/ her own different attractive features. Surely they can have something in common, or even to be much different, but whatever the difference exists! That means that the sense of beauty in the first point is: 1. subjective; 2. concrete; This is our first conclusion. Something which is subjective can`t be applied to the general rules or statements, even at all!
Here I want to add something, a statement on which everyone would agree: beauty means a symmetry. Is that truth? To a big extend, yes, but not completely. This is just the majority mind” and there are always exceptions from this rule, because in first place beauty is subjective, means individual. After that I`ll prove from where comes this total individuality. Now to turn attention on symmetry. In wikipedia we read: from Greekσυμμετρία symmetria "agreement in dimensions, due proportion, arrangement")[1] in everyday language refers to a sense of harmonious and beautiful proportion and balance.[2][3] In mathematics, "symmetry" has a more precise definition, that an object is invariant to a transformation, such as reflection but including other transforms too.
Now have in mind the following basic concepts: 1. every single individual on earth is completely different from others, in details (proportions, features, physically and on another level too). 2. every single individual is not absolutely free, because he is subordinate to Time. (in all philosophical aspects). 3. every individual goes through a transformation. (in many levels).
From this basic concepts, which are facts, we can conclude another thing about the “beauty”/ physical attractiveness – in the way of mathematics and logic, because it belongs to the individuals, human beings: 1. beauty has different aspects and features from individual to another. (*comes from the first statement that all we are completely different), 2. beauty is subordinate or under authority of Time …that immediately will mean that “beauty” can`t be constant! 3. beauty is transforming ( changing magnitude).
Until now we have many logical observations about beauty, that will lead us to the final point. Have in mind that the word itself “beauty” is taken as if a constant and a term “out of the time” and out of the reality. In this way, the term “beauty” becomes rather fictional, which is just in our mind and imagination, than something from reality. I could give countless examples, but here I want to be more exact, and not go too wide. One example from life: I saw a very beautiful woman, who is a model, and is example of someone who should be “physically attractive”. She has a “radiation” and luminance of beauty. Now I want to observe two stories about that woman. We can agree that majority of the people will simply “love” her and admire her, she is surrounded by attention of others. That`s fine, but take care, I said majority”! There are always people who are exceptions from the rule, and they wouldn`t fall for her, means to their eyes and mind her “beauty” doesn’t have influence. That means 1. beauty is not equally “influential” for everyone. In other words, this woman may affect on you and may not have the same affect on me. (I think everyone will agree on that). If I see she has nice body and symmetrical proportions, does it mean she can immediately with that has affect on my mind? No, not at all. Here comes something very specific, which is called, as I already mentioned “radiation”, and this is more on level of energies, and in this respect radiation level is more in the second category of beauty “goodness” because its inner, not outer. It`s obvious and a fact, as we said until now: beauty is not a constant (and it can be constant just in our imagination!), beauty is changing, belongs to the physical appearance, it`s subordinate to the Time. (* Take care I say that about just the first category, which is “physical attraction”! we`ll see after that the puzzle and missing pieces).
The story about the woman-model and beauty continue in this direction: I saw the same woman after some years, no matter how many, and she was not so attractive as before. Moreover, I was very impressed in the way I saw her, in very different light than on advertising and posters where she seemed to have “radiation”. She seemed obviously repulsive, on her face was anger and a bad mimics, she was cursing, and on the whole she seemed totally disgusting to me. (I think not just to me, but to the majority of people who could be able to see her). In my mind she had a total transformation: from a “fairy” to a “ugly witch”, the same as in some movies, the devil transforms in a “lovely female” in order to attract men. The two states of this woman are too much different even opposite of each other. You can see the “beauty” transforms herself into a “beast”. Is that real or fictional transformation? I can say, yes the transformation is real, as much as we can observe the affect of it in reality. But the two states of her “beautiful” and “ugly” were actually “fictional” as they are illusions of our mind. Why?
In the most cases when we see a “beautiful” object, it`s really anobject, not subject. We witness only the final result of it, and that’s proven so many times. We are witness just to the final well prepared and wrapped gift with bundle, but we do not see what is inside. That`s what surely is “beauty” in the first sense. It is a package, luxurious wrapping paper, which hides something. Because we don’t know what is that exactly, our imagination makes it to be “good” and precious. The same model woman was never so “beautiful” (even if majority will agree on that), and never so ugly in the second case, but she was just a individual, who is going through transformations. This changes of every human being, are so complex and mixed with many circumstances, as wide range is the life and destiny. Until now, we understood why this physical “beauty” is just wrapping, and cover, and we`ll seek a missing element from the puzzle to make it complete. We are always going in one direction, like the plant, it grows vertically, its stem and branches and leaves grow every year, slowly, but also there is something hidden which is growing without our observation, and that are the roots.
* From what I wrote above, I can conclude that “beauty” as category of “physical attraction” is not a constant in reality, it`s an outer vision of proportion and symmetry, but taken in a “frozen time”, it`s transforming and it`s subordinate to the Time. Then, if we think well, how it exists? Lets now combine these statements with one: “beauty” is constant only in our image of it, it was created from the beginning in our imagination and seeks points in our mind to make its affect. What does it look like? Looks like illusion. And that`s the exact word for me, of what this “beauty” is. Humans are too weak in their development to “see well” and not be blinded by the eyes of emotions and needs. Moreover they are far from being the perfect creature. Even understanding the truth takes many efforts for them, what about improving their abilities.
