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Keats quoted, “A thing of beauty is a joy forever”. The
question is what is beauty?
Beauty – whatever abstract thing it is. I know that it is
mainly classified into two – inner beauty & outer beauty.
Inner beauty is virtue, education, behavior, attitude, poise
whereas outer beauty is what we see. As
it’s visible, it’s more dominant and can be easily judged while apprehending
inner beauty requires a great deal of effort and profound knowledge.
So, who has so much time? That’s why we fudge the issue and
assume both to be the same. Simple as that! Why involve in intricacies of this
enigma?
Stark irony is that this ephemeral thing is primordial. Yes,
a good look has been the cusp of goodness and evil since ages. Irrevocable
temperament to look like an angel has always been on the wish list. Living in a
surreal world envisaging a pretty visage is so common.
It’s human tendency to emulate perfection. We try to improve, to obliterate every
possible thing in a maddening way which sometimes seems frightening.
This blooming cosmetic industry is a living proof that we
are so much bothered about it. Face which is just supposed to be an identity to
differentiate one from the other, sometimes changes the true identity of a
person. Life is unimaginably hard for some grotesque faces. An unnecessary inferiority binds them for
which they aren’t even responsible. Humiliation, being mocked even by friends
is usual. Happiness comes for those who learn to be mature enough to ignore
these comments or develop a stoic silence pretending “I don’t care”.
And all these, what we die for is just for a few advantages:
for some attention, envious & aspiring glances, fulsome compliments
etc. Looking good not only gives high
confidence but immense self-esteem as well. You learn to love yourself, seeing
your own image in the mirror conceits. No matter how you actually are but
for some time you keep people enthralled by your facade.
This has taken so much time from our busy life or perhaps it
is a break from monotonous work. It is such a good conversation starter too. Even if you don’t know someone you can easily
begin with a compliment on this. So, however insignificant it may appear, it
has occupied a major part in our life. And, unfortunately nothing can be done
about this. Even if no one says anything it’s indubitably one’s desire to
achieve perfection in something so noticeable.
And this yearning comes in all irrespective of gender, religion, caste
etc.
So, someone rightly said that beauty is a short lived
tyranny.
Suffice to say, I’d like to end it with a couple of famous
lines which says it all
“Beauty is like life itself: a dawn mist
The sun burns off. It
gives no peace, no rest.”
