Last night, I watched the above intriguing BBC film called "Why Beauty Matters," based on an essay written by Roger Scruton. To give a short synopsis, he gives the compelling argument that while beauty seems to be of no use- it cannot function like technology to make our lives tangibly easier, it is something we have a great craving for, but is deeply being desecrated in our modern society.
What is beauty:
They say that beauty is in the eye of the beholder....sometimes. Beauty is both subjective and objective. It's subjective because we all have unique preferences, and while one thing can bring someone to tears, it can have absolutely no effect on another. It is however objective in the way how things can be generally appeasing to the eye, whether it be symmetrical faces, cultural standards of fitness, harmonious colors, or well ordered or accurately it depicts nature.
The things we call beautiful are only representations of beauty. I believe that the essence of beauty can only be experienced and felt. Perhaps there is no adequate English word to describe the feeling of beauty, or perhaps it is a mix of many different emotions. We all know what is beautiful when we experience it: a beautiful face that captivates our attention, a natural landscape where sunlight hits the leaves dancing in the wind, a culinary dish that stimulates the tiny taste receptors on our tongue, a sorrowful melody, a warm caress of a loved one, or even an idea that comes into our minds in the middle of the night which inspires us.
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| Butterflies poised at the edge of the waterfall at Ricketts Glenn State Park |
When we experience beauty, something within us is stimulated and we feel a set of emotions, which could range from happiness to sadness, nostalgia for the past or shining hope of the future. It renders us speechless as we let these feelings wash over us, and gently dwell in their transitory presence. Perhaps in the end, we feel reverence, connection with something greater than ourselves but also a part of us, and we are changed for the better mentally, emotionally, and spiritually.
The importance of beauty:
Yes, beauty may not be of any use or value in the conventional sense, as was pointed out in the film. I also held this thought about those who pursued physical beauty before. In middle school, I remember a girl I saw putting on makeup right before gym class. She had to make sure her skin would not shine with perspiration, eyelashes thick with mascara, and hair neatly brushed as though she were going to dinner, not out on the 80 degree blacktop to play tag football. As a child, the only kind of "beauty" that anyone talked about was physical, and for me, it seemed pointless. Running around would surely mess up her efforts, and would not increase her performance during the game. What's the use of looking good if you didn't have any intellect or skill? What's the use of dressing well if you weren't competent at the job you applied? Yet, I did not realize how narrow my view of what "beauty" was.
I took a class called "Classical Chinese Thought" where we studied several different ancient Chinese philosophers like Confucius, Mencius, Sun Tzu (author of "The Art of War"), and Mo Zi, and I remembering learning that Mo Zi was completely against a category of activities he considered to be "frivolities" that would detract from human efficiency and a powerful nation. Thus, he wanted to ban the arts, especially music, dance, painting, and rituals.
But Mo Zi was wrong to say that engaging in beautiful activities and creating beauty was useless. Rituals have had a profound influence on human life, in cultures all across the world. You may ask what does worship function. Well it feeds the soul.
Yes, beauty may not be of any use or value in the conventional sense, as was pointed out in the film. I also held this thought about those who pursued physical beauty before. In middle school, I remember a girl I saw putting on makeup right before gym class. She had to make sure her skin would not shine with perspiration, eyelashes thick with mascara, and hair neatly brushed as though she were going to dinner, not out on the 80 degree blacktop to play tag football. As a child, the only kind of "beauty" that anyone talked about was physical, and for me, it seemed pointless. Running around would surely mess up her efforts, and would not increase her performance during the game. What's the use of looking good if you didn't have any intellect or skill? What's the use of dressing well if you weren't competent at the job you applied? Yet, I did not realize how narrow my view of what "beauty" was.
I took a class called "Classical Chinese Thought" where we studied several different ancient Chinese philosophers like Confucius, Mencius, Sun Tzu (author of "The Art of War"), and Mo Zi, and I remembering learning that Mo Zi was completely against a category of activities he considered to be "frivolities" that would detract from human efficiency and a powerful nation. Thus, he wanted to ban the arts, especially music, dance, painting, and rituals.
But Mo Zi was wrong to say that engaging in beautiful activities and creating beauty was useless. Rituals have had a profound influence on human life, in cultures all across the world. You may ask what does worship function. Well it feeds the soul.
In the film, Scruton points out that "human life is full of chaos and suffering and the remedy is beauty". It can transform the inevitability and seemingly senselessness of death (in all its different forms) to something meaningful.
"If we lose beauty, we will lose the meaning of life."- Scruton
For example, slow sad melodies can help us sort our emotions and even release what we feel. This is because we recognize the emotion that is transmitted through the music as something we feel and what others must feel. It binds humanity together and says, "look, you're not alone." We begin to truly understand that death is integral to life, that nature has its own set of laws that we are both bound by and liberated by.
"If we lose beauty, we will lose the meaning of life."- Scruton
Has anyone read "Man's search for Meaning?" The author argues that humans need meaning in order to continue living. What about those people who believe that life
has no meaning? Well, they can squander time, do drugs, and indulge in base pleasures. After all, there should be no spiritual repercussions from these actions, since they don't believe in religion. But spiritual does not mean religious either. Spiritual is divine, is nature, and even transcends the boundaries of religion. And above all, people's indulgence in base desires are even symptoms of spiritual need, but because they have no faith in something greater, they seek to fill that gap through earthly and physical pleasures.
They believe that it is freedom, but it still it is
not. They are still a cog in the wheel, rebellious against society for sure, but they have not transcended. What
is the point of transcendence? It''s following a greater desire that you understand when you are truly in touch with yourself. Why do we pursue what we pursue? Simply because. Just as the flowers who grow towards the sun, do not ask why, we too are drawn to something divine, which is expressed through the beautiful.
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