Authenticity creates natural beauty. As long as you see it for yourself, that is enough because beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Would you rather behold your own beauty and feel beautiful yourself? I would. How empty must it feel to only hear about it from others without believing it yourself? Only you know your true depths and all of the crevices therein. Learn to love them all, and live in your beauty as best as you can.
Should you shield the valleys from the windstorms, you would never see the beauty of their canyons.
-Elisabeth Kübler-Ross
Beauty is not the same for everyone. We each have our own worth and authenticity to explore and embody in order to fully embrace our entire being as the beautiful selves that we can all be. Please ignore any societal standards that do not resonate with your sense of inner beauty. As long as you cultivate your lane confidently, you can choose the contents that create your beauty. We can build our best beauty when we do just that – keep our eyes focused on crafting our own beautiful lane. We do not need to worry about the beauty of our neighbors’ lanes. It is not a competition. Make your lane as aligned and augmented with your authentic beauty as possible while leaving that same responsibility up to everyone else for their own lane. You can enjoy more time with such an approach.
How much time [they] gain who does not look to see what [their] neighbor says or does or thinks, but only at what [they] do [themself], to make it just and holy.
-Marcus Aurelius
Building a beauty that is only skin-deep will not get you very far in life in the long-run. A lifelong beauty is patiently produced with personal traits that you can carry forward with you forever. It is easy to see through a facade once you know how to look at things properly. It is similarly easy to see authentic beauty when it shines forth boldly and proudly from spirited people. Which approach do you believe is better for your lane?
The kind of beauty I want most is the hard-to-get kind that comes from within – strength, courage, dignity.
-Ruby Dee
The beauty that lasts is the beauty that will not fade with age. While it is quite haunting, this reading sent shivers through me the other morning when I read it. I know what I want to see in the end. Can you start formulating a more beautiful result for you as well?
The Persians have such a fable: After death, a soul flew into the sky, and met a terrible woman, a dirty and horrible apparition, with festered sores discharging pus, who was going in the opposite direction. "What are you doing here?" asked the soul. "Who are you?" The terrible woman answered, "I am your deeds."
-Leo Tolstoy
Indeed, you can and will choose to believe what you wish. I sugjest reviewing your deeds to determine if there is sufficient beauty in your actions. How beautiful is your soul?
There is no beauty but the beauty of action.
-Moroccan Proverb
Act beautifully. Live beautifully. Behold beauty everywhere. You have the choice :) <3
Maybe it is wise. Maybe it is dumb. Time will tell.