About Beauty and Ugliness
It all started when I got this email from my friend Peter.
It was a long email string, that we exchanged, in which we discussed the possibility of him visiting us in New Zealand sometime in the next few months.
I will add here some paragraphs from his letter, that brought me to contemplate the subject of BEAUTY and UGLINESS, which I want to explore today.
He said:
"I read in your writings on Facebook [I don't feel the need to call it fishbowl anymore. Facebook IS a wonderful thing], that the Maori men are so gorgeous.
What about the women?
Are they all fat and ugly or something?
Or is it only men living over there?
I mean... how can I consider visiting NZ, even if it is beautiful, if it's going to be just you, Jules, me and a bunch of beautiful young muscular half-naked tattooed Maori warriors?
Does that sound fair to you?
How could I feel inspired there?
I guess I could try...
"Fat" and "ugly" would work for me even... I've never idolized skinny blonde Hollywood types with no ass.
And to quote Penelope Cruz, "... beauty is one's love of life shining through."
For me "ugliness" is nothing more than - fear, anger, and pain - frozen into the window of a person's face.
It isn't a physical thing at all.
It's the sign of a damaged and hurting heart...
So... are there ANY women there AT ALL?
Who might want to be flirted with by a crazy old white man like me?"
Now, his words struck a cord of truth in my heart.
Especially these words:
"Ugliness" is nothing more than fear, anger, and pain - frozen into the window of a person's face.
It isn't a physical thing at all.
It's the sign of a damaged and hurting heart..."
Today' when I sat at a cafe, in Aspen, having my breakfast, I looked around the busy dining room.
There were people from ALL walks of life, right here in the dining room.
Please do not sneer at me....
Yes, I do know that this is glitzy Aspen,..... but this morning, there is an art and craft fair, filled with old hippies, making ceramic.
There is a farmer's market filled with organic growers, Mexicans cleaning tables, leather clad bikers on their weekend rides, cyclists in tight and sexy Lycra, musicians, tourists, Indians, Asians, wealthy old women, trophy wives, athletes, Ex New Yorkers, looking for a cooler summer days, filled with classical music and outdoor living....
Trust me when I say this....... But this morning,... And I do mean it...the 'world' was here.
And I looked around, and contemplated the concepts of "BEAUTY and UGLINESS"
I remembered a funny saying that a guru once said in a lecture.
He said that some things that can be so beautiful in ONE context, can be disgusting in another context.
He gave a good example.
He said that a lover, can get charmed by the beauty of your hair... When it is ON YOUR HEAD....but if he finds ONE, SINGLE hair, in the soup, that you made him for dinner, he will find it revolting.
A person's face / body, is nothing but bones, tendons, muscles, fat, blood, tissues, with skin, stretched around them, encasing it.
What makes this mass look ugly? And another look beautiful?
People carry their pain, fears, traumas, bigoted ideas, limited ideas, with them, in their facial expressions, bodily feature and posture.
When you see a person you resonate with, that your mind translates as "beautiful", what you see is a collection of energetic impulses and messages, that you, automatically translated as desirable and life affirming.
You may be totally wrong, and the person does NOT really carry these qualities in their emotional bodies, but this is how YOU SAW THEM.
You attributed to them these qualities and as a result, you saw them as beautiful.
It is the same with ugliness.
NONE OF IT, IS IN THE PHYSICAL FEATURES.
There is no perfect nose shape, jaw shape, hair type, perfect height, perfect body weight, or perfect body shape.
When we see a person, that we feel is ugly, wee usually feel a negative reaction to their appearance, by reacting with an instinctive repulse, to qualities we think we see in them.
We do not like what we see... And we definitely do not want to see these limitations, develop in us.
Ugliness is translated in our minds as wrong, painful and hurtful ideas, that the person is not able to let go off, and therefor they carry themselves with heaviness, and sadness and anger.
It is usually, a sign of a damage and pain filled person.... Carrying invisible bags filled with wrong ideas that take their toll, on the physical.
Have you ever noticed how a person seems to be younger and appear prettier, when they are happy? Or suddenly is experiencing an AHHA moment?
When they realize something illuminating?
Have you noticed how they seem to be filled with light?
How beautiful they seem? How radiant?
OK, I blabbed enough, and it is time for a second cup of tea.....
I leave you with a thought.... A challenge....... the next time you find yourself quick to judge, for good or for bad, stop and reflect on the nature and patterns of your own mind.
see where you got the ideas you hold and how well they serve you....
And my answer to Peter, was.... of course...... that New Zealand is so full of beautiful woman, that I hope he will find time to weed in the garden (we have an organic weed gardens, in NZ, not a veg garden).
That the woman in NZ, will make his head spin...and that I hope he will make time to write.... And to paint... And to balance his need to connect with people and to flirt.....
But that boy NEVER listens to me anyway......
It was a long email string, that we exchanged, in which we discussed the possibility of him visiting us in New Zealand sometime in the next few months.
I will add here some paragraphs from his letter, that brought me to contemplate the subject of BEAUTY and UGLINESS, which I want to explore today.
He said:
"I read in your writings on Facebook [I don't feel the need to call it fishbowl anymore. Facebook IS a wonderful thing], that the Maori men are so gorgeous.
What about the women?
Are they all fat and ugly or something?
Or is it only men living over there?
I mean... how can I consider visiting NZ, even if it is beautiful, if it's going to be just you, Jules, me and a bunch of beautiful young muscular half-naked tattooed Maori warriors?
Does that sound fair to you?
How could I feel inspired there?
I guess I could try...
"Fat" and "ugly" would work for me even... I've never idolized skinny blonde Hollywood types with no ass.
And to quote Penelope Cruz, "... beauty is one's love of life shining through."
For me "ugliness" is nothing more than - fear, anger, and pain - frozen into the window of a person's face.
It isn't a physical thing at all.
It's the sign of a damaged and hurting heart...
So... are there ANY women there AT ALL?
Who might want to be flirted with by a crazy old white man like me?"
Now, his words struck a cord of truth in my heart.
Especially these words:
"Ugliness" is nothing more than fear, anger, and pain - frozen into the window of a person's face.
It isn't a physical thing at all.
It's the sign of a damaged and hurting heart..."
Today' when I sat at a cafe, in Aspen, having my breakfast, I looked around the busy dining room.
There were people from ALL walks of life, right here in the dining room.
Please do not sneer at me....
Yes, I do know that this is glitzy Aspen,..... but this morning, there is an art and craft fair, filled with old hippies, making ceramic.
There is a farmer's market filled with organic growers, Mexicans cleaning tables, leather clad bikers on their weekend rides, cyclists in tight and sexy Lycra, musicians, tourists, Indians, Asians, wealthy old women, trophy wives, athletes, Ex New Yorkers, looking for a cooler summer days, filled with classical music and outdoor living....
Trust me when I say this....... But this morning,... And I do mean it...the 'world' was here.
And I looked around, and contemplated the concepts of "BEAUTY and UGLINESS"
I remembered a funny saying that a guru once said in a lecture.
He said that some things that can be so beautiful in ONE context, can be disgusting in another context.
He gave a good example.
He said that a lover, can get charmed by the beauty of your hair... When it is ON YOUR HEAD....but if he finds ONE, SINGLE hair, in the soup, that you made him for dinner, he will find it revolting.
A person's face / body, is nothing but bones, tendons, muscles, fat, blood, tissues, with skin, stretched around them, encasing it.
What makes this mass look ugly? And another look beautiful?
People carry their pain, fears, traumas, bigoted ideas, limited ideas, with them, in their facial expressions, bodily feature and posture.
When you see a person you resonate with, that your mind translates as "beautiful", what you see is a collection of energetic impulses and messages, that you, automatically translated as desirable and life affirming.
You may be totally wrong, and the person does NOT really carry these qualities in their emotional bodies, but this is how YOU SAW THEM.
You attributed to them these qualities and as a result, you saw them as beautiful.
It is the same with ugliness.
NONE OF IT, IS IN THE PHYSICAL FEATURES.
There is no perfect nose shape, jaw shape, hair type, perfect height, perfect body weight, or perfect body shape.
When we see a person, that we feel is ugly, wee usually feel a negative reaction to their appearance, by reacting with an instinctive repulse, to qualities we think we see in them.
We do not like what we see... And we definitely do not want to see these limitations, develop in us.
Ugliness is translated in our minds as wrong, painful and hurtful ideas, that the person is not able to let go off, and therefor they carry themselves with heaviness, and sadness and anger.
It is usually, a sign of a damage and pain filled person.... Carrying invisible bags filled with wrong ideas that take their toll, on the physical.
Have you ever noticed how a person seems to be younger and appear prettier, when they are happy? Or suddenly is experiencing an AHHA moment?
When they realize something illuminating?
Have you noticed how they seem to be filled with light?
How beautiful they seem? How radiant?
OK, I blabbed enough, and it is time for a second cup of tea.....
I leave you with a thought.... A challenge....... the next time you find yourself quick to judge, for good or for bad, stop and reflect on the nature and patterns of your own mind.
see where you got the ideas you hold and how well they serve you....
And my answer to Peter, was.... of course...... that New Zealand is so full of beautiful woman, that I hope he will find time to weed in the garden (we have an organic weed gardens, in NZ, not a veg garden).
That the woman in NZ, will make his head spin...and that I hope he will make time to write.... And to paint... And to balance his need to connect with people and to flirt.....
But that boy NEVER listens to me anyway......
