In the long run, everybody gets tired of witnessing the same realities again and again and again. That’s how life, so to speak, seems boring. Waking up with the same thoughts, living the day with the same thoughts, going to bed with the same thoughts, and the worst part is watching the same thoughts with your eyes tight shut. For a lot of us, there is no break from this ever-consuming swamp. In fact, very few manage to break the mould and carve out a unique story for themselves. That don’t necessarily make them happier—happiness is best pursued, not achieved—but they certainly remind us that there is a way out of this too.
On the flip side, it’s worth arguing that, perhaps, it’s high time we redefined what exactly is meant by beauty. Especially when the entire humankind is deeply invested in it. Not one person out there is allergic to something beautiful. Whatever appeals to our senses; whatever rocks our boat. In a way, we are the most sensible creatures to ever walk this planet. In a way, we are also the dumbest byproduct of evolution. Either side, there is no dearth of beauty in this universe. Just a matter of where you are looking at.
For the purpose of jotting down what the word means to me, let me share some pieces from my experiences. But then, again, one man’s beauty is another man’s vacuum.
When the sun is about to set and all the birds are alarmed, as they rush back to the safety of their nests, and the bats (and fellow nocturnal rockstars) emerge out of their slumber, the sky goes through a theatre of changing palette. For a few minutes, the greatest artwork is on display as your heart struggles to take it all in: once the sun is gone, you’d feel melancholic but that’s a small price you pay for something immensely beautiful.
Being stuck in a traffic can be a gruseome exercise for the person in you who pretends to be patient. Yet, when you spot a toddler in a neighbouring car and s/he smiles at you, you suddenly stop caring about the time you are spending motionless against your wish. That little smile and toothless chuckle instantly makes your day.
One of the many reasons why we must keep in touch with younger generation is because they will dictate our tomorrow. So, keeping them close will help us navigate through our future better. Similarly, an elderly person can walk us through our collective past, or more importantly, remind us how we ended up where we are today. Their wrinkled hands, saggy skin, spectacularly veinless body go perfectly well with what they stand for today: a beautiful vessel of infinite stories.
I don’t know about you but I am fascinated by gorgeous handwriting. Maybe this has something to do with the fact that my handwriting degraded over time. As a result, whenever I see someone pen out like a dream, I am transfixed. Calligraphy has nothing on those who write beautifully—the flow, like a river fully aware of its bends and basins. Fortunately, I’ve always managed to find such gifted folks in my circle.
Winter is not an ideal phase for plant lovers. You can’t grow anything new and the old ones are mostly browning away, and falling apart like cold phoenix. Yet, once in a while, a rebel plant will decide to bloom against all odds and the morning you get up to witness it show off its skills. When this happens, you are prouder than a single parent at a school play.
A person who has nothing to lose is already a winner. A case in point is a city beggar who happens to feed the street dogs. He gets one chapati but he gives away half of it in bits to his furry friends. Since he is well aware of the burden of hunger, he doesn’t think twice about his philantrophy. He gives away so much that he sleeps better than the wealthiest people in his city.
Not everyone looks at the same movie through the same lens. Similarly, not everyone listens to the same song the same way either. We are sentient beings and are prone to add our individual chops to consumption of a content. You may be the sort who is engrossed in the screen and care little about the depth of the dialogues. Similarly, you may be the type who cares about the melody and the beats and give little deference to the lyrics. Well, being a person of words, I am heavily into dialogues and lyrics. And once in a while, I’ll hear a quote from a movie that will make me click the space bar or pause the song on Spotify to confirm what I just heard. Startling pauses.
Quizzing can be stressful, particularly during buzzer rounds. Many a time you blank out despite knowing the answer, and those moments feel like your greatest betrayal against yourself. That said, there are instances during a quiz when you somehow bet on yourself and take a random guess which turns out to be the correct answer. Those incredible moments will never be honoured with a Mona Lisa-ish paintings but they are, nonetheless, damn beautiful.
There are ample reasons to consider Lionel Messi’s case as the finest exponent of football. His all-round skills, coupled by unmatched wit in not only placing opponents’ positions but also predicting their movement during the game, set him apart from his peers. However, if I were to pinpoint his peak beauty, then that has to be his outside-the-box goals. Despite being a relatively tiny man, he makes scoring from a distance—via a free kick or otherwise—so damn easy.
There are times when you need to be heard quietly; there are times when you need to be shut up; there are times when you need to be held by your hand lightly; there are times when you need to be held tightly; there are times when you need to kissed; there are times when you need to be seen; there are times when you need to be validated. When your stars match and all these events unfold exactly when they needed to, splendid moments take birth.
I’ve had the pleasure of good food but what makes food wholesome is the company you have it with. When you have people at the table you are fond of, the many colours in your food are distinct and steam rises to the occassion. One of the simplest joys in the world is sharing food with those you love and those who care about you.
We remember the days when we were unlucky but we seldom reminisce the days we were lucky. Is it fair to suggest that we get lucky as much as we get unlucky? Whatever be the correct statistical answer here, it’s important to note that we seldom remember the many episodes where we were ridiculously lucky. Taking one local train instead of another might have made a massive differnece. One random message on social media might have teared out a whole new world for you. One tap on your shoulder on a busy road might have saved your life. You never know because you never counted your blessings.
Nothing, absolutely nothing, can ever touch the shadow of a mother’s love. She lifts her baby’s chin and makes a silent promise that she will always love him. We can’t be sure about man the baby grows into but the mother stays true to herself. Across all species, there are very few things as beautiful as this bond on this planet.
A farmer’s eyes keep a check on the altering shade of the sky. If it rains when it’s supposed to rain, the soil is going to be thankful. If it rains too much, tragedy is in order. If the clouds refuse to budge at all, there’s going to be spite in the air. When everything is running according to the harvest plan, nobody in the village has any reason to be ugly to each other.
We are sent to school to become a better member of the society. In the process, we are taught a lot of subjects that make us feel adequate. The idea is to prepare us for life ahead. Despite all these concentrated efforts, we aren’t taught to feel beautiful about ourselves. Chances are nobody tells us that we are enough for our journey, or how to accept ourselves for who we are. Thanks to which, we end up aspiring to be somebody else; somebody more successful, somebody more sorted, somebody more appealing. This could be why the literacy/education system has a long way to go to help us understand that physical beauty is a matter of perspective, and nobody should be able to make us feel like we lack something we weren’t meant to possess in the first place.
Amazingly simple and beautiful writing. You always brings new themes and ideas about life which I didn't knew. Thanks and best wishes.