Tuesday, January 1, 2008

Beauty Lies in the Eyes...


Ever wondered why just by looking at someone we have never seen before, evokes a spontaneous yet profound feeling of like or dislike, respect or admiration, humor or contempt or just a vague indescribable feeling? Over time, I have realized that it has nothing to do with physical appearances, or the clothing line that one adorns. Although it’s true that “a thing of beauty is joy forever” the reaction can nevertheless be the same… Even the most beautiful face may not be so beautiful to one particular person. The opposite also holds a substantial amount of truth to it; someone with no great features and looks can be the most attractive person we find. What intrigues me is how we judge a person to be handsome or beautiful. Is it their thoughts, their confident demeanor, their body language, or their overall personality? It fascinates me…

We meet so many people on a daily basis. Some can be total strangers and some we’ve created strong bonds with. More often than not however, that very first look and a brief interaction can tell a lot about them. It could also be pure instinct but is our instinct generated through the signal that they send to us? But if that is true then everyone around us would feel the same about them. There would be one homogeneous pattern to it. Rather, we find that what might be beautiful to me may be a subject of total disapproval for someone else. While a painting on the wall that would keep my gaze fixed for a long long time may not even be noticeable by others.

I started wondering, may be this whole analysis or exercise is futile. Beauty doesn't fit into a logical equation. It is natural, visual or emotional but logical? I doubt so. To equate beauty to merely the physical attraction would also be unjustified. There are so many different elements to it. It’s something that reaches out and touches our heart. It’s unique and personal to each individual. It doesn’t matter what signal they are transmitting to us, it depends on how we are processing them, which in turn depends a lot on our own mental makeup. No wonder they said “beauty lies in the eyes of beholder. 

There’s a story behind each individual which in large part shapes their thought pattern reflecting it on their faces. Since there are so many different fragments to it, some of them might touch that sensitive cord of us and some might completely fail to reach us when we come in contact with them giving us that different and wide array of impressions.

I was following the story of Youssif, the 5 year old Iraqi boy who was picked up while playing outside his house and doused on fire making his face completely distorted. A few days ago I saw that the plastic surgery done on him has been very successful and he is fast on the road to recovery. He cheered in excitement to see that he could smile and open his mouth. The things that we take for granted was a cause of major celebration for him. I don’t think I have seen a smile more beautiful than that ever before and a face so full of life.

"It’s not them," I was contemplating, "it’s us!" May be there are no unattractive faces out there. We just look at them differently...

















5 comments:

Anonymous said...

U really use ur wrds very carefully. D things dat we just, even if notice, dnt think much abt, u put dem into wrds very beautifully........Kudos to u!!!
Ujjwala

Anonymous said...

Sorry forgot to say.........

Wish U n Ur Family A Very Happy n Prosperous New Year!!!
Ujjwala

Jyoti said...

Thank you Ujjwala and wish you the same.
May the New Year bring Happiness and Peace in your Life.

Jyoti

Sourabh Pandey said...

beautiful article....

Unknown said...

Happy New Year Everyone!!!

What a wonderful start to a brand new year. Your blog reminds me of the movie "Shallow Hal" that I saw a few years ago.
Just to add my two cents to your contention -
Consider a musical group or a band. It has different players - Guitarists, Percussionist, Bassist, Lead Singer, Chorus, etc. Each of the player is maestro in his or her performance. Nonetheless, I might be attracted towards the riff on the guitar or beats on the percussions, someone might concentrate on the bass or lyrics and still others might be humming to the chorus... the culmination of these performers makes up the group. Yet different components appeal to my taste.

Best Regards.
Rahul Tripathy.