Among my favorite courses at the University of Central Arkansas in 1970 was a Philosophy 101 class with Dr. Patrick Murray, who would later leave the academy to become an Episcopal priest.
He was a gentle and brilliant man perfectly suited to lead congregations and students in metaphysical matters. Dr. Murray made me reflect on life for the first time as a young adult, the mark of a born teacher.
One lecture in particular forever etched in my tiny brain was the hour he spent exploring what in the human psyche distinguishes what our species considers universally beautiful from what is not, and why.
What is it inside of us when we see the world that makes most of us humans accept that butterflies are more beautiful than grasshoppers? Why are so many repelled by a stick insect with its toothy shape? Why was Paul Newman’s face universally considered more beautiful than Karl Malden’s? Why are roses and cardinals widely considered beautiful but dandelions and buzzards not so much?
Why do humans hold beauty pageants? What is it about something that makes us see it beautiful and others simple or ugly?
We arrive in this strange world as blurs, but apparently pre-programmed with some hidden (a priori) concept about the difference between what we observe as attractive or ugly, most often based on the appearance of its most superficial layer.
What does it imply to determine at first sight such a marked difference? Is it the symmetry, the balance, the hair color, the bigger eyes, the sex appeal? All those? Why is it inherent in our nature to even distinguish between them?
Humans are definitely prone to making such determinations based on initial impressions. We are likely to walk into a room and see a person whose appearance instantly strikes us and those around us as very attractive (some might call it a crush), while another person standing next to them does not reflect the same attractiveness. external.
However, our closest friend might find the one next to them attractive. So as individuals we can, and do, distinguish our preferences, especially as we gain deeper insight with maturity.
In that sense, beauty over time often comes to exist in the eye of the beholder, developing into an insightful, emotional, and intellectual attraction to someone beyond its outer shell.
However, there are undeniable universal traits that supposedly define classic beauty in humans to the point where we hold “beauty” pageants designed to crown those we traditionally consider the most attractive.
Defining deeper forms of what is beautiful beyond the superficial makes things a bit complicated and confusing.
The ancient Greeks believed that beauty was not a matter of personal taste. Aristotle said that it could be physically measured. In “Metaphysics” he wrote that he saw the primary forms of what we consider beauty as order, symmetry and definition, which, he added, mathematics demonstrates to a special degree.
In other words, if the space is balanced on the face of a person, a plant, an insect, or whatever, we tend to see them as more attractive. Therefore, most of our species naturally appreciate large, perfectly spaced eyes, a symmetrical and correctly sized nose, a prominent jawline, all framed by flowing hair.
Once again, I come back to why we are connected that way. When, where and why did we learn those particular aspects that even matter in our perception of others?
The same is true of the human body and why some people have one, others enjoy ogling, even envying, and others not so much.
When it comes to so-called “beautiful people,” an issue for me has always been who is the person beneath their outermost layer.
We’ve all known those who, while initially looking more attractive on the outside, turned away when we peeked under the hood. Some of the most devious and manipulative people I have ever met (men and women) continually successfully use their universally pleasing appearance to serve their own agendas.
Human animals as a whole can learn quite quickly how all too often what initially appears to be beautiful ends up, as we mature, becoming unattractive.
On the contrary, over the years I have discovered that some people who would not be considered universally beautiful on the outside are, in fact, the most beautiful of all when they possess intangible qualities such as kindness, personality, sincerity, respect mutual, loyalty, is considered the sense of humor and intelligence.
The thinking people among us realize that the most meaningful relationships that last are not based on outer beauty but rather deep beneath the outermost layer of a human being. Sometimes, for many, that revelation can take a while.
Now go out into the world and treat everyone you meet exactly how you want to be treated (regardless of how your nose is placed on your face).
Mike Masterson is a longtime Arkansas journalist, former editor of three Arkansas daily newspapers and director of the master’s program in journalism at The Ohio State University. Send an email to [email protected]
Source: news.google.com