‘Nothing beautiful is really beautiful. It’s beautiful what I like’, it’s a saying that I heard a long time ago and that I use whenever I have the occasion. Beauty is all about your point of view, your imagination, your way of being.
I won’t be lecturing you about what beauty means. Not at all! Each of us has the right to appreciate the things they see by applying their own values. I have three examples of ugly things that helped me see differently the situations, the things, and the people around me.
First of all, the cemetery. What do you think about when you hear this word? I suppose it’s all about graves and death. The cemetery is an ugly place. My point of view is different. Just imagine a garden full of trees; chestnuts and oaks. Here, in this green place, people who were happy once, have a nice deep sleep. Here and there, on the sideline of the paths are fountains with cold crystalline water, and flowers everywhere. When I was little, my grandpa used to take me with him to clean up the future burial place every autumn. We would remove leaves from the tomb and then walk among the tombs imagining the lives of these people whose pictures we could see on the tombstones. The result of that experience is obvious: I’m not scared of cemeteries. In fact I find them quite beautiful, peaceful and filled with stories.
The second example is Michael Jackson’s „Thriller”. I was very scared when I saw it the first time. Those ugly dead filthy people and the monster that Michael turned into gave me goose bumps. But my dear cousin helped me to look at that video from another perspective. He stood beside me and talked to me about every face that showed up on the screen. He helped me look beyond the camera – I saw the amazing make-up that characters were wearing and the fun in it. In that very moment, another world opened in front of my eyes. Horror movies became a challenge for me. Few manage to scare me now, and when they do it’s all about a ringing phone in the middle of the night or a dog appearing from nowhere. I think horror movies are beautiful!
The third and last example is Carrie Bradshaw (Sarah Jessica Parker). She is my favorite character from ‘Sex and the City’ and she is amazing. ‘She is a rather ugly woman’, people who hear me speak about her usually say. Yes, it’s true, but she is also beautiful whatever they say. And I don’t speak about her soul. No way! It’s all about the attitude, about her taking care of herself. When a woman trusts herself, when she knows her weaknesses and strengths, she knows the secret of being a diva. And Carrie is a diva, for sure! When I look at her, it’s as though an aura is surrounding her. She has that quelque chose that makes me see her beautiful.
There are so many things that, at first sight, are small, useless and ugly. All of these have a special beauty inside of them. You only have to look at them from another perspective. Think about butterflies, diamonds, about an old and dusty photo, about your childhood toy, your first car or your favorite T-shirt in high school. Some would say that these are ugly things, but you know that they are really beautiful.
When you know the story of that ugly thing, when you get close to someone, a pet or an object, you only see the beautiful part. And, eventually, nothing beautiful is really beautiful. It’s beautiful what I like!
Andres
