What is Beautiful? | Teen Ink

What is Beautiful?

August 10, 2019
By EathenSmith BRONZE, Portland, Oregon
EathenSmith BRONZE, Portland, Oregon
2 articles 0 photos 0 comments

Favorite Quote:
"So We beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past,"- F Scott Fitzgerald.


“SHE WAS BEAUTIFUL, BUT NOT LIKE THOSE GIRLS IN THE MAGAZINES. SHE WAS BEAUTIFUL FOR THE WAY SHE THOUGHT. SHE WAS BEAUTIFUL FOR THE SPARKLE IN HER EYES WHEN SHE TALKED ABOUT SOMETHING SHE LOVED. SHE WAS BEAUTIFUL FOR HER ABILITY TO MAKE OTHER PEOPLE SMILE, EVEN IF SHE WAS SAD. NO, SHE WASN’T BEAUTIFUL FOR SOMETHING AS TEMPORARY AS HER LOOKS. SHE WAS BEAUTIFUL, DEEP DOWN TO HER SOUL.”
Natalie Newman
Post 1: Intro

What does it mean to be this word. How does it bring people to feel, act, maneuver the master status of their personality and personifications in the world. How does it influence our actions? Family, friends, the fraction of individuals who roam about. The teachers, peers, and school staff administration. The people we meet on the street as we walk from or to our next weighted location. The location weights because we stress. No matter, there is something that will happen. There’s a reason you go to the place or you would not be there at all. You wouldn’t be down the

path or up the hill unless there was a God given reason.

It all makes sense. To the world. The whirling wind of thoughts. I felt a tornado in every second of my day. Not to become or balance on one thing, but many. Not one star, the sun, but the galaxy. Galactic super speed into love and hate and how this changed one’s mind of life. I think about life.

Beautiful is an adjective, defined as “ pleasing the senses or mind aesthetically”, or ”of a very high standard; excellent.” Certain synonyms include: attractive, pretty, handsome,  good-looking, nice-looking, pleasing, alluring, as pretty as a picture; lovely, charming, delightful, appealing, engaging,; ravishing, gorgeous, heavenly, stunning, arresting, glamorous, irresistible, bewitching, beguiling; graceful, elegant, exquisite, aesthetic, artistic, decorative, magnificent; drop-dead gorgeous, fanciable, beddable, easy on the eye.

Real beauty is the inside. How you treat people. The choices you make. Pretty is an outside look, but beautiful is the inside in how respectful someone might be. They might be respectful, but sometimes people fail to be respectful. Some people also fail to be beautiful in looks, but if they have a good attitude, it might make them more beautiful.

I gathered interviews over the following question “What is beautiful?”. One person said we have to look at the outside beauty and the inside beauty. Beautiful definitely looks at the life of people with the right mindset, and to make sure they are authentic. Beautiful is anything or anyone you see as positive or as a special memory. This might be someone, money, or a place. A few quotes about this quote include someone that said,” A strong open mind that can learn from their mistakes and a mind that thinks about possibilities.” Someone also said,”Beautiful is a contrast to mundane. Same as the scary. Something that’s beautiful is not normal. It’s interesting to look at because it's different. All beautiful things are different.”

Post 2: World

I first looked at beauty in the world and what might be classified in each section of the world. This started with research into each part of the world. I could have left out parts of the world, but here the major ones that first came to my mind.

Asia’s first result was Quora.com. They stated the first standard of fair skin. Tan skin meant you are poor because you were doing labor in the sun. so the opposite meant you are rich. Cosmetics are used for this. The Second standard is double eyelids. The third standard is being skinny and tall. Gardens were a standard of beauty too.

In the middle east, beautiful is defined by women and music. For animals, the most beautiful animals is the Arabian Oryx, Fire Salamander, sand cat, Arabian leopard, Tree Frog, Caracal, Marbled Polecat, Mountain Gazelle, Syrain Spadefoot, and Red fox. Beautiful is also artwork and mummys.

In Russia, beautiful is defined by the villages and the woman. Red is also a sign of beauty because it symbolizes good and honor. According to the web, the Red square is thought to be named because of communism and Soviet Russia. But originally it came from St. Basil’s cathedral. The Red Corner is also present in every orthodox household. Red is also the color of the blood workers.  Pioneers were children aged 10-14 who wore red scarfs around their necks to school. Red eggs also symbolize Christ’s resurrection during Easter. Red roses say “I love you”. Women’s clothing is also seen as positive and beauty.

In Africa, beautiful is the places and the women and also the Universities and trees. Family and foe would be there too. Morals, morality, and religion would be there too.

Of North America, beautiful is defined as the places and women. Beautiful hospitals also came up in the search. For this, health is definitely beautiful. Not only physical health, but to look good and getting face lifts or breast implants so they can be more beautiful to other people no matter how fake they may be. Butterflies are beautiful. I think for nature butterflies are also a sign of goodluck as well. For music, Elvis is beautiful for his looks, but so is his sound to the ears. His music had good lyrics and his voice was good. College campuses are beautiful. For me beautiful would be the structure of the buildings or the content of the classes one might take. Bees are beautiful, and so are the beaches.

For ourselves, people think their own selves are beautiful. Reality is that we are ugly. If not in the physical form, we are all ugly with the heart in one way or another. Beautiful really is uniqueness. 

From the interviews, I gathered that the culture one comes from determines how people are raised, their values, and their thoughts on specific things. Every country and culture has their own things that make them beautiful or things they see as beautiful. It is also beautiful that the countries we choose to live or see will be places where people have similar beliefs, looks, values, and live the same way as us. Places where we don’t have immediate culture shock everyday we wake up. 

Post 3: Individual

To look at the beauty of an individual, I started with the physical because after all that seems to be what America focuses on most frequently.

I searched on the internet and came across this article ,”The 11 physical features men can’t resist, according to science(They just can’t help themselves.)” by Jessica Leigh Mattern. It stated that attributes men can’t resist include High voice, hair, smiles, less makeup, red, dark strands, tall, boobs, grooming. To look at these women can’t resist in men, I found it to be symmetry, smooth skin, long hair with age, high forehead, a strong brow, a solid jaw, broad shoulders, muscled chest, narrower waist, taller man. It also known apparently that attractive people earn 5% more. And that first impressions mean a lot more.

A beautiful emotion is not of frustration but of hope.

For the individual, balance is beautiful, so one must balance their soul health and body health. Thus I looked at how to eat good so one can have a healthy soul and body. Healthy foods one might approach includes gratitude, appreciation, self love and love of others, laughter, joy, and mindfulness. Unhealthy foods one might approach include self doubt, judgement, fear, anticipation, anger, and hatred.

A second thing I found was titled,”FEED YOUR SOUL eating plan”.  According to this article, the 6 righteous rules include: 1) Do NOT skip meals 2) Eat every 2-3 hours 3) Eat a protein/carb/fat at every meal or snack 4) Eat 2x as many veggies as fruits each day 5) Mix cooked and raw veggies 6) Drink water in between meals. The 6 Deal Breakers(at least for now while healing/losing weight) include 1) Skip flour/grains 2) Skip dairy 3) Skip soy 4) Skip caffeine 5) Skip refined sugar, 6) Skip processed foods.

From Health Harvard, there is a report which says to eat well means to eat healthy. There are many studies for either side. This article states to stay away from processed carbohydrates(added sugars or flour). Aim for things that grew on plants or trees. Add more greens.

From HuffPost: Ways to make soul healthy. Often people who eat soul food have added things to make it taste better, but this really adds a lot of fat and calories that will add up over the years of their lives. This contributes to more weight and higher blood pressures. The solution is first to fill up on vegetables such as cabbage, collards, peas, beans, okra and sweet potatoes. The next is to lighten up on the macaroni and cheese and boost the veggies. Next is to skip the deep fryer. Such solutions for this is to: Dredge fish in crushed nuts or panko, then bake it for a crispy finish. Marinate chicken in citrus for incredible flavor. Try pan-seared chicken with lemon and rosemary or orange and thyme for a flavorful change of pace from typical fried chicken. The next solution is to make meat a part of the meal and not the whole thing. “A part, not the heart”. The last solution for this list is to try fruit for dessert. Bake peaches or blueberries with maple syrup and cinnamon topped with crunchy topping of oats and nuts.

Next I looked at what is beautiful for clothing. This definitely depends for the individual and what their personal preferences are. All I know is that child labor is definetly not beautiful. Local, cheap, and colorful is part of the beauty though. I looked up bible quotes around this issue and found a few key ones. 1 Peter 3:3 says,”Do not let your adorning be external—the braiding of hair and the putting on of gold jewelry, or the clothing you wear—”. Isaiah 3:18 says, ”In that day the Lord will take away the finery of their anklets and headbands and crescents”. Isaiah 3:24 says, ”Instead of fragrance there will be a stench; instead of a belt, a rope; instead of styled hair, baldness; instead of fine clothes, sackcloth; instead of beauty, branding.” 1 Timothy 2:9 says, ”Likewise, I want the women to adorn themselves with respectable apparel, with modesty, and with self-control, not with braided hair or gold or pearls or expensive clothes”. 1 Peter 3:2 says, ”When they see your pure and reverent demeanor.”

From the interviews I gathered that physical beauty was definitely a factor that takes place into everyone’s mind. Beautiful clothing is that which makes someone feel confident in themselves. They dress how they want to without thinking about what other people will think of their outfit. They wear what they want and don’t care. It was also a personality that was a factor into how beautiful someone is. Most characteristics noted was not being a dick, being unique, kind, selfless, respect, loving. A good quote from a response is that,”I believe that everyone is beautiful but I’m not attracted to everyone”. We all are attracted to our own personalized thing based on how we grew up and who we are surrounded by. It was also noted that their personality must be smart and trusting. This is why fashion shouldn’t matter, as long as they dress clean and their personality is good.

Post 4: Education

To look at the beautiful education, I wanted to look at my essay about a great book. I wrote this essay in my class,”What are great books?” that took my freshman year of college. This was my final for the class and I scored an 85%. Sometimes, however, great books are also beautiful books. This has to do to the fact that it is beautiful to be great in sometimes, not all the time though. Here I explain what great books are.


Great books are those young or new, but also those that give a glimpse into new or old ideas and principles that bring us to think about life and the experiences in the past and present, and how we can change our behavior in the future. It can also be something that sells a lot or can be known far and wide.

“The Bible” is my first great book. The bible has immense accuracy and prediction. Tis the oldest, most controversial and critiqued book ever still in existence. Across the world, the bible is read and used by many for multiple base laws and morals in multiple societies and countries. Many parables can be used to get principles from the bible. Several principles include hope, faith in the unknown future, sexuality, moral code, and how we continue in times of trial.

“The Great Gatsby” by F Scott Fitzgerald is my second book. It’s a book that talks about the great american dream. It says if you strive further, work harder, you will make it one day. You keep continuing on in life, you will be something. It also captures how there’s a corrupt side to things in life. Jay Gatsby not only gained his fortune through corrupt ways, but he corrupts his heart too because he wants daisy back and does anything to get daisy. Here we can see Fitzgerald brings a look into the 20’s in America, and how we all strive for the dream.

“Snakes” by Al Young is great because it allows us to see the common struggle of artists and how they deal with money. Each artist goes on in life, whether struggling over the lifestyle and landing a big deal. It further displays a light on the racial atmosphere and how the country was in 1970.

“Christopher Robin”(movie released recently) similarly looks at the struggle, not between the artist and money, but between friends, family, and business. As Christopher Robin always has to go somewhere else, boarding school or work, he always looks to where he leaves. He leaves his character friends to boarding school. Later, he leaves his daughter because he has business. And again leaves his character friends for work. He states,” Dreams don’t come for free. You have to work. Nothing comes from nothing.”. So there’s always a toss up between business, family, and his character friends.

“Nothing to Envy: Ordinary Lives in North Korea” by Barbara Demick displays the reality of life in North Korea. Not only does it give a glimpse image into evil. It shows how people worked together, as well as how selfishness and sacrifice is an essential part of life. But also how we can work together to escape anything.

Beautiful book might have a good cover. But it says something about life. Also, will give action to any generation to do good in the world. Inspire them towards a greater future. Invites them to read more.

To look at the beautiful street education, it is to know how if you leave out politics then there will usually be no arguments with people that believe different politics. Food will usually allow you connect with anyone. Go different places around the world to give you more broad education on life. Expose yourself to other cultures and values.

The beautiful high school education is a difficult thing to talk about. It is difficult to speak about because America sucks at high school education. I wonder why they just keep changing it. Well, I suppose it is because we suck so bad they want to change it to make it better, but indeed we go backward with every change implemented. Horrible budget cuts, horrible budget mistakes. I had this conversation with my friend the other day. They are building new schools everyday and when part of the budget is spending millions on baseball fields and sports facilities, this would be part of the problem. It is a school, and what is school for. School is for education. We should be focused more on the education that whether it’s a turf or not a turf field. Indeed sports is might be a way out, especially for the minorities who live here in America.

Beautiful in the academics is how subjects of academia treat each other. It is also beautiful for how well a teacher or mentee will communicate the subject and break down the subject from complex and hard to simple and easy. It is beautiful to see a teacher break down calculus three to be of the same level as algebra 2. Well, it is also beautiful to see the student go through the process of learning. As we know, to learn something is a process and one goes through many steps over the learning process to reach the Ah-ha moment in whatever subject whether school or life overall.

Beautiful for friends in education includes people that help out with notes and studying for tests. People that share notes when you are gone from a day or a week because you are sick or for whatever reason. It is also friends that contribute to your notes and studying and give extra thought about the subject you may take. It is the friends that have taken the course before and give all their notes from class and how to succeed and get a good grade in the class. If they have advice on the class, or the teacher you may take, or just advice on school overall.

Beauty for extra curriculars includes a mentor that will help you advance in whatever you do and facilitate. However, if you have no mentor, beautiful is an extracurricular that allows you to serve your community or contribute to society in a useful way. A way that will build your character up, but build others up as well. Will teach you about life and give you extra knowledge. Give you something to think about outside of the test in school that you have next tuesday. Beauty for extra curriculars includes volunteering to a community of need, sports, or arts. Others might be considered beautiful, but those are the things I would consider off the top of my head to be “beautiful”.

Technology in the academics should be used for strictly education. Not games like fortnight or watching unuseful videos on youtube. Instead it should be for studying for class, or watching youtube videos on how to get a certain content in your Algebra class. However, we should be allowed to use phones. The teachers that say no phones really do get on every student’s last nerve. It’s because every student should be mature enough to know when and when not to be on their phone. But for teachers to say no phones at all is total BS. My advice for technology is to not be on your phone or technology in general during when class is in session. It’s bad to tell the teacher you don’t care at all about what they are saying. If you can’t pay attention or stay off your phone for two hours then their is a problem with you at that point. Stay off your phone, don’t be rude, and give them your attention. There are pluses to this advice in that it just might be a better class. You will learn more about the class and comprehend the content more easy. And you can be on your phone all night long if you need to be. Which, you probably do not because phones don’t do nothing but allow you to be fake on social media. Why talk to people over social media when you can talk to people face to face or even call them or facetime them. This is the problem with technology, it is all fake and makes every worse every year. Makes our brain more dumb, children less knowledgeable because all they do is stick to their technology. They do not think about what they are learning from school and life overall. They do not think about their social life and interactions with others, or the world around them.

What’s beautiful in college education is cool teachers that give you the easy time in intro classes. Annoying teachers that give you BS class knowledge I could have learned by myself. For real be annoying when I pay for four credits($800) for some simple knowledge that really no one needs to know. Well they might, but I don’t deem it needed, just knowledge that can or can not be on the course load and whether it would be or would not it would not impact the future of the student who took the course load. That is the problem why it is an introductory course, but you get what I am saying here. Beautiful classes are those that contribute to your knowledge foundation and give you something worth knowing. The key knowing things, the gold gems you get or what is beautiful in classes from any school you may attend. The school of high school, college, or the school of hard knock life. Health balance is only beautiful if you stay physically beautiful, but we must focus more on our mental health. College students should gain stress from the amount of work and studying one has to do. College is expensive, and so we often have to balance this with the immense course load we take on every year until we graduate. Breath about it, talk to someone, and give your stress to physical exercise or the arts, or whatever is your significant activity you commit to.

A beautiful life education is from health, work, school, family, and friends. We must balance an education from each of these sectors. And beauty only comes when you continually grow due to significant events or individuals that gather you to learn something or develop a thought about a certain something or someone. These make you more principled as you grow older over life.

From the interviews I gathered how everyone hates school, and people hate high school the most of any school. None of the homework, or the competition about it is fun. It has become so diluted into this life of sink or swim. And if you don’t have good enough grades then you are stupid and don’t fit in. so individuals feel you have to “fit in” in other ways as well. It is a time where free education and having multiple opportunities to grow and learn about everything in the real world. What’s beautiful is an environment that encourages us to be our best selves.

Post 5: Work

Work has many different aspects to it and it starts with the staff. Beautiful is defined by the looks to start. Staff is also beautiful when they are flexible, helpful, and understanding. They don’t just stay on their phone the whole time. They get their work done, and then goof off after their work is complete. 

A beautiful customer is not rude. Someone is patient and treats others how they should be treated. They should bring payments ready, and be understanding of the work staff. This is especially true for fast food considering you were once in the same spot or a spot like it at one point in time. 

Beautiful work is work where it gets easier. People teach you how to do it. Whether for money or volunteering, which you should do both while you are young and hopefully you can when you are older as well. Beautiful work gives you new experiences everyday and these experiences should be those you can take away to another job or give to other people.

Post 6: Religion

The largest religions are Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, Taoism, Sikhism, Judaism and Jainism. Some religions to note are the following:

Atheist: Atheists are people who believe that god or gods are man-made constructs.

Baha'i: One of the youngest of the world's major religions. It was founded by Baha'u'llah in Iran in the 19th century.

Buddhism: A way of living based on the teachings of Siddhartha Gautama. Buddhism is a tradition that focuses on personal spiritual development. Buddhists strive for a deep insight into the true nature of life and do not worship gods or deities.

Candomblé: A religion based on African beliefs, originating in Brazil. Enslaved Africans brought their beliefs with them when they were shipped to Brazil during the slave trade. The name Candomblé means 'dance in honour of the gods'. Practitioners of Candomblé believe in one all powerful God called Oludumaré who is served by lesser deities. These deities are called orixas. (They can also be called voduns and inkices.) There is no concept of good or bad in Candomblé. Each person is only required to fulfil his or her destiny to the fullest, regardless of what that is. Candomblé is an oral tradition and therefore has no holy scriptures.

Christianity: The world's biggest faith, based on the teachings of Jesus Christ. There’s Catholic and Protestant as the two major ones.

Hinduism: A group of faiths rooted in the religious ideas of India.

Islam: Revealed in its final form by the Prophet Muhammad.

Jainism: An ancient philosophy and ethical teaching that originated in India.

Jehovah's Witnesses: A Christian-based evangelistic religious movement.

Judaism: Based around the Jewish people's covenant relationship with God.

Mormonism: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Paganism: Contemporary religions usually based on reverence for nature.

Rastafari: A young religion founded in Jamaica in the 1930s.

Santeria: Afro-Caribbean syncretic religion originating in Cuba.

Shinto: Japanese folk tradition and ritual with no founder or single sacred scripture.

Sikhism: The religion founded by Guru Nanak in India in the 15th Century CE.

Spiritualism: Spiritualists believe in communicating with the spirits of people who have died.

Taoism: An ancient tradition of philosophy and belief rooted in Chinese worldview.

Unitarianism: An open-minded and individualistic approach to religion.

Zoroastrianism: One of the oldest monotheistic faiths, founded by the Prophet Zoroaster.

The difference between these religions is that Some believe in one god, many, none, god is an object on earth, god is within the human body. The difference between religion and society/politics is that the society will be based off a religion, but multiple religions can be within one society if grows to a certain size.

From the interviews, I gathered knowledge that religion builds community. It is beautiful because it is passed down through generations and traditions. Every religion might be beautiful in their own way. And a lot deserve some respect because they devote time to their beliefs. And all should respectful of religion even if they aren’t religious. Some feel religion is for hypocrites.

Post 7: Friends

A beautiful friend is one who supports you. You connect on any level of life, have similar beliefs, values, and characteristics. They know how to support you in academics and emotionally. Friends know how to make you in a good mood when you are down. They make everyday exciting as possible no matter what happens. Friends do not talk bad about you all the time. Friend’s don’t make you mad, sad, worry about life, or make you want to quit.

Through research I found Dale Carnagie’s principles for social influence. His principles were shown to be: 1) Interest in others. 2) Smile 3) Listen 4)Discuss what matters. 5)Make them feel important. In addition, it was noted to build trust one must: Avoid arguments, Admit faults, Connect with core desires, Let others take credit, and have empathy.

According to Calestine Chua, it is beautiful to create meaningful relationships and this done through the following principles: 1) Give vs. receive 2) Similar values and conscious levels 3) Take the first step to know each other. 4) Focus on the positives. See the beauty in them. 5) Let them know you. 6) Open up during down times 7) Be there when they need you: support, empathy, understand, don’t impose. 8) Focus on those who reciprocate your efforts.

Beautiful friends can come differently. For instance, neighborhood friends are different from school friends.  Neighbor friends are those who you play with. Play video games, adventure, travel, have summer bbq’s with. School friends are those who share notes with you. You can tell jokes that are specific for each class. With each class, you look forward to it because this friend is there. And they support you through the ups and downs. You study with or without them, but they really do help. Hopefully they bring up your squad and help you exceed academically.

Best friends versus those who are not best friends is another comparison. You get two or three best friends over time. The rest are people you see from time to time or connect with on social media. Your best friends are those who you text or snapchat more frequently, and you build up so many inside jokes and memories over the years. 

Friends versus friends of friends is another comparison to make. Friends of friends is more awkward unless you hang out more often. But if you don’t, then they’re just people you see around town from time to time.

Social media friends versus those in life is another comparison to make. Social media friends are fake. But it’s a way to make friends if you lack life skills to engage friends. It’s good though, if you can make life friends then add them to social media. You can see what else they do and become more intimate with their life. Talk to them more often and interact more. It gives more depth into the relationship.

According to my interview, all neighbors are friends and social life can be hectic. Social media impacts this and is usually bad for developing a real relationship. Beautiful friends, however, are those who help you with anything, are selfless, and they are there for you no matter what happens. A friend is someone who won’t judge and will always higher your confidence and brings positivity to the mix. One quote read,”

A friend is someone you are happy to be around. You enjoy what they have to say, their company, and want them around because they make you feel good. Neighborhood friends are those you routinely see, but usually you are not that close. You are friends because for just that reason, you are neighbors. School friends are those you meet in school and you guys make a relationship with each other because it means school will be more enjoyable. Some see friends outside of school, but some usually don’t unless you miss them. This is the school friend you have that excites you everytime you see them, every time school starts. They make you enjoy the stress of school. A best friend is someone like a school friend, but you sincerely enjoy giving them your service and time. You get in fights because you know nothing will change between you two. You will always make up in the end. Social media gives everyone the wrong idea because though it makes people seem more special and social, but really everyone’s lonely.

Post 8: Family

A Beautiful family supports you just as a friend would.  A family is not beautiful when you wish to move away. You are bound by blood to stay ahold and live with them until you are 18. You want to move away but just can’t because they are family. Family sticks together through thick and thin. 

Far-fetched family is more fun than nuclear because it allows you to meet new people and learn new experiences in life.

Social media impacts family and how beautiful they are because you see the ugly side of family in their posts when you might not agree with what they are saying. Also, is a good side. Allows you to stay updated with people. Stay updated on what they’re doing. Can text them in a split second. 

To take a look at family we must take a look into our past, present, and future. Our past ancestors and cousins, family can be seen from anyone’s past to be that which helps them see the future vision about life, society, the dream of whichever country you come from. For my family it would be the American Dream, but also it could be the dream that we be not judged based on the color of our skin but the content of our character. Many other dreams come from the fact that area. And if you go so far back, it would be to escape slavery, or just simply for our kids to live a better life than we have lived. More presently, it might also be those who you sit by side, smiling as you enjoy your thanksgiving dinner while watching football or joking about whatever jokes may contain within the walls of wherever you may reside. How many ever may be there, the past memories come up into what happened on one afternoon. The past memories surface to how your cousin used to play football until they got injured or how momma made her own business and worked not only during the week but the weekend too and how that impacted the siblings. The memories surface of the cousins and how they button smashed on the Playstation 2 or played over Grand Theft Auto Vice City or Need for Speed for so many years. Or simply the dreams of an aunt who lived in New York and an uncle who moved across the world or the United States and what his dream had been. Whether it was to stay out of jail, or to become rich, or simply to have a stable job and support his family while being black or mexican. Either way, in any way, the dream holds us every day and money impacts us in every way. Thousands of stories and dreams come from our parents, grandparents, and great grandparents- we just have to sit and listen closely with our ears and hearts. Listen and learn these stories, not only to live better, but change our family, our own selves, and hopefully this will help the world as well.

A beautiful family in the present life would be from a wife for a guy or a husband for a girl. It would be a family that contributes to each other, and they live each day for each other. Despite the arguments they have day in and day out, they love each other and listen to each other on certain arguments. The love goes over the arguments any day of the week. Other family such as siblings, cousins, or aunts and uncles are also beautiful in the fact that they share the family memories and pass down memories from photos, videos, or just orally or written. They share the memories and great tales, and are able to enjoy the holidays together. We are all able to laugh and enjoy time together knowing tomorrow might be our last. Together we have each other as a family and this is a good time because we are here together eating and enjoying each others company as we should be. You get a sense of belonging from each other. You gain a sense that each person from your left to right whether related by blood or not is citizen you can talk to, trust, believe in their story as well because we are all in the same. No hate should be brought because we are all in the same journey.

Into the future, for nephews and nieces, these are beautiful simply because of looks and how small they are. How they grow up so fast, and you see their growth. Their beautiful in almost- no really any form because you enjoy to see what they will do when they grow up. You invest in them and their greatest wishes and wants. They are beautiful because they are family and you wish them very well. 

In my interview, a beautiful family is really family that builds you up and helps you learn and grow as an individual. They build your character, and they also are there for you no matter what. They got your back and you got theirs, and they will not betray you, and will help you when you struggle. You love them forever no matter how crazy and toxic they might be. You might think your life would be better off with some people, but that’s why family isn’t always blood, sometimes it's also really close friends. A beautiful family is a diverse family, where everyone has different looks, acts, money. It’s all family, anyone can be family. Bring love, don’t hurt me, my family, or try to steal or murder from my family and I and you will be straight.

Part 9: Conclusion

From my Grandpa Germanus, he responded in an interview over facebook messenger that:

To write an in-depth article. Someone has said  "beauty is in the Eye of the beholder".That is a relativist definition. For indeed what may be beautiful to you may not be beautiful to me! But in a philosophy of art or in critical approaches to judging literature, drama, poetry, art paintings,  sculpture in the like, there must be objective principles by which we can judge and agree on these things.

Philosophically beauty is defined as the proportion between the parts. Where in art there is a balance between the parts that is pleasing to the eye or to the mind...there you find beauty. In that light critics of poetry can ask and elucidate what elements in a composition, make a good poem. The same question can be asked concerning a good novel, a good drama piece, a good film , a good short story n so on. What criteria do the judges on "America has talent" use to sort out and appreciate the very performances presents on that stage...considering such a wide range of talent ? It's not merely a matter of language , each judge must be able to point out what elements in the performance of this or that gives reason to score a performer high or low! 

From this, we can see beautiful is relative to whoever it may concern. We all have our own opinions in life based on how we grew up and who we have surrounded ourselves with. As the quote pertains to this issue,” we are the average of the five people we surround ourselves with.” and that is so. Our definition of beauty is influenced by where we came from, and who surround ourselves with. It must be different for each person, and therefore we should respect that each individual’s opinion is different. No matter the beauty- no matter if we speak about finances, physical, individual, family or friends, the arts or in education, religion or in the world- beauty has millions of definitions. How we judge and answer the question,”What is Beautiful?”, will determine how we go about in our everyday life and how we handle ourselves in day to day activities and over the long run. It determines who we surround ourselves with. 

Beautiful is defined as a personality trait or a physical trait. Beautiful is something we see as positive, something or someone who we are attracted to because it makes us feel good in the heart. We want to invest into this beauty as it will gives us short or long term joy. In different settings this will differ as in school beauty for me is far different than in a family vacation or a friend outing.

The only question is why might this matter. That is for you to figure out, think about. Analyze. Might it matter because we should always be reanalyzing into what we think is beautiful. Might we want to reconsider how a beautiful country be run, a beautiful business or family be considered. Might we want to reconsider how physical or emotional beauty be defined as. Might we want to consider, to check our own self and how to run our own life. Not to be arrogant, but see how Christ would say to live. We should always be in check, be in thought about things we might change to make ourselves, others, and the world a better place. 

In public and private, I hope to open this thought about what is defined as beautiful. I hope you all would think through what the definition is, what we should keep and what we should change. How this might change the social atmosphere. How this might make our world better with more peace when we confront ourselves into the wrongs that have so long ruined our society.


The author's comments:

What inspired me to write this piece is hearing a lot of talk from family and friends about beauty. I thought it had more to do with who we associate ourselves with an how we feel about relationships, school, work, and our life in general. I thought beauty was a deeper issue than just what a guy or girl might look like in appearance. I hoped people will gain more wisdom about how they operate their lives. People will think more about the social environment they operate in and how they wish it to be. 


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