On Beauty

I have, for as long as I can remember, been haunted by beauty. I mean that, my mind and heart are consumed by questions like what makes a creation (human or divine) beautiful, why do I deem something as beautiful, and does that mean it is perfect, or good, or useful, or can it just be beautiful? If something is good, is it beautiful? The Greeks have thought long and hard about this stuff too, so I'm definitely not an original.

Then, understand that I leaped upon finding this essay. It adequately tackles the connections or relations between the idea of beauty and God, something I've wanted to explore further. The author opens by challenging the notion that "beauty is in the eye of the beholder," which I've always felt is - not entirely, but - somewhat bunk. And then it goes on to defend exactly why I think it's somewhat bunk, in a much superior manner than I can ever do. It basically summarizes something I've come to believe (after reading much on the topic) that beauty is a signpost to the ultimate Creator, it suggests and reveals His character, as it provokes and uncovers our longing for Him. While cultures and epochs may not agree as to what constitutes beauty (this is whole other essay, perhaps), the function of and reaction to beauty is the same throughout.

My friend has a song in which she sings, "I am beautiful, because you are beautiful." The "you" there is God, and I think that line (both the lyric and the music) is beautiful, because, something in me (and probably in you, too) wants to desperately believe it, even though it is hard to prove. A beautiful creation, like the Grand Canyon or the Sistine Chapel, might convince, a la it hits you over the head with the truth; but I submit that more likely than not, like line from a song, it lures, it appeals, it tingles. It echoes our souls.

There is definitely more to the topic than this, so pardon my careless treatment of it here, and just enjoy the essay.