The Nature of Beauty

What is the nature of beauty? We all see things that can touch us, can move our spirits, can motivate our souls, can make our hearts dance - but is there a common theme in what is beautiful?

I ask this while listening to a melody that I would describe as being one of the most beautiful pieces of music I have ever heard... and I wonder... how would you feel if you heard it? For that matter, how will I feel in 5, 10, 15, 20 or more years? Will I still see the same beauty that I see today?

This is also something that I see in people - I hear people say how, so and so was such a beautiful girl that they would have dozens of boys running after them. I look at the same weathered face that once captured the hearts of so many like me, and I wonder. In this chain of thoughts, my selfishness becomes so apparent. Why do I wonder why a person was beautiful when they were young? Why do I wonder if music I find beautiful will always be so? Because I fear change. I fear time. I fear death. These things are not feared (or so I want myself to believe) because they are inherently scary. I fear these things, because I am afraid of doing the 'wrong' thing. I am afraid that in this change, in this process I will lose something incredibly precious. Like the irreversible loss of innocence, losing the ability to appreciate something beautiful is terrible. This is the true crux of the question. Do our tastes change or over time do we simply lose our appreciation for beauty? Does something beautiful become commonplace over the course of our life experiences or does the inherent aesthetic quality I refer to as beauty pass away to nevermore be seen again?

If it goes, if the ability to see things with the same set of eyes is truly forever gone... then I am scared. Because this means that over time, we lose something that is fundamental to being human... this means that we become less human as we grow older. I do see something similar in some ways. I can feel more detached today than I did when I was younger, I can see situations rationally that at one point would elicit a strong emotional response from me. This may be maturity, or it may be the loss of attachment to something in the material world. If this same detachment occurs with our sense of the aesthetic, would we lose our ability to 'see' beauty in this world?

It's something that does bother me... ... until I think of the nature of beauty. Beauty to me is seeing God. Nothing is more beautiful than God... and in the creation it may be possible to participate in the creator. It's a hope, a dream, a prayer... but it's also all I feel we really have. For I do see the fading nature of beauty, whether it fades as a result of time, taste, belief or experiences. Whether beauty becomes diluted or blends - over time, it seems to decrease... but if the true nature of beauty is God, then that means... that means that all we need to do is search - for true beauty, true majesty is in all of creation. It lies in the lifeless object, in the young, vibrancy of youth, in the sweep of colours, in the mournful cry of the flute and in the wrinkles of a grandmother who has seen more smiles and tears than I can imagine.

Cosmopolitanism

I recently had a great opportunity to hear Rizwan Mawani speak on what cosmopolitanism is. I began to think about it, assimilate it and now think I'm ready to write a little bit on what it is and how it affects all of us.

Firstly, cosmopolitanism in this context does not refer to the magazine, not does it refer to being "worldly" or "urban," I refer to it here in the ideological form. Before discussing this, we must set a few premises. Diversity must be recognized as being a fact (which it is for all intents and purposes), our lives, our world, our communities, no matter how homogeneous all express diversity. Having recognized diversity as being a fact of life, we must climb the conceptual ladder to the concept of pluralism. Pluralism is a concept that refers to acceptance of diversity. It is something that is spoken about in the writings and speeches of many renowned figures, including the Aga Khan (IV) and the Dalai Lama. So, diversity is a fact, pluralism is a thought... where does that leave cosmopolitanism (and what is it anyways)?

Cosmopolitanism is an action (and as wikipedia says, an ideology, however, it can be argued that the two are the same here). Cosmopolitanism is putting into action in your everyday life the belief that all human beings are equal. All of us are from the same community and race (the human race - I love cliché’s). So, it is often argued that a person who believes in the ideals behind cosmopolitanism may want a form of world government or have wish for inclusive moral, economic or political relationships between people and nations. This may be true, but I would argue that cosmopolitanism doesn't involve only broad over-arching thoughts such as these. The way in which I see cosmopolitanism is through the lens of daily life. I see a cosmopolitan individual working in their community to actively encourage diversity and its strengths and working to overcome its inherent problems, (diversity is a strength, but it's at times a difficult one to utilize effectively). I see cosmopolitanism as the implementation of pluralism, and thus, in the concept of cosmopolitanism, I see our future.

Our world is wracked with problems, oil spills, energy crises, environmental crises, wars, ideological battles, intolerance, poverty, ignorance and many others, are constant challenges. To face these challenges, all we have is the indomitable human spirit and hope. In cosmopolitanism, I see hope for a brighter future, where ignorance exists, but it doesn't affect how we treat each other. I can be ignorant of your faith, beliefs and values, yet still respect you for being a fellow human being with your own intellect and your own rights. With respect for others and for creation, I see each of us doing our own part to clean up our world and act as vicegerents of God on this Earth, as we were truly meant to be. With a cosmopolitan ethic, I see ideological differences being insignificant, for acceptance of difference would be the norm.

It is my sincerest prayer and hope that this ideology, this action is adopted by all, for in it, I see love.