The perception of
beauty is a moral test. Henry David Thoreau
This quote is so short
I nearly breezed right past it. But something about
it caught me and I went back to it. Once. Twice. And
here it is.
Haven't you had a horrible
day - at least one - where everywhere you went, everything
you saw - nothing stood out? Nothing was memorable?
Your entire experience was colored by your own problem
or situation?
Haven't you been with
someone who - no matter what happened or what the surroundings
- never saw anything good or had a kind word for anything
or anyone?
The perception of beauty
is a moral test.
Perception. To percieve
a thing means you must have some focus outside of yourself.
You must be able to see beyond your needs and your thoughts,
and be open to what surrounds you.
To perceive beauty you
must be mentally in tune with what is good and positive.
You notice more beauty when you are happy. Whether you
see beauty, then, is a reflection of the state of your
soul.
The perception of beauty
is a moral test.
And what is beautiful
to you? The stark angle of a concrete building against
the sky? The dewy petals of spring flowers? The morning
trill of a songbird you've already heard a hundred times?
A jet plane at the moment
the wheels leave the ground? A fat, sultry full moon?
A perfectly garnished plate? A logical argument? A two-year-old's
first scribbles? An older relative's well-worn smile?
What is it you call "beauty"?
We are defined by what
we value.
The perception of beauty,
then, is indeed a moral test.
