What does real beauty mean to me?
"Beauty is eternity gazing at itself in a mirror. '' ~ Khalil Gibran
Beauty is ambrosia, the elixir of our essence... It is the palette of colors through which an artist paints the canvas of memories, the lyrical pen of a poet through which he perceives the world, the instrument of perennial notes strung into harmony by a musician. It encompasses the myriad hues of urban as well as pastoral lifestyles... From the cobbled boulevards of metropolitan cities to the dusty roads of rustic countryside... beauty has traversed each alley and touched every heart...
"Wisdom is the abstract of the past, but beauty is the promise of the future." ~ Oliver Wendell Holmes
Since the inception of universe, life has metamorphosed tremendously... civilizations have been buried in the sands of time so as to find itself re-erected and rebuilt on the rubble of antiquity. Changes have drastically transformed the face of earth... mysteriously what still remains intact is the presence of beauty... It is something that is immortal and cannot be confined to one person or thing... it is a universal reality. A child's laughter, raindrops on a sunny day, simplicity, mountains and hills wrapped in a blanket of snow, eyes that speak a thousand words, lovers engrossed in conversation near the sea-shore, a mother’s gentle touch, petals and lush foliage moist with dew, the tenderness of a loving embrace, all of these in some way or the other are beautiful. I believe these experiences are awe-inspiring not just for me but for most of the people who find beauty in life's little blessings ...For me, it is all encompassing...not just does it bespeak human language, it also speaks about the excellence of God...Through it we can comprehend our own Utopia, where God exists and reveals himself... It is not just aesthetic and should not be tarnished with vanity. Nor should it be artificial or superficial... It is abstract yet full of vitality...
"Beauty... is the shadow of God on the universe." ~ Gabriela Mistral
Real beauty is not biased; it does not pertain to a person, place or thing. It does not distinguish on the basis of caste, class, gender, colour, genes or race... Even a blind person can see it, a mute person can speak about it and a deaf person can feel it... It is our sensitivity to animate as well as inanimate objects. Physical attributes are after all only attributes, they do not define me, they do not define you. What defines me, you and all of us is beauty that lies within us... It is eternal... like an archaeological artifact, it lies hidden within each one of our souls... ready to be explored, and ready to be excavated... it is the hidden magnetism of mundane things... the extraordinary in the ordinary, defining the personality, perception and perspective of different people...
"Everything has beauty, but not everyone sees it." ~ Confucius
Of all aspects of life it is the only aspect which can be termed as 'sublime'. It is truth, the reality of life... One need not look for it and follow the path of disillusionment...it is in the offing of realization; of being touched, felt and experienced. To me, it is the symbol of love, alter-ego of self, mother of art, offspring of happiness, and the beloved of life itself...
"Never lose an opportunity of seeing anything beautiful, for beauty is God's handwriting. '' - Ralph Waldo Emerson


I have written this post for Yahoo! India and Dove "I Believe in Real Beauty" under the topic "What does real beauty mean to me?"
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