A thought on beauty
The word beauty is overloaded: it’s used to describe both “outer beauty” and “inner beauty.” Inner beauty is pretty much an unobjectionable idea. Of course we all want to be good people! But why does inner beauty have to have any relationship to outer beauty? C.f. quotes about “true beauty comes from within.” Even if outer beauty does reflect inner beauty, I don’t understand why the relationship is drawn at all, other than the fact that the two ideas happen to share a common word! This is also why I find messages like “strong is beautiful,” “skinny is beautiful,” etc. so problematic. Although well-meaning (whatever that counts for!), in an attempt at inclusivity, they reinforce the idea that outer beauty—rather than inner beauty—is something that should be universally sought.
Hey Julia, I'd be interested in hearing more about your experience in Monastery, since I'm considering that myself.
ReplyDeleteI'd go immediately, but I find it challenging to let go of my work. I cannot find your contact info anywhere.
Best wishes,
Matej
Hi Matej! We just got out of a silent retreat this morning. I would love to talk to you more about my experience here and to help you. You can reach out to me at kishin (at) cml (dot) me
Delete