Have you ever heard of the quote ‘Beauty has no value if it is not loved?'.
Well, I was thinking about it today because my friend Frank has been speaking about it.
I actually have not gotten a clear statement on what exactly he thinks that means, so I have been left to on my own hash it through my mind.
Literally, it seems to say, that without validation externally, the beauty of an object or a person has no real value.
We could start looking at it from a purely physical point of view of monetary value.
That is the easiest way to value something in the material world I think.
And from that perspective, this would make sense.
The more an object is held in regard in the material world, the greater it's worth, so, a pencil in my closet has little to no value, whereas a pencil from the desk of Abraham Lincoln that was used to write his speeches would sell for thousands, if not millions.
A baseball in my closet has pretty much no value, but a baseball caught at the stadium for Jeter's 3,000th hit could be worth up to $250,000.
So the value of an object is ratcheted up based on the interest, the story around that object, not necessarily the object itself.
This is an important clarification, because it is not the pencil itself which creates the value, it is the story in which the object plays a part.
The story of Lincoln and the story of Jeter, that is the real value.
The story is what makes the object special.
Sure, some objects, in and of themselves cost alot to build and in theory would always sell for the same or more money.
But we know that is not true.
We know that homes which were built for hundreds of thousands, or even millions are today worth much less, contributing to one aspect of the economic meltdown that this country is facing.
And of course some objects become valuable because of their scarcity, if diamonds were everywhere like dirt, I doubt they would have much value.
So, back to Frank's quote that beauty has no value if it is not loved.
Does it make sense on the material plane?
I would say yes, because the reason we love something or someone is because of the emotions that they elicit from us.
When something is rare, it is interesting to see it, even inspirational, such as the feats that we see performed at the olympics or a rare piece of art.
This beauty is the result of countless hours of intense practice and dedication.
We love the story of the dedication, of the passion, of that athlete or the work of art, and that adoration so to speak is what gives the person of beauty or the object of beauty it's value.
I think this concept can also be applied to non physical beauty, like the beauty of Mother Theresa for example.
She was held in such high esteem because of her devotion to people who were shunned in their society, the untouchables, the lepers, the poor and indigent.
Again, her beauty revolves not around her physical beauty, but her inner beauty and the story that she created with her thoughts and actions.
So we see that the bottom line is the story that is created by the individual with or without an object.
The other aspect of beauty, is that it must be revealed to be appreciated, right?
If Lincoln told his speeches to the four logged walls of his cabins, no one would know and frankly, no one would care.
There is a public aspect of beauty, where a person goes out into the world, mixes in the world, makes an effort to be heard, either their voice, their thoughts, their art, their music, whatever their passion is.
How does this relate to us?
Most of us are not Lincoln, Mother Theresa or Jeter.
Most of us are not in the public eye so to speak.
Most of us are not genetically gifted with the physical beauty that a model might have or the musical wisdom of a Beethoven.
We are doing our daily lives, working, commuting, stressing over economics, over getting older, over the incessant stream of negative news in the world.
How can we create beauty in our lives?
I am not talking about going on weight watchers to lose weight, I think that pertains more to health which is obviously important.
The question here is about creating beauty in our lives that goes deeper than the scale.
I believe that we have pinpointed the essential element of beauty, which is a story that either entertains us, educates us, inspires us by the accomplishment inherent in the story.
The answer then will have two aspects.
The first is to create a story starting today.
Starting today, create the story of yourself, that which you are most passionate about and that which you can dedicate yourself to.
Whether it be photography, knitting, sports, writing, film, technology, helping children, volunteering, there is most likely something that you are passionate about with which you can create your own story.
The reason you want to be passionate about it and enjoy it, is because you will do it whether or not anyone pays attention.
You do it because you love it.
Others will love it because of your own dedication.
The second aspect of your story is to reveal it.
It has to be known to others besides you.
What if Stan Lee just drew his Marvel comic book characters for himself, without publicizing it.
We would be missing alot of fantastic entertainment which has continued for generations and has even catapulted to the movie screens in your neighborhood.
Do not hide in your room basking in your hobby.
Bring it outside.
This is how to create beauty, meaning how to create a great story, that is meaningful to others because of it's dedication, passion and ability to inspire people to reach for their best.
The emotions that you invest in your story will be felt by those who experience it, whether you did a painting, composed music or wrote a poem.
This is what gives value to your beauty, to your story, when it is recognized and appreciated by others around you.
Not for profit, but because it is your passion, you want to share it with the world, and the world will thank you for sharing your beauty with them because it will inspire them to take action in their own life.
What do you think?
Comments anyone?
Rich is a certified personal trainer-AAPT and the author of 