Mohd Abbas Abdul Razak, PhD
They say beauty is relative;
a thing that is beautiful to one
may not be appealing to another.
I believe
one has to train one’s eyes
to see beauty.
If not,
we are not going to see beauty
in the world.
People living in every part of the world
have something to showcase
to the rest of the world—
whether it is in the form of artwork,
pottery,
weaving,
food culture,
music and dance,
the manner in which they treat others,
or their traditional costumes.
Besides the beauty
found in every culture of the world,
some people act as spoilers
of the reputation of their people and country.
Travellers of the world
should focus only on the good
in every culture
and ignore the negative aspects of people,
as every nation has
a bunch of spoilers.
God’s beauty in the world of creation
is manifested in the heavens and the earth.
It can be seen
in the blooming of many colourful flowers,
in the rolling waves of the blue ocean,
in the snow-capped mountains,
in the melting of ice,
in the meandering of rivers
through the meadows and valleys,
in the innocent smile of a child,
and in the countless wonders
of flora and fauna.
William Shakespeare was right
when he said,
“Beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder.”
In addition,
there is the often-quoted saying
that beauty is skin deep
and nothing enduring.
What stays in an individual
for a lifetime
is inner beauty.
That beauty is found
in the qualities of the heart
that radiate kindness,
care, compassion,
and love for the entire human race.
Those who possess such noble qualities
are those blessed with a golden heart.
It is similar to the saying,
“Do not judge a book by its cover.”
At times,
external beauty can be deceiving.
Appearance does not always represent
the inner disposition of someone.
Many a time,
people are mesmerized by external beauty
and fall into the trap,
only to regret it at a later time.
Such beauty can be
a sugar coating
to the evil and venom
that hibernate
in an individual.
In one Prophetic Tradition,
it is mentioned that God is beautiful
and loves beauty.
As such,
let us cultivate a beautiful culture,
care for our environment,
nurture beautiful character,
wear our garments neatly,
perform good and beautiful deeds,
and refrain from causing destruction
and spreading chaos
in the wider world.
(The views expressed are those of Dr. Mohd Abbas Abdul Razak from the Department of Fundamental and Interdisciplinary Studies, AHAS KIRKHS, IIUM, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Potret Online).
Diskusi