Beauty in my perspective is an individual who is internally beautiful and expresses the beauty of caring for others. Someone who is caring puts themselves before others in their lifetime and wants others to achieve success. These individuals express generosity to those around them and spread the beauty of their soul beyond a reasonable measure. Growing up in a small community, you would think beauty would be easily demonstrated. However, the only thing that comes to mind is when they light the center of the town with Christmas lights. The town that I live in comes from wealth and the higher upper-class status. So then, with that concept beauty in my community is having the newest iPhone, car or clothing item. Author, John Armstrong of La Bella Vita, states “To regard beauty as a luxury adornment or a social signifier was to miss the true potential of the experience.” Growing up in the town of Lynnfield, MA the community would overlook the small things in life as they would miss out on the deeper meaning of the item. As they see beauty as owning the biggest house and having the newest and fanciest items on the market. Comparing beauty to these luxurious items prevents the community of Lynnfield to appreciate that beauty of obtaining these objects. Armstrong supports this idea as he acknowledges, “Like many people today, Schiller worried that beauty was too connected to social status. And indeed, many loathsome people own beautiful things, and the possession of these objects does not seem to make them more humans or epically gracious”(5). This is an accurate statement as the community of Lynnfield worries if they have the newest phone, car or clothing item. These individuals compare themselves to those around them and comparing those around you is not the art of beauty. The art of beauty is becoming your own caring person, who wants the best of those around them.
Your image of a lit Christmas tree in an otherwise chilly community is so vivid! What a productive free write!