Beauty

My father used to always say
"Beauty is only skin deep--

but ugly runs all the way through" .....
That statement has stuck with me---it has been my mantra as to the way i try to treat people.
Some of thee most beautiful woman i know are not necessarily what you would call natural beauties or beautiful in the physical sense--but it is their beauty from the inside that exudes and you see past their physical "flaws" to really appreciate their inner beauty.

Beauty is as beauty does.....
Tonight there was a new reality show on that had to do with peoples beauty-- only these people who are on it think it is about their outer beauty- and most of them have failed to cultivate their true inner beauty.

The real sad thing is that when the true intent of the show was explained to the contestants who were eliminated and they still did not get it--that while they were "beautiful" on the outside what they really wanted to see was their inner beauty

“No object is so beautiful that,

under certain conditions,

it will not look ugly."

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.....

I find it interesting and sad on what they value as beauty--
it is purely the physical--and some have altered their god given beauty in hopes of obtaining what the world currently views as beautiful. Years ago(actually more like centuries) in my full figured beauty i would have been considered beautiful--I have always said i am more of a Renaissance woman, but now days thin is in--is a bony figure beautiful? And what about all this "body art" and piercings? Will they still be beautiful after our bodies start to sag....

Truthful words are not beautiful; beautiful words are not truthful. Good words are not persuasive; persuasive words are not good. ---Lao-Tzu
And what about the way we speak to others--some of the things that come out of our mouths are far from beautiful. Wouldn't it be interesting if the words that came out of our mouth had pictures attached to them. What would the things we say to our family look like? Would we think more about the things we said if they were daggers? Or maybe covered in filth? Or what if our language was full of sunshine and flowers? I have heard the phrase "Vomit of the mouth" and while that is a very visual description it does explain what some people have coming out of their mouths. So the question is "What words do we value as beautiful?" and do the things that come out of my/our mouths--do they make us beautiful or ugly?
Have you ever wondered which hurts the most: saying something and wishing you had not,
or saying nothing, and wishing you had?

Do the clothes make the man?

Fashion is what you adopt when you don't know who you are.
~Quentin Crisp

How we choose to cloth ourselves gives the world the opportunity to judge us. While it might not be a fair judgement in how we are assessed our clothing speaks volumes--good or bad.

Clothes can suggest, persuade, connote, insinuate, or indeed lie, and apply subtle pressure while their wearer is speaking frankly and straightforwardly of other matters.
~Anne Hollander

I find it interesting how people put so much value in name brands. Some feel that the more you spend the more it is worth--and while i agree that some things are better made and are more valuable i truly believe a t-shirt is a t-shirt.

Know, first, who you are; and then adorn yourself accordingly.
~Epictetus

Again it does not matter how beautiful you are dressed if what you are covering with those clothes is an inferior product. We need to be the best person we can be on the inside--that is what we will be judged by...

If most of us are ashamed of shabby clothes and shoddy furniture, let us be more ashamed of shabby ideas and shoddy philosophies.... It would be a sad situation if the wrapper were better than the meat wrapped inside it.
~Albert Einstein

I love the fact that i believe/know that I am a daughter of god. It helps me appreciate the blessings i have. I know that my heavenly father loves me know matter what. I was created in his image--he thinks i am beautiful. It is my responsibility to be as beautiful on the inside as he knows i can be.

A Little Princess by Frances Hodgsen Burnett :
"'Whatever comes,' she said, 'cannot alter one thing. If I am a princess in rags and tatters, I can be a princess inside. It would be easy to be a princess if I were dressed in cloth of gold, but it is a great deal more of a triumph to be one all the time when no one knows it.

We need to appreciate the blessings we have been given and be willing to help those who are down on their luck--by thinking of others it makes us more beautiful

I had the blues because I had no shoes until upon the street,
I met a man who had no feet.
---
Ancient Persian Saying

We are all beautiful people--it is up to us to cultivate it in ourselves and each other.I think about the savior---was he what you would consider a beautiful person? I tend to think not. He was born of humble means, no beautiful clothes adorned his body. He lived modestly. Those that were drawn to him did so because of his spirit--the knowledge he had of who he was and what his purpose was here on this earth--he was beautiful--but his beauty came from the inside

If honor be your clothing,
the suit will last a lifetime,
but if clothing be your honor,
it will soon be worn threadbare.
----
William Arnot