A Note From Dr. Beverly Nelson, Director
What does the word ‘beautiful’ mean to you?
For me, it has little to do with aesthetics and more to do with how something or someone makes me feel. Let’s take a very common example: when somebody says: “life is beautiful”; most people adopt a cynical standpoint and think that this person is either shallow, naive or self-centered. We forget that; even if we are going through extremely tough times there is so much more to the world than what we are experiencing.
Beauty is not something that we can find already made by somebody else like some product on a shelf. It is joy, awe, surprise and amazement. It is that element that doesn’t quite exist until we perceive it. It’s also not just found in flowers, puppies and pleasant music – the most satisfying and life-changing kind of beauty is the one we find in unexpected situations and places. It is sheer joy, pure amazement, and it is wonderful to behold.
Every single situation, place or person is beautiful. The beauty of a problem, for instance, is that no matter if you can’t find a solution; you will always learn at least one valuable lesson from it. The beauty of a conflictive, difficult person is that he/she will teach you how to become a better and more understanding person and maybe, if you look deeper, you will be able to break the barriers and discover things you wouldn’t have imagined about that person and/or yourself. The beauty of a challenge is that, if you meet it, giving it your best, you will never come out of it as a loser.
There is beauty everywhere. We must learn to see with more than our eyes.