Beauty Will Save The World

“Beauty will save the world,” Dostoevsky tells us.   

That line, I believe speaks volumes of truth.

But what happened to beauty?

Where has it gone?

If you've ever seen the film, 'The Grinch,' you might remember the scene where one of the main protagonist’s, Cindy Lou - observing a moral predicament in her home of Whoville, finds herself torn between two worlds of what Christmas is, and what it should be. Pensively and longingly, she stares out of her window and in an attempt to find an answer begins asking the question through her melody, ‘where are you Christmas?’ You can feel the angst in her heart, as though her intonement might elicit some forgotten virtue. There was something she yearned for - it was missing - and she knew she needed to salvage it. And so - I too - find myself in somewhat of a similar predicament, contemplating and lulling ardently out of the window of today’s culture; yearning for the beauty that once was, and asking myself, where are you beauty? 

Since the 20th Century, beauty stopped being important. It took a back seat and was replaced with ugly, soulless architectural buildings, barren streetscapes, raucous music, rapacious fast fashion, a proliferation of fast food - microwavable - overly processed, and overly packaged. It is being replaced by millions of copies of poorly written books; such as 50 shades of grey, which acquire no substance, no beauty - but brands and profits itself on the opposite of beauty; which is lust. I am still baffled that this "book" has sold more copies than J. RR Tolkien's Masterpiece, The Lord of The Rings.  

So, what on earth happened? 

This question has been mulling over my mind for quite some time, and the more I try and reconcile my ideas, the more my thought process leads me to believe that it may have something to do with the de-Hellinisation of our culture. It appears, as though, we are slowly letting go of the best gift the Greeks have given us, namely: Greek Culture and Philosophy. This indeed, had been the driving force that helped shape Western Civilisation over the Centuries and paved the way for some of the most beautiful periods we have ever seen in history, namely: The Renaissance. 

But what does beauty have to do with Greek philosophy? According to Joseph Ratzinger, 'the aim of philosophy is to question, not for the sake of questioning, but in order to arrive at an answer.' And so, the great Philosophers of Antiquity did what they did best and they questioned. They grappled and tackled and wrestled with ideas. They moulded, and shaped, and pulled them apart, and then put them back together. They reasoned. They used critical methodologies. They thought - things - out. Our existence, in particular, was a subject matter that was of great interest - and, indeed, took great precedence in some of these great minds. Borne out of this play of ideas was something they proposed called the three transcendental properties of being: Beauty, Truth & Goodness. These three, they proclaim, describe the three fundamental principles of actuality - for wherever there is being; therein lies the three transcendentals.  

Peter Kreeft, in his essay on Truth, Goodness & Beauty, writes, “they are the three things we all need, and need absolutely, and know we need; truth relates to the mind, goodness to the will, and beauty to the heart, feelings, desires, or imagination." And I couldn’t agree with him more. We place so much value on utility, but forget that we are not just physical, but are also metaphysical beings. We all harbour a deep desire to have our souls nourished, and the pathway to that, I believe, is through the three transcendentals of being, namely: beauty. Roger Scruton, in his documentary “Why Beauty Matters,” comments on the importance of the three transcendentals and the devastating effects on our culture at large when we divorce, or indeed, stray away from the path of knowing, “It is an ancient view that truth, goodness, and beauty cannot, in the end, conflict. Maybe the degeneration of beauty into kitsch comes precisely from the postmodern loss of truthfulness, and with the loss of moral direction.”  

Like the other transcendentals, beauty - in particular, has the ability to bring joy, happiness and a deep human fulfillment. Joseph Ratzinger sums up the importance of beauty in his Address to Artists, 'Authentic beauty… unlocks the yearning of the human heart, the profound desire to know, to love, to go towards the Other, to reach for the Beyond. If we acknowledge that beauty touches us intimately, that it wounds us, that it opens our eyes, then we rediscover the joy of seeing, of being able to grasp the profound meaning of our existence, the Mystery of which we are part.' 

Beauty is important. Beauty is so powerful. Beauty is so valuable. It is mysterious. It shows us the ideal. It is a vision of the potential future. It would ennoble us. Beauty, as Plato says, 'can educate our souls.' It is the proper dwelling place for an enlightened consciousness; and we ignore it at our spiritual and economic peril. It is my persuasion that beauty will pave the way for Truth and Goodness, and this - I believe, is a serious business that has potential to save the world.  

I have only scraped at the surface of the importance of this forgotten thing that we call beauty... so, stay tuned for part two. Until then, I would encourage you to do something serious… go experience something beautiful! 

If you’re stuck, C.S Lewis makes a great recommendation. He suggests, “Here are beauties which pierce like swords or burn like cold iron. Here is a book which will break your heart." [on Lord of the Rings]” 

Ps. The below picture was taken during a LOTR tour I did whilst visiting Middle Earth - beautiful, right? ;) 

Cover Image Credit: academia.org