We live in an age where society attempts to conform to the status quo. We are told that in exchange for beauty we will obtain success and happiness. What we are not told is how much unhappiness we often go through to achieve this unachievable perception of beauty.
The media today is the architect of our perception of "beauty". If you flick through magazines, watch a Bollywood or Hollywood movie or view advertisements - the message of the "body beautiful" flashes in front of us. Through this essentially false expectation, the young usually set out to find their soul mate. We have a situation where guys and dolls will attempt to spend huge amounts of their valuable time preening themselves for the opposite sex. Women probably spend far too much time, money and effort trying to appear "attractive" to the opposite sex. Men tend to resort to the gym for the much desired multiple packs. What is really missing is the effort to develop the person you really are - your heart, your mind and perhaps your soul. Essentially, we probably spend more time trying to be someone else rather than just accepting and developing who we are.
"Beauty is not in the face; beauty is a light in the heart" is a quote by the great Kahlil Gibran and this quote should be in every person's mind. After this has been understood, the path to happiness is often easier. It is important to understand that the stereotypes of beauty results in stigmatisation of those perceived by society as "different". The fact is, there is beauty in the world, and in people. A superficial judgment is probably not the most productive way of creating long term relationships. Relationships, whether they are romantic or platonic is based on a deeper understanding of all facets of that person. So, it is vital for people to learn not to judge a book by its cover. Time is a commodity that appears to be scarce in our busy world of technology, latest trends, career ambitions and chasing numerous ghosts who we believe will lead us to the pot of gold. Time spent with people, understanding them, developing stable long lasting friendships/relationships, is probably the key to future stability.
Each human being is essentially a set of fragile emotions. Unhappiness may happen due to various insecurities caused by the society we live in. Being the black sheep and stigmatised by your own individuality whether you are disfigured, disabled, fat or short results in the great downfalls of society such as unhappiness, loneliness and subsequent fall from the hierarchy of the social ladder. In simple terms humans exhibit"pack like" behaviour and strive to be accepted in the world of unwritten rules. Whether you are in college or the work place or indeed any environment, it's important to have some empathy for people around us who may have fallen into this trap. Friendship is vital in order to achieve emotional stability - and it may indeed prevent losses via suicide, via addiction and numerous other ills that are the product of a dysfunctional society. Many things in a material world are expensive but kindness happens to be free. "The little unremembered acts of kindness and love are the best parts of a person's life" is a quote from William Wordsworth. If you start this when you are young, the future will always be much brighter.
Life is something to be cherished because the world is a beautiful place with many different individuals. It is the individuality of the human being that provides the world with colour. Society will only change if we as human beings change our perceptions of beauty because we are all beautiful - just in different ways.
With thanks to Beauty Redefined for their hard work in trying to make the world a better place.