Do looks really matter???
There was
once a man who resided in a village that was situated off the beaten path. In
remote locations like these, the folk usually are completely oblivious about
the hustling cities and the thriving populations of different kinds of people.
There was also the lack of an efficient system of information transfer like
televisions and newspapers. But in spite of all that there is one tool which is
omniscient, used extensively and spreads information to the farthest of
locations. The word of mouth. This man happened to hear a lot about the
President of his country, and he was completely captivated by these facts. The
thought of actually meeting the president or for that matter even salvaging a
glimpse of his presence had embodied his mind and had fascinated him. So fuelled
by his determination, he gathered all the money he could muster and set out on
the promenade of experiencing the presence of the president.
With an
outstretched journey involving multiple train rides and bus rides, he finally
arrived at the President’s residence situated in the capital city. As he
disembarked from the bus, he noticed that there was an extensive congregation
that had gathered at the gates of the building. The city dwellers had assembled
to view the President who was about to make an appearance at that very place.
Now this man’s excitement knew no bounds. He would at least get to view the man
he admired the most. He paved his way through the crowd and occupied the front
spot. As he was hanging on to his hat with impatience, he noticed one of the
onlooking city dwellers standing beside him.
He walked
up to him and asked him with intrusiveness, ‘Have you ever seen the President?
How does he look?’
The man
replied with a subtle grimace, ‘Well, he’s not too tall, not too handsome and very
average looking.’
Before the
villager could react to the shocking comment passed by the man, the gates
opened revealing the President who walked towards the villager with the most
amiable and warm smile on his face and shook hands with him. He then asked him
about his origin and his well-being affectionately. As the villager looked at
the President, he thought to himself, who says this man isn’t handsome and who
says he’s average? Someone who is unbiased of social status and can
nonchalantly chat with a simpleton like the villager himself has to have the
most benevolent heart ever!
The
villager interacted with none other than the former president of India who is
also known as the Missile Man of India, Dr A P J Abdul Kalam.
Now I heard
this short story recently and it got me thinking. There were three main
characters, first the villager. The man who was absolutely relentless in his
campaign of achieving his goal of meeting the president and who was also quite
strong-willed and steady minded. This was because any opinion about the
president did not sway his desire of interacting with him. Then there was the
president. The most gracious and kind-hearted soul who had no boundaries of
social status and who could converse with the simplest of people in the most
affectionate manner possible.
But the
character that is most retrospective is the city dweller. A person who not only
was a strong pessimist and petulant, but was also atrociously judgmental. The
one who valued the physical appearance more than the inner immaculateness of the president.
The character looks and sounds loathsome but in reality, most of us
unfortunately pertain to this character
It might
sound false but this is a subtle reality of the modern world. We all are accustomed to judging a person by their physical appearance or by the state of
their façade. Mostly we end up passing minor comments regarding the physical
dimensions or the facial characteristics of others. Now it may seem that
these comments are harmless and it's permissive to give them a nod. But in reality,
such kinds of gestures are extremely supercilious and not only do they exhibit
an authoritative sense of judgment, but they also rid the other person of the
freedom of being oneself and emanating a desire to be what they want instead of
what others demand. And that itself is a horrendous catastrophic situation
because the person is on the receiving end of pain and dejection.
The other
odious practice which has occupied the mind of some individuals is that they
make most attempts to embellish themselves physically may it be using
cosmetics, or any other means. This isn’t really a wrong thing to do. But the
negligence in enhancing one’s inner soul is the reason why it becomes odious.
External beatification is certainly profitable. It makes the person look more
attractive. But then it is always bested by something that is dispassionate to
all and that waits for none, Time. With time, all that external beauty withers
away and the short-lived attractive appearance suddenly vanishes into oblivion
Contrary to
this, inner purity is the actual gemstone that should be sought after. No
matter how attractive a person looks externally, lack of inner purity reduces
him or her to nothing more than an empty void of pretence. If a person is
elegant and stainless in his soul, no matter how attractive the externals are,
time will always be incapable in ridding him or her of that amicable soul that
resides within. A person who is at peace
and is true to the soul internally doesn’t have to be conscious about his or
her façade and is always going to be jovial.
But as an extremely
wise soul has proclaimed, ‘Practice what you preach’. I am certainly not in the
judge’s seat. I’m rather standing with my head bottom-ward. Even I consider
myself, like most people to be guilty of committing the most appalling deed of
commenting about physical aspects of the ones who are dear to me. It was the
most moronic mistake which I now regret doing because unknowingly it might have
supplied dismay to my near and dears. Most people use the curtains of joking behaviour
or nonchalance but in reality, it is absolutely misconstrued practice. This
habit has silently invaded our daily routine and will be a monster of our own making
if we do not wake up to it and alter our words and actions accordingly.
So, I’m
certainly not an expert on human behaviour. But nevertheless, as a conclusion, I
would say this. The real admirability of a person comes from within and
external beautification merely serves as a temporary option. So, each one of us
has got a choice, to emphasize on external looks or our internal soul. Genuinely
the people who choose the latter are extremely out of the ordinary and will
always be an edge over the people who are constantly concerned about external
looks.
Moreover, whenever people pass comments, they tend to believe in a set of parameters of physical dimensions which people need to follow and disregard the ones who don’t. But I have come to realize that such parameters do not exist and each and every individual is unique and solitary in their own way. Only one person can have the command of deciding the perfection of appearance. And that is that very person itself. Extra unnecessary opinions and comments belong to the dustbin
I would like to utilize this post to express a
heartfelt apology to all the people whom I have knowingly or unknowingly
commented upon their physical aspects and caused pain to them. I would also
like to give a huge shout out to all those special people who are unbothered by
physical looks and who prioritize the inner excellence much more than anything!
That was
all for this one. Provide your opinions and feedback in the comments. Will be
appreciated.
A quote for
the end
‘Beauty is
not in the face. Beauty is a light in the heart!’
Signing
off!
Comments
Post a Comment