Reflections for a Better Life
by
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The Value of Beauty
People often oppose beauty to utility, as if these concepts are somehow at odds with each other. But isn’t it actually the case that beautiful things can be useful, and moreover, that beauty itself is eminently useful? Truly, beauty has tremendous value, even inestimable value. Beauty adds joy and poignancy to our sometimes dreary lives, and pretending that we can live without beauty is like pretending that we can live without love. Indeed, we would live hopelessly dreary, impoverished lives without love or beauty, and without these most essential things we wither and dry out, as it were. Another way in which beauty has value is in the way that it inspires the “better angels of our nature.” One of the best ways to humanize and civilize people is by exposing them to beauty, either through the arts or the natural world. Beauty is not just the province of the arts. Science itself can be beautiful, for instance, in the elegance of an incisive explanation. And finally, we should remember that when it comes to people, there is something more important than physical beauty, and that is moral and spiritual beauty. So look for beauty everywhere, and cultivate it within yourself. You might be surprised where it turns up, and how it will enrich your life. As Ralph Waldo Emerson rightly noted, “Though we travel the world over to find the beautiful we must carry it with us or we find it not.”
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About the Book
Reflections for a Better Life grew out of a desire to answer questions about the relevance of the biblical message to modern life, and particularly, how to live a better life. Although most of them are exhortatory, many are simply meditations on common themes and are meant to be thought- and action-provoking, rather than authoritative pronouncements on faith or morals. Like the Bible itself, they are often meant to call the reader him- or herself into question and to facilitate reflections on one’s life and one’s relationship to God.
About the Author
Christopher Perry holds a Ph.D. in Philosophy from Vanderbilt University. His longstanding interest in how philosophy and religion can work together to promote a happier and more meaningful life inspired him to pen “Brief Reflections for a Better Life.” The author lives and works in Nashville, Tennessee where he teaches Personal and Professional Development.