I do firmly believe that there is beauty in everything and everybody. Those people that make you cringe at the sound of their names, have beauty in them that you can't deny. Someone could be so evil, deceptive, lazy, or think they're bigger than King Kong, but you still can't help but notice the beauty in their face, their eyes, the little things they do, or the way they do things, or made you feel - at some point in time. For an instant, that person emitted beauty and though it isn't there anymore in your eyes, it still can be found deep within them, or experienced by others. Beauty can be translated differently by every single person in the universe. Remember that.Beauty is everywhere. That person next to you, is beautiful because he sings to his plants to woo them when the sun has been hiding out for days, and that person you met yesterday, is beautiful because whenever he walks with his girlfriend on the city streets, he makes sure he's always on the side of traffic in case a stray car should hit. Both these people could have weird fetishes, moods, characteristics, habits...whatever. They could be Satan's children. Yet despite this, there is gold in their hearts, even if it's a flake. There is light in everyone.
For a hellish year, I lived next to this one old man in Santa Monica who hated the world. He rarely left his dimly lit apartment and his walls were stacked with notecards filled with self-affirmation statements like, "I am loved" or "I can make my own decisions". He had thousands of these cards taped all over the place like a mad nut! The irony was, this man was the meanest and most bitter person I had ever met in my life! If I had friends over and we are hanging out on the balcony in the afternoon, mildly talking, and his window is open, this really nasal voice would cut like a blade through the air and tell us, "Be quiet, Children! ".
Children! Talk about Buzzkill, USA. He didn't like the sound of people laughing. It got to a point where neither I or my roommate would step out on the balcony. His voice gave us chills and always came out of nowhere when we least expected it. Nobody liked him at all. It's like he always waited until our vibe would peak, and then he would kick in with his wickedness on beat. Hence, we called him 'The Priest'.
I doubt he was, but he looked and sounded like one -- if that makes any difference nowadays. Yet regardless, the thing that made him beautiful was his love for cats. He had over a thousand of them in his apartment. The only time he left his house was to get more food or to take a couple to the doctor. He was always scanning shelters and ads looking for people giving away cats. He treated them better than humans! This takes us to my main point...
Not a single creature on this earth is perfect. Not a single person on this earth is one-sided. We are all multi-dimensional and no one person can be entirely good or evil. This is all due to our polarities which makes all unique and different. I am no saint and never said I was. I may know a lot about many things that many people don't know about, but some of the most simple things everybody knows, I don't know anything about at all. This is how the EXCEPTION TO EVERY RULE statement came about. Our environments are unpredictable because unfortunately we cannot control them. We are born as blank canvases. Given. But how we grow in these unique and shifting environments is how we evolve to become who we are. So in an essence, I am all that make up who I am. And we all have different factors that come into molding the woodwork that shapes who were are.
Chance, luck, fate, destiny...whatever...is shaping you everyday. You may hate someone for being selfish and backstabbing, but your perspective will change once you break into that person's mind and experience the same experiences they encountered while "becoming". When you understand them via their experiences, you will have compassion for understanding why they do the things they do. Some small occurrence, a bad relationship, something from childhood, something big or something small...whatever...it shaped the person in front of you -- amongst other things. If that person had your life and experienced it from your eyes, MAYBE they would be more like you. Unfortunately, we are all designed with different journeys. So, this is where true tolerance, understanding, and compassion come into the picture. Most of all, forgiveness. Forgiving others for their faults. Forgiving them for making bad decisions, choosing the wrong attitudes or behavior, or falling the wrong way. Forgive people for forgetting the right way. If we can start to forgive people more, no matter who is right or wrong, the world will be a lot less uptight and this reaction will build a rush of love. No matter who is wrong, be the right person. There really is more strength in being the forgiver. In most cases, when you do this and you are friends again with that person, and your perspectives are reflection, you'd be surprised to see the other side willing to admit to their faults and tend to them. Forgive all and remember we are all beautiful.
Shifting environments and our own individual polarities are what makes us, and life, so unpredictable. Now the beautiful side of the situation is this, a predictable person and a predictable life would eventually grow dull and boring. Polarities add different shades and hues to what is expected in standard primary. Environments that don't change in frequency or backdrop would leave us dull and boring. Embrace the beauty around you and don't spend too much time reflecting on the dents and scratches -- either in the world or the people who color it.
And remember, you are amazingly beautiful.
Just be yourself. An original is worth more than a copy.
Suzy Kassem
