Piero Ferrucci presents a profound and multidimensional assessment of beauty and its many incarnations, manifestations, and benefits. Here's an excerpt.
"How can we find more beauty in our life?
"There is no general answer, no user manual. Beauty happens when it happens. It is a mystery.
"And yet, we may make the experience of beauty more likely and more meaningful. We cannot say which road to take; we all have a different itinerary. But we can say how and in what spirit to travel.
"Beauty is spontaneous. Like the shape of clouds, the flowers in the fields, a brilliant idea, a flash of lightning. We cannot say beforehand how it will be, and this is just what makes it special. Beauty comes when it will; it is up to us to be ready for it.
"We can remove hindrances. Various blocks can hamper beauty: I don't deserve it, it's a waste of time, there are better things to think about, it is a luxury, I am not capable. It is a question of doing less, not more. Such ideas cost a lot of energy. Less thinking equals more beauty.
"Attention is nourishing. Anything we give our interest to grows and develops. Anything we neglect or ignore atrophies. Attention is like a spotlight on a theater stage. It gives emphasis. The world is what it is, but we provide the accent. We look for beauty, give it our vital interest, create space for it. Then beauty will proliferate for us.
"Beauty is ineffable. It is very hard, if not impossible, to put into words. Compare it with riding a bicycle. When we learn how, we can balance, but how can we describe that feeling? Beauty is difficult to pinpoint, but the more we cultivate it, the more we can find our own way in it.
"Beauty is everywhere. We find it in music, poetry, a face. But we also find it in a wilted flower, moss on an old wall, rusted iron, a concert of croaking frogs.
"A woman tells me: 'When I was a child, my grandmother (whom I loved very much) used to get warm, radiant sunlight in her room. I saw the dust particles floating in the air and illuminated by the sun. I was in ecstasy. It was as though I had seen a miracle. At that moment I knew what beauty was.'
"The world is full of beauty, both hidden and manifest. It is enough to be open, look around, be like a child again. And if we will only give it a little attention, we will find it, we will enjoy it, we will be saved by beauty."
