Seeing as we are: Beauty within & without
The duck, the clouds, and the looking glass
i.
"We do not see things as they are, we see them as we are." — Anaïs Nin
Glass lets the light in. It reveals what's outside, but it also distorts, blurring edges and bending colors. We use glasses to see the world more clearly, but even then, how much do we really see? We often forget that beauty lies not just in what we look at, but in how we look at it. We bring our own stories, our own truths, to everything we see. A lone duck floating on a still pond, a bird flying solo against a backdrop of grey clouds—do you find that beautiful? I do. But maybe it's because I really really like bird or I'm searching for peace? Maybe you see something different. Maybe that's the point.
ii.
"Beauty is in the eye of the beholder." — Margaret Wolfe Hungerford
Our perception of beauty is deeply personal, shaped by who we are and what we've experienced. Some find beauty in a perfectly arranged bookshelf, with polished hardcovers and laminated coffee table books. Others find it in the wild, rimming the edges of nature, chaos could reign but life thrives. We need to see beauty to feel good, to feel like we're part of something larger than ourselves. And so we surround ourselves with it, whether in neat stacks of crockery or in the simple lines of a poem. But I wonder if we're seeing beauty for what it is, or just for what we want it to be?
iii.
"There is beauty in everything, just not everybody sees it." — Confucius
Is it enough to just notice beauty? Or do we need to simmer in it, let it fill us up so that we can feel good, whole, complete? Maybe it's both. Or maybe it's neither. The truth is, beauty is as much about what's inside us as it is about what's outside. We find it in the things that speak to our inner world, that align with the stories we tell ourselves. And in that alignment, we find comfort. But we also find a challenge, a question: are we seeing things as they are, or as we want them to be?
What’s a simple thing you find beautiful that others might not notice?
Thanks for hanging out and picking through my ramblings on beauty. In a world where cat videos reign supreme, you chose to spend a moment here with me, and that’s pretty great.
If my words made you nod, smile, or even roll your eyes in the best way, why not show some love? 🧡
Nature is brimming with poetry, if you just take the time to listen. This 9-page guide offers everything you need to dive into the beauty of nature with a poet’s eye. From choosing the right location to engaging all five senses, this guide will help you unlock the writing potential hidden in leaves, birdsongs, and morning dew. Bonus resources included for even more inspiration!
Mohika, I am a frequent traveller and moving inside and around woods, mountains and other landscapes is my passion with a purpose. Earlier, I used to focus on reaching my destination and used to click some images here and there while on the move. But now I drive or walk in a relaxed way and enjoy every quick or long chirping, rustling of leaves, blowing of breeze and endless offerings of Mother Nature. I follow this practice even when I am stuck in a traffic snarl of a big bustling city. It brings me peace which is inexplicable.
Dear Mohika,thankfully cute kitten videos haven't yet taken over Substack although what's not to like about them?! Yes,the fact you see and love the beauty of the earthly world says good things about you but I think we have to be careful about accepting this ANYTHING IS BEAUTIFUL IF ITS PERCEIVED SO BY THAT ONE PERSON OR GROUP. There has to be a base of undisputed beauty of whatever to go back to. Now I was here in the 1960s,70s,80s...eras of time you will have read about,heard about from family,seen images of. Much of beauty was created in that era but much uglification was injected into our mass public perception. I'll try + be brief but I could write a longer comment than your original post on it. In fact I touched on this in one of my recent ones. I'll just say that in the 1990s there was a great vogue for art photo books of my city,all filled with pictures of litter,graffiti,piles of fly tipped old clothes and domestic items,derelict houses,weeds growing out of walls,and insensate people huddled on the pavements etc. Book after Book. I think the ethos was that if you were an artist with a higher mind you saw beyond superficial prettiness to the truth of reality, - and that was dark and unpleasant. This idea that REALITY is dark,unpleasant,cruel etc has been pushed,well it certainly predates even WW1 in western culture,and I think it is DIABOLICAL in the literal sense of that word.