Beauty

Roses are prettier in the garden. Why do we covet their beauty, cut and stick them right smack in the midst of the chaos of our daily lives? There they sit longing for days out in the open under the warm glow of the sun; until slowly the petals brown and fall off with a sigh.

Chimpanzees are happier, freer in the jungle. But we are amazed by their wit, their strength, and their fascinating looks; so we take them out of their homes in the guise of giving them “a better life”. After all, animals in captivity live longer than those in the wild. Who wouldn’t willingly give up their freedom in exchange for a few more years in ones lifespan? Surely, the chimp in that Cebu Safari inside an enormous glass cage sitting under the sweltering sun to entertain people who’d like to gawk at him eating a banana is better off than one who sleeps under a canopy of stars and the milky way in an African wilderness. Surely, being fed five times a day and not having to worry about predators at night is a good trade-off. Surely, we’d want to be that chimp. Right?

We take trees out of the woods and put tinsel on them because they look pretty at Christmas. If we could harvest the stars, catch every meteorite, or pluck the moon off the sky we would do it. If we could bottle someone’s laugh, pocket their smiles, and put their fragrance in a box, we would do so, wouldn’t we?

There is something about beauty that calls to us and we desire to possess it. We’re like moths drawn to the fire or Icarus to the sun in the presence of it. Why is that? Could it be that the beauty in us recognizes the beauty in another? Or is it because we crave anything that makes us happy?

I have no answer to this. All I know is that I’d rather we leave the roses in the garden, the chimps in the wild, the trees in the forest, the moon and stars in the sky, and you... free to laugh and smile as you please.