Life Words Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Life Words - Essay Example In a sense, people create their own realities which are objective as far as the self is concerned. Given the argument that there is no single reality, it is then quite unreasonable for the society to adopt a universal principle – as in the case of beauty. Yet no matter what the argument is, the question would always go back to the importance of beauty itself in the society. Perhaps, it is rooted to the fact that it is in man’s instinct to dwell into pleasure – and the concept of beauty itself draws pleasure. But then again, whose pleasure has to be satisfied? Is it the person possessing the attribute or the one perceiving it from the outside? Perhaps, it works both ways such that what actually gives delight to a person possessing the attribute is being recognized by the other as beautiful. The one who is looking finds beauty desirable while the one who possess beauty wants to be desired. This is how the society works. Unfortunately, someone would always follow so meone else’s standard – and this standard becomes the society’s reality. Nonetheless, if the society would adopt the belief exemplified by the old adage, given that its meaning has been justified by the idea of varying realities, then people would take delight of their own self rather than of the perceptions of others towards them. If this happens, standards set by the society will be broken as people will be beautiful in their own ways. Having established the essence of the phrase, it is now worthwhile to set the argument on why it should be adopted. First, the concept of beauty – at least, in the modern times – is not necessarily a product of shared cultural beliefs and perceptions but of mass media. In today’s society, the concept of beauty is largely influenced by the mass media which dictate people’s standards that are readily accepted without giving a second thought. The media becomes the standard such that it identifies those w ho are blessed with beauty and those who are not. It is actually absurd that it tends to contradict even the nature of humans itself. Products that promise flawless skin, for instance, came only after people are born with genetically acquired freckles – something which is not supposed to be a big deal as it is natural. But then again, just because these products emerge in the market, freckled individuals, are now consider not beautiful. Needless to say, while people struggle to meet the so-called requirements of being beautiful, the big industry makes profits. The second argument is that the notion of beauty being portrayed seems to encompass only the physical attributes of a person. As such, beauty has become superficial. To a large extent, it degrades the essence of being human. Physical appearance is something that people are born with; hence, it does not reflect anything about them – it is merely a product of nature. It is the character and the abilities that refle ct the kind of person someone is. More than anything, a person who aims to be desirable should prove that he or she is more than just a pretty face. While the society remains to be blinded by superficial standards, the physical appearance does not define a person. In relation to the previous argument, another issue is that the concept of beauty leads to false assumptions. Ideally, someone who possesses beauty is assumed to be good in whatever ways. Yet this issue has been settled that physical appearan