What is Beautiful?
Beautiful : /ˈbjuːtɪfʊl,ˈbjuːtɪf(ə)l/
As per the first definition in the essential meaning list of Merriam-Webster dictionary online from the results of google search, it reads:
‘ very attractive in a physical way’
and the example goes like:
‘ A beautiful young woman/child ’
Everyone is quite sure this is correct and wonder what is so peculiar about it that you won’t even give it a thought to disagree. After all, something similar is most people’s use case for the word as well. There are also quite a lot of people who use the word to describe anything and everything good they come across (apparently in a world where google can show you as many as 70+ synonyms, some of them being lovely, handsome, good-looking etc). The wrong usage can perhaps be attributed to the lower primary school textbooks which taught us antonyms by putting in that: beautiful is the opposite to anything one feels ugly.
The unknown sense of happiness and the smile that makes its way to our lips at being complimented beautiful is an indication of how much we all have got used to it, though both parties have no definite clue what they are meaning it to be. Have you ever given a thought how this word can be used differently or any other words that can be used in place of this?
Here is a brief on how a teacher taught her student to interpret and understand this word differently. She disagrees to the plain usage of the word as mentioned above. But below is another definition or usages she would like to use.
‘ giving pleasure to the mind or the senses ’
For example,
‘ The scars of her life that she embraces tells what a beautiful person she is ’
She was taught to understand beautiful as a word that could define something pure, brave, giving happiness, reminding kindness when it comes to its usage for describing a person’s quality. These interpretation is not backed up by a research or textbook study. It is just an out of syllabus brain storming between a teacher and her student who followed the thread due to her love for the language, who was encouraged to pen down numerous compositions, who loved to juggle and explore the words.
Her usage of the word beautiful is measured. Her conscious remark to someone who looks charming in an attire or who is good-looking after a makeover is ‘pretty’ or ‘gorgeous’. To comment beautiful, she concluded she needs to get to know the soul, the struggles, the achievements, the sacrifices, the commitments…that must have undergone by the person who receives this verbal compliment.
A lower primary student who stood up in school against bullying is beautiful, for he stood up for a greater cause, reflects courage, sets an example for ones who kept silent due to fear and he is learning what it means to dare and question injustice.
A friend who went that extra mile to offer help is beautiful where a person learns different values of humanity in a single relation. Finding beautiful friends are hard while keeping up the relationship beautiful is the hardest.
A volunteer who took every step to do his duty is beautiful. Volunteering is selfless and requires a greater commitment. A teenager who smiled and willingly offered help for a senior citizen is beautiful. Sincerity and kindness reflects in beautiful people.
As time passed and the complexities around her world grew, more and more qualities were added to the bracket. A person who is fighting/fought with the world to break stereotypes is beautiful. Someone whose eyes shine with dreams and hopes is beautiful. And the one who chases his/her dreams in spite of all odds, the one who raises our hopes by inspiring us, the one who sacrifices for their dear ones, a single parent who strives hard to raise kids, they are all beautiful.
Often, greater causes and gestures came to be marked as beautiful pointing to being open minded and dignified in the acts.
Examples from thesauraus.com:
‘ When the world seems upside down, it’s good to work toward something beautiful ’
‘ Be part of something bigger, be part of something really beautiful ’
In fact attire has no space at all in contributing to the beauty of a person. May be the next time, you want to call a person beautiful, think whether it is really the word you want to use.
May be it is when you see somebody with eyes filled with dreams to conquer, that you want to call him/her beautiful!