TLDR:

(too long, didn’t read)

• Reflecting on philosophical definitions of beauty, I delve into the conscious cultivation of personal beauty, recognizing it as an act of self-determination.

• Despite the allure of conforming to external pressures, I share my journey of grappling with societal issues and the discomfort of advocating for change.

• Transitioning from despair to action, I embraced the mantra of "be the change," directing my efforts towards ethical consumerism and advocacy for humane practices.

• Amidst criticism and doubt, I discovered a sense of purpose and found solidarity with like-minded individuals, reaffirming the significance of individual agency.

• Encouraging introspection and action, I emphasize the power of small, meaningful steps towards creating a better world, rooted in self-awareness and a commitment to positive change.

Give Me the Deets!

Give me the juicy details

In philosophy, there is a definition for beauty that means something like “good” or “ethically right”. Each of us knowing or unknowing has a list non-physical characteristics or traits that we find “beautiful”. Today, my topic is about how each of us cultivates beauty consciously for ourselves. Some philosophers would call this self-determination. I realize there is a luxury to being able to sit and think about what beauty is and who we want to be, but I assume that if you are reading this now, you might have a moment to spare. After all, if we never ask ourselves who we want to be, are we consciously living?

It is easy to let the world around us dictate how we should be and just “go with the flow”. But speaking from experience, external forces, energy, others, and the world in general can be a drag. This makes me think of a few famous quotes, “Be the change you wish to see in the world.” or “An eye for an eye will leave us all blind”, or “turn the other cheek”. 

While studying philosophy, and probably somewhat due to growing up in the 90’s, I found it easy to find situations in the world to be upset about. For instance, I realized that most of the clothes we all wear in America exist at affordable prices, because we as a society profit from slave labor. Or Christmas as a holiday seemed to only revolve around how much money we could brag about spending, when people are dying from lack of food here in America and all around the world. These massive inequalities that the people around me were not talking about or acknowledging started to overwhelm me. Acknowledging that we collectively transgress by ignorance or negligence weighed heavily on me. Worse, when I mentioned it to other people, they started to tell me that I was a pessimist, because I was only focusing on the negative. This made me feel isolated on top of being disturbed by the issues. Instead of saying, “You know what, it sucks we profit from hurting others. Maybe we can figure out how to do that less?”, it was easier for people to not feel guilty and ignore the problem. If you are interested in this kind of topic by chance, this can be connected to how people do or don’t feel personally responsible when they are along versus when in a group. It can also be discussed with the philosophical debate of killing vs letting die. And thirdly, some people say this happens because we all have some kind of ethnocentrism or extreme nationalism. 

It took me a while to find my way out of feeling despair for the issues that seemed to be too big to solve. At first, my solution didn’t feel like it was enough, but after a while it gave me a sense of purpose and led me to greater realizations. My solution, while cheesy sounding, was to be the change. The only thing I have control over is me, my actions, and my mind. So I started doing things that allowed me to feel less bad, because I was contributing to the solution to the issues that I cared about. I started researching places to shop that didn’t use slave labor and started going to thrift stores, so that I was not directly causing the problem I wanted so badly to cure. I started having conversations with people about conscious consumerism, humane business practices, and ethical food production and consumption. Yes, these conversations are often still uncomfortable, and my actions fall short sometimes. It is super important to acknowledge that we are imperfectly perfect. We don’t judge others or ourselves for this. We just do our best now and continue to try to get better and better as we go forward.

Looking back, I found that I had wasted a lot of time and energy feeling depressed and like I couldn’t change anything. When I redirected myself toward actions that helped, it gave me hope. I also eventually found a tribe of people who didn’t think I was crazy. Or maybe we were just the same kind of crazy. While it takes more energy to go out of my way to research, learn, and shop at stores and businesses that are better for the world, I realized in the end it was so worth it. Yes, people called me silly or weak or “the bleeding heart that is killing America”. But I felt I was here to maybe make a new heart for America. Maybe the way we have always worked was a little off. Not because people intentionally wanted to do bad, but because everyone was just going with the flow. And when we have to change something in our lives that felt comfortable or had become part of our identity, it felt wrong or intrusive.

If we never stop to ask ourselves what we think is beautiful or how we would like to see the world, (AND THIS IS THE MOST IMPORTANT PART) and BELIEVE that we can change it, we will continue to feed into the things we say we do not like and do not support. But doing nothing is a choice. Being silent and submissive is a choice that helps the issues that we care about continue to hurt our society and humanity. This is where being able to focus and be clear about what you care about helps. 

If we are always letting the outside tell us what is possible, that we are all doomed, and that the “BAD” people are helping this happen, we will be stuck and helpless. We do have the power, in small and meaningful ways, to help make the world a better place. The world will not tell you this, so you have to listen to yourself. You have to focus on the beauty that is around you and in you. You have to dream about what you want the future to be like, and then be happy with making the changes in your life to line up with those dreams. People try to make it more difficult. Or worse, get discouraged about not doing enough fast enough. We want to fix everything and have instant gratification now. But really, we only have control over this moment, this action, and this choice right now. We can continue to catastrophize and beat ourselves down, or we can take a step in the right direction. 

When people see you walking differently, living differently, and feeling better, they will realize they can do the same. Ultimately, we don’t walk this way to change others. We walk this way because it is the only thing that matters. It is the only way we can solve the big problems. When we focus on the self, on the only thing we control, the fires of the world become less and less. Hate and judgment of those that are different or adding to the problem become less important. Those people will or will not do whatever they do. The only thing that matters is that each of us do our best the way we know how. That gratification, satisfaction, and transformation will change us and the world. 

<3 Astrid