Philosophical Writings

Author(s): Hemant Shah
Publisher: Academy of Philosophy

Page 98

The Role of Beauty as a Value in Everyday Life
79
4. BEAUTY IN EVERYDAY LIFE :
4.1. Life to day is not simple and straitforward, it is highly complex. The age and the nations are miles away from the ideas and ideology given by their 'Father of the Nation.' Even India is not what Gandhi wanted it to be. Everwhere the current situation is most disheartening, depressing and disappointing. War, narrow materialistic attitude, and crisis of moral values have created fear and tension. There is a great deal of anxity, and moral values are disintegrating on all fronts, in public and in private life. Increase in violent and destructive activities, a lack of purpose and direction, a high degree of self centeredness - these are the characteristic of today's youth. The children as well as the old people, both suffer from a great degree of emotional and social insecurity. In short we find a total change - from the 'Holy Kingdom' or 'Ram rajya' (Kingdom of Lord Ram the hero of Ramayana) as we call in India, to the threats of nuclear age.
In the absence of ethical, moral and educational support, the only ray of hope is love of beauty - eye for colours, ear for music and heart for art and literature. Inspite of a dark and disappointing picture of to-days life, we do find love and craving for beauty. The highest expectation of beauty is beauty in a person. People have made 'beautiful as a necessary criterion for everything and everybody. Even the dwelling house, the utensils, vehicles, office furniture, and dress as well as ornaments - all they want beautiful.
Again we find beauty to day not restricted to beauty of nature or art or literature. It has entered into the world of commerce and business. The use of cosmatics, for glorifying a person as beautiful, there is love for form, for shape, for colour and symmetry.
Beauty has been accepted as the single most phenomena that attracts. Attraction is the property of beauty. If beauty does not attract it is no beauty. The joy or Ananada is the another name of attraction. According to Indian Philosophy attraction or joy is the condition of creation, it is the root or source of creation. The love for beauty, through attraction, immersing.one into joy.