Sorry about the break. I was on vacation between semesters, and then it was the first week of Fall semester, so I decided to take just a small sabbatical. Now I’m back.
I’d like to discuss my thoughts on recognizing beauty, because I really think it exists everywhere. I believe there is beauty in all things.
But my question is– at what point to we accept and embrace the beauty we find, and at what point to we dismiss it because of the ugliness it that surrounds it? Do we find the best parts, or the worst parts?
On the one hand, I would say that we should absolutely find beauty in all things, and add it to what we have, and add to it what we can. Other churches can be looked at in this way. They all have portions of truth, and those we can recognize and even benefit from. There is so much that can enrich our lives if we allow, and there is so little progress to be had from identifying what is not enriching.
However, is there harm in skipping over the bad parts? I suppose another way of expressing that is being oblivious. Is there anything wrong with being oblivious to the negative, while benefitting from the positive?
One example I’m thinking about is movies. I believe there can be great benefit from certain heavy material, such as the Holocaust, if done in the right way. Inappropriate entertainment for the sake of inappropriate entertainment is a waste of time and certainly harmful, and shouldn’t be considered. But I think some things have enough to offer that their cost could potentially be worth it. (As I said, these are just my thoughts. I’m formulating them as I type.) Some movies are really fantastic, except for… You know? There’s always that, “Except for this one scene…” that ruins it. Or does it have to ruin it?
What about friends? What if there are some really great parts of the relationship, but other really awful parts? What if there is a lot of good going on, but also some bad? What if progress is being made on some fronts, but digression is happening elsewhere? What if you could be there to help, even if you’re kind of getting hurt in the process? That is something real to consider.
I’m still torn, and I don’t know what to think. I’m all about finding the good in all things. I have a policy of never focusing on anything negative, and being positive as often as it is possible to be. But when is there a right time to be negative, and give up the good parts?
This is a great post Lind, and great ideas. It’s funny because this is literally the third time this week that this question has come up in my conversations with people. Sounds like it’s on the mind. I think there really is a fine line between recognizing something negative and focusing on it. I think while being positive it is really important to recognize things that aren’t going well, and not just ignore them. But I think we can choose just how much we focus and dwell on these things instead of choosing to dwell on the positive. There are my two cents.
Thanks, Lug. I think you’re right– what really matters is just how much time we spend on them. Interesting that we’re both thinking about this!