Beauty Is Our Most Abundant Resource

Much like the air we breathe, the need for beauty is a fundamental requirement of humanity.

While it can have a positive impact on our emotional and psychological well-being, beauty also allows us to transcend the rigid structure of cognitive analytics to move into an experiential state of wonder, joy, and even the Divine. Interestingly, beauty may not be a destination—it’s a journey that pushes us closer and closer to a fundamental truth or even an impenetrable reality that exists beyond the conventions of size, shape, color, and thought.

Similar to an asymptote, our engagement with beauty allows us to get closer and closer to a border without ever crossing it. What establishes our individual sense of beauty is the pure experience—different for almost everyone—but captured in our hearts and minds.

The simple reality is that beauty abounds. But there’s no earthly formula for its creation. And beauty very well might be the single most abundant commodity or resource on planet earth. From crashing waves against a sandy shore to the majesty of snow covered mountain tops, beauty is our catalyst for transformation.

Beauty can be found in many forms, such as art, nature, and personal appearance, and can evoke feelings of joy, wonder, and contentment. Beauty can also “inflict” a disruptive response that renders us emotionally compromised in the presence of great art. This condition, Stendhal’s Syndrome, was first described in the 19th century and is associated with Florence Italy, due to its abundance of stunning Renaissance artwork and architecture.

Additionally, the experience of beauty can also stimulate creativity, inspire personal growth, and promote a sense of community and shared culture. Beauty is often considered an important part of human life and culture, and has been celebrated and explored throughout history in various forms of art, literature, and philosophy.

Aristotle, the ancient Greek philosopher, had a significant impact on the understanding and interpretation of beauty. In his work, Aristotle believed that beauty is a characteristic of an object or a person that gives pleasure or satisfaction to the observer. He believed that beauty is objective and that it can be found in both natural and human-made objects. Aristotle proposed that there are three elements of beauty that include order and proportion, clarity, as well as distinctness.

Aristotle also believed that beauty is relative, and that it can be found in different forms, such as in art, nature, and human beings. He believed that beauty can be perceived through the senses, but that it is ultimately a matter of judgment and that it is influenced by the observer’s personal experiences and values. Aristotle proposed that human achievement was expressed in the context of beauty and expanded this concept to include truth, goodness, and unity.

Beauty also exists in the Divine. God can be considered as a profound expression of beauty and that the concept of God encompasses all that is good, true, and beautiful. The belief that God is beautiful is often reflected in religious art, literature, and music, which often depict God as having perfect beauty, wisdom, and goodness. Further, the simple yet profound aspects of beauty in nature—existing as a fundamental aspect of perfect—is an expression of the Creator.

In the Bible, God provides detailed instructions to Moses on how to build the Tabernacle, which is a portable sanctuary for the Israelites to worship him while they were wandering in the wilderness. In Exodus, God describes the beauty of the Tabernacle in great detail, including the materials to be used, the colors, the dimensions, and the artistic designs that were to adorn it. This may be the most explicit and artistic representation in the entire bible.

God commands that the Tabernacle be made of acacia wood, overlaid with gold and adorned with precious stones and intricate designs. The Ark of the Covenant, which was the centerpiece of the Tabernacle, was also to be overlaid with gold and adorned with gold cherubim.

God also commands that the Tabernacle be adorned with various types of fabrics, including fine linen and blue, purple, and scarlet yarn. He also instructed that the Tabernacle be illuminated by a golden lampstand, which was to be made of pure gold and adorned with intricate designs.

The beauty of the Tabernacle was not only in its appearance but also in its symbolism, the materials and the designs used were chosen to reflect the holiness and the glory of God. The construction of the Tabernacle was a way for the Israelites to connect with God and to show their devotion to him. In this instance, beauty and the Divine co-existed as an experience and not just a set of artistic rules and regulations.

Even technology can be seen as an expression of beauty in various ways. Some people find beauty in the design and functionality of technology, such as in the sleek lines and intuitive interface of a well-designed smartphone or the precision and efficiency of a high-performance car engine. The beauty of technology can be seen in the way it solves problems and makes our lives easier and more convenient.

Technology can also be considered a form of artistic expression, as it allows people to create and share digital art, music, and video. The beauty of technology can be seen in the way it allows artists to push the boundaries of traditional art forms and create new and innovative works.

Additionally, technology can also be seen as a means of exploring and understanding the natural world. Scientific and medical technology allows us to see and understand the intricacies of the human body, the universe and the natural world, with a level of detail and precision that would have been unimaginable just a few decades ago. Technology facilitates our engagement with beauty.

We can define beauty across a wide variety of parameters. Physical ratios, split compliment colors schemes, cultural considerations, and even aspects of the human form all provide some aspect of articulation. But they all fall short of the simple “eye of the beholder” perspective of that emerges from experience. Perhaps the most elegant expression of beauty is also as simple: Beauty is. And this enigmatic two word expression is related to the biblical reference to the Divine. Revealed in Exodus, God tells Moses “I Am Who I Am” when ask for His name.

Beauty is.

We can’t live without critical resources like water, fuel (human and industrial), and companionship. And as importantly, we might need to consider the fundamental relationship that humanity and the ubiquity of beauty provides for the expression of that which is inexpressible.