Philosophy

If You Believe In Nothing Else, Believe In Beauty

Believe in beauty.

If you believe in nothing else, if God does not satisfy your taste, if the fate of humankind feels bleak, if the world makes your heart ache and you question reasons why, if life feels unpredictable and chaotic and uncertain and unknown and faith feels far fetched and spirituality superficial and religion reprehensible, if, if, if you believe in nothing else…

Believe in beauty. The beauty of a moment, the beauty of human connection, the beauty of human resilience, the beauty of the search for meaning, the beauty of a smile or a flutter or skipped heartbeat or people you love being right here right now or random acts of kindness or songs sending chills down your spine or memories that make you cry happy tears or future visions that propel you forwards in times of darkness or films that make you see the world differently or books that shake you to the core or Spotify playlists that remind you of yourself or the really silly things that aren’t silly because they make you feel something.

Mindfulness

Open Your Eyes To Winter Beauty With Mindful Seeing

mindfulness winter
Mindfulness can uncover beauty in winter.

“We shall not cease from exploration, and the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started and know the place for the first time.” — T.S. Eliot

It’s mid-January. I’m walking through the streets of Berlin, a city known for long, harsh winters. The scene fits the stereotype — I dodge and weave hooded pedestrians, veiled by sleet, chilled by zero-degrees breeze. As I absorb my surroundings, I’m enveloped by a sense of calm. I suddenly notice this ordinary stroll is anything but ordinary.