The Most Beautiful Things are the Most Useless Things

"It is a beautiful thing." "These are the most beautiful things we've ever seen." Statements like these are not new to us. People can be found admiring certain things, which, in their opinions, are the most beautiful things.

What is beautiful has been a burning question, perhaps, ever since this world came into existence. Lakes, waterfalls, flowers, gifts, women, and many other things people have considered attractive or beautiful are popular subjects written about in poetry.

What makes people praise beautiful things? In order to answer this question, we need to consider the many meanings of the word beauty.

The word beauty can mean: a combination of attractive qualities, something catching attention or drawing to it or to oneself. This meaning tells us that beauty is a power or a quality, which attracts someone to it. It impresses people. It spellbinds them.

But despite of all the appreciation that people are usually making to beautiful things or persons, I wonder, are the most beautiful things the most useful too? Can these beautiful things benefit people in any way?

The characteristics of the word beauty disclose that the things that are deemed as most beautiful can't do anything except draw one's attention to them. Because the only ability that beautiful things have is to stimulate people to like them, or to appreciate them, and not to do anything else. So, how can these beautiful things be expected to be useful in any way?

For instance, think about being the recipient of a gift. A person receiving a gift from his or her beloved can claim that it is the most beautiful gift he/she has ever received. As a consequence, he/she will start having more love and respect for the person from which he/she has received the gift. If it was only the beauty of the gift that made that person have more respect and love, then the most beautiful gifts lying in a gift shop should also motivate the buyers to have the same respect and love for the shopkeepers, because the shopkeeper has beautiful gifts too. But, that doesn't happen. Can it happen?

The same is the case with flowers. When you receive a beautiful flower, especially a rose from someone, you will begin having soft emotions for that person. And if it is claimed that it is just the beauty of the rose which caused those soft sentiments, then all people visiting a garden full of fragrant flowers should have the same soft feelings for the gardener too. But it doesn't happen, because it is not the beauty of the rose that makes people have good emotions for the giver, it is the feelings or respect with which a present is given.

Women are considered as being one of the most beautiful things of the world. And, it is supposed that this is because of their beauty. People like them, and want to have them. If it is so, than what is the difference between a woman and a showpiece? Because according to the meaning of the word, "beauty is a quality which calls your attention to itself." Then by that definition, what else can women do except fascinate the viewer? By declaring women the most beautiful, all the aspects and duties they perform as mothers, sisters, wives, and friends are totally ignored. In this way, women become useless things too.

Suppose you have been given a gift of a tape recorder and, in your opinion, it is the most beautiful gift you have ever received - a tape recorder can also be used to play music and songs, therefore, it cannot be called useless. If you ignore its other functions just because of its appearance, is it wrong to conclude, "the most beautiful things are the most useless things?"

Akbar H.
Karachi, Pakistan

* Reprinted from Positive Teens Magazine Volume 5 Issue 5, Sept/Oct 2003

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