Wheaton College professor, Clyde S. Kirby, distributed his “Eleven Resolutions to Guide Life” to his students at the start of each term. Resolution #7 begins with this sentence, I shall open my eyes and ears….and it continues: Once every day I shall simply stare at a tree, a flower, a cloud, or a person. I shall not then be concerned at all to ask what they are but simply be glad that they are. I shall joyfully allow them the mystery of what Lewis calls their “divine, magical, terrifying, and ecstatic” existence.
As I read this again today, I am reminded of 2008, the year the great recession hit, when one of my sons, a recent art school graduate, said, “Somewhere along the line beauty became a cop-out, a word synonymous with vacancy.” He jolted me, a punch to my gut…my gorgeous, soulful son uttered those sad words. That very day I started an inquiry whose goal was to collect other thoughts about the big idea of beauty. I called it “The Beauty Project.” Contributors run the gamut: poets, artists, plumbers, doctors, etc. You can check out the comments here.
After a long hiatus, amidst so much ugliness, it seems now a good time to reinstate “The Beauty Project.” I invite you to share your thoughts by visiting my website and adding your comments to this blog post.
I will collect comments periodically and will post updates via my site, Facebook & Twitter. Additionally, you will see a place on the blog page for you to add your e-mail address. By adding your e-mail, you’ll receive occasional updates and reading/listening/viewing suggestions gleaned from The Beauty Project’s database. You can trust that I will never share your address with third parties of any kind.
And, please pass the link to your friends, neighbors, colleagues. Let’s widen the circle.
As I read this again today, I am reminded of 2008, the year the great recession hit, when one of my sons, a recent art school graduate, said, “Somewhere along the line beauty became a cop-out, a word synonymous with vacancy.” He jolted me, a punch to my gut…my gorgeous, soulful son uttered those sad words. That very day I started an inquiry whose goal was to collect other thoughts about the big idea of beauty. I called it “The Beauty Project.” Contributors run the gamut: poets, artists, plumbers, doctors, etc. You can check out the comments here.
After a long hiatus, amidst so much ugliness, it seems now a good time to reinstate “The Beauty Project.” I invite you to share your thoughts by visiting my website and adding your comments to this blog post.
I will collect comments periodically and will post updates via my site, Facebook & Twitter. Additionally, you will see a place on the blog page for you to add your e-mail address. By adding your e-mail, you’ll receive occasional updates and reading/listening/viewing suggestions gleaned from The Beauty Project’s database. You can trust that I will never share your address with third parties of any kind.
And, please pass the link to your friends, neighbors, colleagues. Let’s widen the circle.
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