Writer’s Life
Have You Ever Truly Experienced A Thing of Beauty?
It’s not what you might think it is
John Keats wrote, “A Thing of Beauty is a joy forever.”
While I completely understand what he meant, explaining it is challenging. Language often fails to capture such profound experiences, yet it is all around us.
We often label something as beautiful when it aligns with our preconceived notions, shaped by past experiences, literature, or what we’ve heard. You’ve likely witnessed beauty in people, places, or nature. But that’s not the full essence of it.
This revelation came at a time when I was desperately clawing for it. Naturally restless, I had sought refuge in a local cave, feeling utterly empty. Returning to the mundane was the last thing I wanted. I had lost faith in everything around me. My teachers seemed benignly deceptive, books offered no solace, and despite my parents’ sacrifices for my education, neither friends nor learning could save me. My life had turned lifeless.
One afternoon my brain sought a radical transformation (and this is the only explanation I can come up with) for me. It was a rescue that left me in awe. At that point in my life, it was, I’m afraid to admit, do or die – starvation, disease, anything seemed better.
I experienced an overwhelming surge of euphoria, a profound unity with the entire universe that cradled me in immense beauty, happiness, and gratitude.
I am the world and the world is me…
This thought permeated my bones and all my petty complaints were reduced to ashes.
I am surrounded by life everywhere I sense, with my eyes and ears and the furry tentacles of my skin. The past is erased. It no longer mattered! It reminded me that what mattered was the beat of my heart – that goes lub-dub lub-dub lub-dub , – and getting tired of holding on to fear and hatred.
I forgave everyone at once.
It might sound like a drug-induced state, but it was pure and unadulterated.
Years later, as I read Keats to my students, I understood this experience more deeply, though articulating it remains challenging. Language often falls short. Yet, I know it was a thing of immense beauty.
A thing of beauty is hard to define, but it has certain qualities:
Timelessness: It makes you forget time, immersing you completely until the moment slips away.
Incomparability: It stands alone, beyond comparison with other beautiful things.
Un-categorical: It can’t be labeled or compared as the best of anything; it’s meant to be admired in its own right.
Demands Attention: It captivates your full attention, preventing distractions and mind-wandering.
Disconnected from Memories: It remains untouched by the fallibility of memories and habits.
Unconscious: True beauty eludes full consciousness. Becoming aware creates barriers, categorizing the experience (whether pleasurable or not) and diminishing its effects.
Relatable: You’re irresistibly drawn to it, much like my euphoric connection to the universe, even if you can’t explain why.
Absence of Hope: A thing of beauty exists purely in the present, without any hint of hope. Hope implies a future or a past, while beauty overwhelms you in the now. It’s a complete experience, not something to be parceled out. Hope is happiness deferred; a thing of beauty is happiness fully realized.
If you’ve ever felt such profound beauty, you know exactly what I mean. If not, keep your heart open. Such moments are rare, but they transform your perspective forever.
