Appearances

We live in a world where a perfect physical appearance is a depiction of acceptable standards of beauty. Looks matter more than character and inner beauty, and the media showcases acceptable appearances that society should follow. I do believe that appropriate acceptable appearances do matter, especially for work, school, and special occasions. These days society has taken extreme measures to look a certain way, to live beyond their means, and display pseudo behaviors only to pretend. There are even those who go into debt to fulfill a certain lifestyle, or simply live a life under a false persona. While in the real world, the reality is far from that, people are living in poverty, trying their best every day to fulfill their basic needs. There are parts of our world where appearances are not a priority since most people can not live a lifestyle that some parts of today's society are accustomed to. Of course, they wish for a better life; understandably, life is not fair. Yet somehow, they are happy and content with their lives. When compared to those who have everything in life, they are still happy or satisfied with what they have. Unhappiness that is brought about by living above your means and causes more harm than just living a simple lifestyle. Stressing about how you look? What clothing do you wear? What car you should drive? And how big my house should be? Causes more harm to your well-being and overall sanity than anything else, when compared to those who are just happy with what they have and how they live.

"Humility is the foundation of all the other virtues hence, in the soul in which this virtue does not exist there cannot be any other virtue except in mere appearance."

- Saint Augustine

"Appearance is something absolute, but reality is not that way - everything is interdependent, not absolute. So that view is very helpful to maintain a peace of mind because the main destroyer of a peaceful mind is anger."

- Dalai Lama

"Character is like a tree and reputation its shadow. The shadow is what we think it is and the tree is the real thing."

- Abraham Lincoln

"The discovery of truth is prevented more effectively, not by the false appearance things present and which mislead into error, not directly by weakness of the reasoning powers, but by preconceived opinion, by prejudice."

- Arthur Schopenhauer

"Every natural fact is a symbol of some spiritual fact. Every appearance in nature corresponds to some state of the mind, and that state of the mind can only be described by presenting that natural appearance as its picture."

- Ralph Waldo Emerson

Remember that saying 'keep up with the Jones', this is the world we live in today, where appearances matter more. Behavior of people have become so superficial, they lack humility, kindness, and empathy. People sacrifice so much just to live a certain lifestyle. We also see this in teenagers, they must have a certain brand name clothing or make-up, so they feel accepted by their friends.  As a result, this causes so much stress and anxiety among teenagers, even younger children. Today's heavily social media-focused society is creating and encouraging environments for this behavior to thrive. People rather take on debt than admit they cannot sustain their lifestyle.  Children are so brainwashed by social media, that they are entrapped by so-called social influencers. Stress and anxiety are rampant among young people because they want to live up to the falsehood of approaches that the media portrays. Some young people are starving themselves to death with conditions like bulimia and anorexia. Suicidal ideation is rampant among those who sacrifice their health and well-being for a particular image or appearance. Young people are taking dramatic unnecessary measures to have a pseudo-acceptable appearance, and plastic surgery has now become a trend. This is not healthy, nor should it be encouraged within our society.

"Less make-up is better, and it's always better to let your natural beauty shine. Essentially, be happy with your appearance."

- Park Shin-hye

"Clothes and manners do not make the man; but when he is made, they greatly improve his appearance."

- Arthur Ashe

"The thing about chameleoning your way through life is that it gets to where nothing is real."

- John Green

"In all aspects of life, we take on a part and an appearance to seem to be what we wish to be--and thus the world is merely composed of actors."

- François de La Rochefoucaul

"Body love is more than acceptance of self or the acceptance of the body. Body love is about self-worth in general. It's more than our physical appearance."

- Mary Lambert

"When we are able to look beyond appearances and to behold that which we truly are, we recognize that our essence is interwoven with the divine and that we exist as one of its expressions."

- Alexandra Katehakis

"Appearances are shallow, but those who seek depth will discover the Ocean."

- Cristina Imre

"Never trust appearances, promises without actions, and unchecked assumptions. Always trust your instincts, earned credibility, and genuine connections with others."

- Monika Ajay Kau

Simple people do not place importance on appearances; rather, they prefer simplicity over indulgence. A life based on superficial ideals will eventually overwhelm people, leading to a false sense of self. As I mentioned in my previous blog, our ability to face reality is the greatest life lesson, and at times, it comes at the right moment when we need it the most. In our changing world, false expectations have taken flight within the era of social media. Individual needs are often neglected, thereby creating a false sense of self among the masses. Stability and comfort have been replaced by stress and anxiety over the years, although it takes constant work to maintain a state of well-being. Living a life only to fulfill a desired appearance leads to bewilderment, which is coerced by unreasonable expectations that people place on themselves. The reality is that people are not pleasing themselves, by trying to sustain an appearance only to be accepted by others. Life can be harsh, and people can be ridiculous in their judgment of others, only if we allow or create an environment for their judgment to thrive. One must ask oneself if they are comfortable with themselves and how they appear to society. Society's views do not determine whether your happiness is under your control and no one else's.  You and you alone create the image that is you and the best representation of you. Remember simplicity is the true reflection of beauty, while everything else is just a facade.

"ln a world full of appearances, dare to be essence."

- Augusto Branco

"People pretend to be nice; people pretend to be smooth and polite and everything, but this is only an appearance because the way we're built as human beings is only in paradox and contradictions."

- Vincent Cassel

"We should look to the mind, and not to the outward appearance. Appearances are often deceiving."

- Aesop

"The one characteristic of authentic power that most people overlook is humbleness. It is important for many reasons. A humble person walks in a friendly world. He or she sees friends everywhere he or she looks, wherever he or she goes, whomever he or she meets. His or her perception goes beyond the shell of appearance and into essence."

- Gary Zukav

"Judgments prevent us from seeing the good that lies beyond appearances."

- Wayne Dyer

"The discovery of truth is prevented more effectively, not by the false appearance things present and which mislead into error, not directly by weakness of the reasoning powers, but by preconceived opinion, by prejudice."

- Arthur Schopenhauer