Beauty is a Portal

When you recognize beauty you untether yourself from judgment and projection

Tejal, Russell Market, Benglauru, India

Back in May, when in Bengaluru (Bangalore) I visited the severely impoverished community, or slum, of Ejipura. Meeting one of the coordinators, like a mayor of sorts of the community, I was surprised (but not that surprised) that the first thing I noticed was beauty.  By default I think the first thing I soak in and appreciate about a place is its beauty, no matter what. I’m hardwired as a visually minded person in general, yes, but also it’s a choice and a way of seeing first with love and openness, not criticism. So many of us do it unwittingly. I understand that can appear ignorant or naive at first as I might exclaim about how pretty the soft light looks against the pastel buildings or how lovely the mangoes look stacked and rounded in a fruit cart while in the background there’s unclean homes and people in need of doctors. But I strive, especially in entering a new place or meeting a person, to lead with love and openness. Leading with prejudice or criticism only begets more prejudice and criticism.

So, the first thing I spotted walking through a dirt road with trash littering the streets and gaping holes in the sidewalks was: people smiling and talking with each other outside of their homes; moms and dads walking their kids to school; darling dogs in groups of 2 or three strutting around the streets sniffing for leftovers; colorful buildings; street murals; women in beautifully handloomed saris. It’s the same stuff I would notice and appreciate in any community. Take all of that and hold it tight like a bouquet of flowers: that is the best part of this community that needs to be protected and improved upon.

It starts with beauty but it doesn’t end there. 

For instance, if beauty ends with beauty this happens: “Oh that’s such a poor street but look how pretty the colorful buildings are!” Or “Aww that woman’s toothless smile is so memorable and sweet!” And even, “Oh my goodness what a cute little dog even though he looks mangy and I can see his ribs!” No, the street needs to be cleaned but the colors and architecture of the buildings preserved, not demolished or reshaped and bulldozed completely. The woman can still rock a beautiful smile with dentures that will help her chew and practice good dental hygiene to prevent gum disease. The dog needs veterinary care and a dependable source of food. And also…the kind people with whom I shared a lovely cup of chai and whose children I met need more work opportunities, qualified teachers in schools, childcare options, scholarship opportunities for students, on-call doctors, and loans to create new businesses.

In photography, it happens all the time. It doesn’t matter if it’s a journalism photo of a makeshift clinic or the remnants of a bombed out apartment building - what draws us to the well crafted and composed photo first is beauty. Only after that do we look at and sort through the layers beneath it. Beauty, i.e. ART opens up conversation and that sense of wonder (or at least interest) in something we were otherwise not aware of or interested in pre-photo.

In short: beauty is a portal. When you recognize beauty - a sliced orange, a silhouetted skyscraper, a candid expression, a velvety light - you untether yourself from judgment and projection. Beauty is an opening and in that way a passageway. Through beauty we access a sense of awe which guides us toward understanding.

Negativity and judgment are walls. Acknowledging and experiencing beauty first (instead of blight or corruption, for example) we recognize what is whole and worth protecting first and can, if needed or desired, build from there.In Ejipura I needed to see first what love and beauty existed there. It’s in the people, the remnants of older architecture, the animals, the warm frothy goodness of the hot cup of chai shared with the women in the day care center. 

Change starts with recognition. Appreciation. Commonality.

But beauty is always base.

P.S.  Beauty is not an end in itself too because when you recognize the beauty of your life – your breathing, heartbeat, your family, friends, the environment you live in – without criticism but awe at the fact of it this change in perception will change you. When over and over again you lead with love and acceptance and awe you’ll be less likely to lead with judgment which changes your behavior or at minimum asks you to question that behavior first before acting on it (anger, spite, resentfulness) because beauty is an invitation to see differently than you did before.