Finding the Beauty in the Ugly

The world can be so ugly at times, even in its appearance. On a dreary dismal day, when I look out the window, all I can see is the ugliness. Bare black trees, dirty yellow snow, trash and gray clouds, it's ugly.

There is ugliness everywhere. I drive down the road and see a car, smashed up against a pole. I hear ambulances racing by from my classroom. I hear about death, diseases, and murder. See people yelling at each other with sheer hatred. We discriminate and degrade others unlike us, walk along the streets and see the graffiti decorating the walls.

Our speech is so ugly, so coarse, unrefined and cruel. Our actions are thoughtless and disconcerting. Our thoughts are bad and judgmental.

You hear disturbing things every day, you hear about terrorists blowing up planes and awful stories of abuse. There's poverty, hunger, want, orphans, and war.

There is ugliness everywhere.

I see it abstractly, the sharp angular lines cutting across a canvas, harsh and unsettling.

The gray dark clouds of despair hovering over the destruction.

When I picture it my forehead creases up and I feel angry.

Then I think of beauty, and everything softens.

Soft, flowing lines lightly spread across a rich wood board.

Beautiful pastel colors, pleasing, radiant and wonderful. Beauty is everywhere.

Beauty you can feel. You can feel it in your soul and in your essenceIn the sky, the clouds, the trees, the grass. The sunrises, the sunsets, the stunning fall leaves and magnificent mountains and hills. Beauty is lasting and forever. Beauty is in our family, our friends, and our home. Beauty is in a baby's laugh and a child's smile. Beauty is in the way we act. Beauty is in the way we speak. Our kind, soft words that make such a difference, the beauty we spread and it sets off, skipping across the water like a stone in the lake.

Beauty you can feel. You can feel it in your soul and in your essence. Beauty rings through you, peals of bells ringing in your heart. No matter how hard your day has been, no matter how bad things have gotten, no matter how low or down you feel, it will always be there. You can't get rid of the beauty that permeates the world, our surroundings and every person. It's permanent and beautiful.

There is a lot of ugliness, and it isn't just going to go away. But the ugliness isn't permanent. The ugliness doesn't last.

It all depends on which side you see. There is ugliness, but at the same time there is beauty. It's up to you to make your world beautiful.