Be Beautiful

Were we ever meant for something beautiful? Some people certainly seem like they were don’t they? But I suppose hindsight is always 20/20. Anyone who has ever accomplished anything of significance on even just a personal level seems to have a ‘je ne c’est quoi’ sense of purpose. Now I’m not necessarily hinting that you should double pump your fist and shout, ‘Who’s the man/woman?!’ just because you managed to open a can of corned beef without snapping that stupid key, though conversely if that gives you a sense of accomplishment, dare I even say, a sense of deep personal fulfillment, then why not. But I suppose we would never know a Superman existed (even if fictitiously) until the day he dawned his tights and flew through the air. Imagine if he just stayed home in his PJ’s and watched tv.

 

I was walking through Yoyogi Park on the weekend on my way to a little Cherry Blossom picnic when my attention was grabbed by several different attractions. There were the old school, 50’s, Grease wannabe Japanese rockers, the ever present juggling, magician, comedian but most enticingly, young amateur rock bands. It seems on sign of any clear day, these young bands will haul their full gear to the park, set up shop and rock out. The energy that fills that area is quite an experience to soak in; and these are just kids in their early 20’s. Admirable.

 So I slid up to two Akihabara types rocking out on the sidewalk, furiously head banging their heads to the tune of one of the bands with the loudest sound at that moment. I just marveled at the fact that they were doing something that just looked so fun and they were good too. I’m assuming they wrote their own songs and rented studio space to practice and record their own CD’s. As a tribute to their enthusiasm, as an atonement to my own lack of zeal in my youth, and to the encouragement of their paths wherever this may lead them, I bought two of their CD’s for 500 yen a piece. I’ve been listening to their CD for the past 3 days straight. 

So what does this have to be with us being beautiful? Well, I suppose my definition of beauty here is not necessarily the end product, though that’s even better if we find success or create something actually beautiful, but rather the gall, the nerve, the spirit to go do something we really enjoy doing, are interested in or that just peaks our curiosity to want to try. The beauty is not in the end product but in the attempt. To live a life boundless, free, courageous. To not fear what we fear, including ourselves. And I think the more we reach out, the more we put ourselves out there, the more we may even begin to see, understand more of ourselves. Why not eh? It’ll be fun.