Reflections on beauty

"Beauty will save the world."

Fyodor Dostoyevsky wrote those words in his 19th-Century novel "The Idiot," and Pope John Paul II referenced them in his 1999 "Letter to Artists." It's an idea that has rung in my head as especially true throughout these past few weeks as our society and world face the fear, chaos and self-preservation we have let ourselves fall into because of this pandemic.

What is the antidote to fear? It is beauty. Fear tells us to focus on ourselves and getting what we believe we need at any cost. It separates us from each other, puts space between us. It tells us not to trust or believe in the goodness of the other. It repulses us from whatever is around us. It isolates.

Beauty, however, attracts. Think of a sunset or a moving song or a person you know who is truly beautiful. In each of these scenarios, beauty stops us in the routine of our day-to-day. Quietly, it invites us to stand and marvel, to forget, for a moment, our self-consciousness.

When we see or experience something beautiful, we want to access it in some way, to engage with it, to share in it with others. This is why we take pictures of sunsets and make Spotify playlists and spend time with the ones we love. Beauty moves us into communion with each other by asking us to focus on that which is not ourselves. It invites us to look outward toward something greater.

In "Letter to Artists," Pope John Paul II quotes the Council of Fathers: "This world -- they said -- in which we live needs beauty in order not to sink into despair."

In Section 16 of the letter, he goes on to write, "Faced with the sacredness of life and of the human person and before the marvels of the universe, wonder is the only appropriate attitude. ... People of today and tomorrow need this enthusiasm if they are to meet and master the crucial challenges which stand before us. Thanks to this enthusiasm, humanity, every time it loses its way, will be able to lift itself up and set out again on the right path. In this sense, it has been said with profound insight that 'beauty will save the world.'"

We've seen this in recent times. Two weeks ago, Italians started coming out onto their balconies and serenading each other, offering hope amidst uncertainty and darkness. Comedians are live-streaming their shows. Musicians are, too.

We are all created in the image of the Creator, and therefore, each of us are meant to bring beauty to the world in some way. Maybe it's through traditional methods of art, such as painting, words or music. Or maybe it's through doing something else well with the attitude of an artist who pursues goodness, truth and beauty, such as encouraging people or cleaning things or teaching. Maybe it's through cooking or woodworking or repairing what's broken. Maybe it's through making people laugh or organizing stuff or assisting people who need it.

We all have a gift, a way that we create in the world. What unique gift of beauty can you bring to the world today to help save it?