We sometimes get distracted...

I just barely re-read the "Interest and Beauty in Works of Art" (I understood it TONS better the 2nd time), and it just made me think tons about our world today.

Our world nowadays is all about interest. The majority of us completely forget to look for beauty!

For instance... the books we read! Shakespeare's works (which Schopenhauer says are NOT based on interest--which I'm assuming means he thinks they are "beautiful") are hardly ever read by the normal people in this world!

We're all just looking for "interesting" things instead of paying attention to the beauty that's all around us!

I do this SO often, too, though! It's kind of embarrasing! :D It's like when it's a beautiful day outside, but instead of going and contemplating on the beauty that God has given us, I just go watch a movie, or even read a book!

I've noticed (a lot more lately) how many distractions are in this world--how many that take us away from God, or "absolute beauty". Perhaps the things we read, or the things we watch aren't necessarily bad, but I think that they still are distractions sometimes!

Like... today for instance! My siblings are sort of obsessed over playing on the computer--they get 30 min. per day, and if they don't get those 30 min., they FREAK OUT. Today was one of those days. The first one didn't get on until about 8 (which is supposed to be their bedtime), and then they ended up being awake until about 10, watching each other, and having to get their own computer time.

Things like that... computer time isn't necessarily a bad thing! But it is a distraction from perhaps what God might have us do. Or even when I just get so caught up in studying that I forget there's a sun outside or I forget to stop and smell the flowers I see as I'm walking!

Studing IS NOT at all a bad thing! But even too much of a good thing doesn't become good anymore. Like if we just read our scriptures all of the time! There is such a thing as too much of a good thing! I think we have to find the perfect balance! But one of the things that should be at the top of our list is contemplating God's beauty, praying, just remembering that He's there! Because even the good things may cause us to forget a little.

Well... with my all-over-the-place mind... I suppose I'll dance over to my word study on beauty that I did a while ago!

I found some really AMAZING quotes on beauty--this is one that really stood out to me:

I just feel like life has so much beauty involved in it! Heavenly Father loves beauty! I mean... all the detail that goes into His creations! We don't exactly "need" flowers to live, but Heavenly Father made sure to include them here when he created the earth! And think of the detail that goes into the texture on the trees... our fingerprints and handprints! It must have taken Him so much longer to create those things, and yet, He did it for us! So that we could recognize His beauty and love for us to go the extra mile like that!

Here's another one I really liked:

Like I was talking about earlier--I think we often times don't think a whole lot about all of the blessings God has given us! We don't always take the opportunity to see beautiful things! We always have opportunities, we just sometimes choose not to look.

And I'll just give you one more (my favorite):

For some weird reason... I've always LOVED the concept of light! It's always been one of my favorite things to use in analogies... and I just really love light! And I believe this quote is very true! To love beauty (or God--who is "absolute beauty") is to see light!

Thank you so much for listening to this! I really do love beauty! It's absolutely amazing! All of the things that God has given to us! I suppose all I have to say is that He never ceases to amaze me!

God is absolute beauty. I believe that on this earth, we can never create absolute beauty. God has sent us here to learn and to practice, so that one day, we may become just like Him-- which is all of our goals, isn't that right? ;)

Love you all!!!

~ Gracious

P.S. BTW, I'm sorry I got it to you the night before! :p At least it wasn't the morning of--like last week! :D