FOR THE LOVE OF BEAUTY...ALL THE WAY THROUGH

Monday, September 12, 2011

With New York Fashion Week in full force, my emails are pouring in with endless runway looks, accessory trends, street styles...you name it. I have so much to show you, but due to my perpetual struggle, conflict, balance between my love for fashion and the material beauty in this world vs. my aspiration for higher spirituality and meaning, I decided to take a break from all of those asthetics and talk briefly about a deeper topic: Peace and happiness.

I am now at the tail end of my trip to Israel where the land and air itself are infused with holiness. Here everyone has the ability to just tap in and 'connect' for an experience that can be quite awe inspiring. Double that experience with the 10th anniversary of 9/11 and, being alone here without my family, I've had lots of time for introspection. So I share with you some of my thoughts:

I wondered, why is it so hard to get along and love each other for no other reason than that we are all people sharing the human struggle? Why do we judge, hate, fight, gossip, bully, covet? It seems to me that before we can achieve peace outside ourselves we need to find our own inner peace and happiness.  And happiness does not come from attaining any thing. It comes from being happy with exactly what we have and knowing that it is exactly what we need; good or bad, to grow and become the best we can be.

Life abhors a vacuum and so does your brain. If we would fill up our minds with all the gifts we have, work on believing that the bad stuff is to make us grow, then there wouldn't be much room for all the other stuff. We could all be victims if we want to be, but we could also be the luckiest people in the world. It's really up to us.

Think about it. Deep down do you want to be the angry, petty fighter?  Or do you want to be the loving, empathetic helper? Sure it's hard work. But each person, individually, can start a small ripple that spreads across the entire world by doing a small action of kindness, compassion, acceptance or love.

Change yourself and you will change the world.

So, there are no beautiful photos in this post. Without inner beauty, outer beauty is just a mask of distraction. Here is my conclusion: If you want to feel more spiritual, get happy. During this trip I attended the wedding of my dear, longtime friend's daughter. The wedding was one of the most spiritual I've ever been to (I could have started a trend of tear striped makeup if I really wanted to). It was a wedding filled with depth, love and happiness. The positive energy was palpatable in the air and thus a direct conduit for spirituality (one of the Hebrew words for marriage is 'kedushin', which means holiness). 

So, forgive the people who hurt you, let go of negativity, turn your love and compassion towards others. Know that those who hurt you are hurting and step out of selfishness by practicing empathy. And if it seems too difficult and counter-intuitive, realize that it's the biggest gift you can give yourself.

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7 comments

  1. Sharon, thanks again for reminding me what is important! I am having a tough day today because a few people were incredibly judgmental and have done something very hurtful. However, I agree with what you said in this post. All I can do is be the best person I can be and be good to others. Have a blessed one.

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  2. Well said. Thank you for your insightful and beautiful post. I hope you enjoy the rest of your trip in Israel. xo

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  3. Beautiful post, Sharon. I totally agree with you, unless we can let go of all the resentment, grudges and hate inside of us, the beauty you project outside is nothing but a mask. Being positive inside actually radiates a kind of beauty that no amount of fashion or makeup can replicate.

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  4. Beautifully said, Sharon! I love being a part of your post, and I was just thrilled to read what you said about the wedding :-) It was truly special. And I'll never forget how you just dropped everything and came all the way here to be a part of it! Writing about the wedding right now...

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  5. Agreed 100%. Very poignant, especially this (which I always remind my son): "Know that those who hurt you are hurting ..." Keeping this in mind helps us put things in perspective, and let go of negativity and be better human beings (it also helps to reduce our blood pressure, also very important). Thank you!

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  6. I'm so excited about fashion week!

    http://www.ohmydior.org/

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  7. I'm new to your blog after seeing you on J's, as a guest blogger.

    Beautiful and toching post!

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