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WHAT IS BEAUTY? That's the question asked by @ecotrain for this week's EcoTrain Question Of The Week Season 7 #3. I must admit, this is indeed a thought provoking question, I have been reflecting on the topic for days, asking myself what beauty is, what does it mean to say something or someone is beautiful? Is it just a phrase or it's a feeling we get inside that trigger that idea to our mind? I pondered on the topic and for a moment I told myself I will just seat back and not bother myself with this week's question, but one thing will always drag my attention to the topic.

Before I start sharing whatever I feel is my own perspective of the topic, I'd like to say, this is one broad topic, it looks so simple yet it commands a lot of reasoning to come up with something that best describe the topic. Different definitions, be it from the view of the objectivist or the view of the subjectivist. Different understanding of the term and I must tell you all one thing, every angle about beauty seems to be very right.

Everything has beauty but it's sad that not everyone can see it. I believe beauty is everywhere we just have to look to find it. Beauty is not just a word, it is a feeling, it's not just something we see, but it's something our heart feels hence it trigger the response we normally give when we say, this is beautiful. We did not just see it alone, we felt something inside, words can't describe that feeling, but we always feel it. You will always here people say, true beauty is from within and not the physical alone, and believe me when I say they are right. Your heart shows your true beauty and this inner beauty is what so many persons see and it's what prompt them to tell you you are beautiful.

Like I said, beauty is everywhere, it is in the way we treat others. Do we treat them as an extension of ourselves? Every morning, I get to work as early as 6:45am, when I enter my classroom (the class where I am a form teacher) I'd clean the whole chairs that my students will seat, then I will seat close to my desk reading a book as I wait for each one of them to come to school. As each one walks in and greet me, I will smile and say something lovely to that person, if it's a young man with a new hair cut, I will say something nice to make him smile, if it's a young lady that walk in, and probably frowning, after she says good morning, I will reply saying, you know you don't have to hide your beautiful smile from us right? You look better when you smile, and when they try to clean their chairs I tell them it's clean already. I do this everyday and one day, one of my class student ask me what always motivate me to do the things I do, I look at him and say, it really does not take anything from me to be kind to others, I come early before anyone else, why don't I just save you guys the stress. The young man smiled and said, that's beautiful.

It takes a beautiful heart to recognise true beauty. You have to be beautiful inside to see the beauty in the things around you. You are beauty and beauty is you. I say that to myself all the time, recognising yourself first as beauty will make you see beauty in others. I always remind myself I'm unique and something or someone beautiful is unique, I'm a work of art, one of a kind and there will never be another like myself. Once you recognise and understand that you are the true definition of beauty, you can better interpret the beauty in others. I believe that true beauty is the acceptance of one's self, having loving character and being kind to ourselves and others. It takes real strength and confidence to accept yourself and if you can do that, you've acknowledged you are beautiful.

So you ask me WHAT IS BEAUTY? Well, I am BEAUTY and BEAUTY is me. I appreciate myself so I can appreciate others also. I see people as an extension of myself. I love to leave smiles on people's face because it also help me smile. I'm a masterpiece and I'm a beautiful work of art. I AM BEAUTY AND BEAUTY IS ME.