Thursday, November 17, 2005
Are You Mathematically Beautiful?
Does beauty lie in the eye of the beholder? Or does it refer to a symmetrical face?
Before people begin to assume that this is another lamenting entry concerning my physical attributes, think not that way. This is just a muse on my own and I thought it would provide another perspective to how people view beauty.
Has it ever occurred to you that beauty can be expressed empirically? It has been a long held theory that beauty can be measured by something called the the "Golden Ratio", or otherwise known as the Fibonacci Ratio. Basically it refers to the mathematical ratio of 1:1.618, where 1.618 (approximated to three decimal places) is known to the world as "Phi". Amazingly, this ratio has long been found out to be recurrent in all things "beautiful". Human beings and nature provide ample examples that are evident of the "Golden Ratio".
The famous ancient Greek temple, The Parthenon, located in Acropolis in Athens, Greece, embodies remnants of this ratio. It is supposed to have several golden rectangles, whose sides are in the proportion 1:1.618, incorporated into the structure deliberately. In humans, the two main components that determine the beauty of a face, symmetry and harmony, are also traced back to the golden ratio. Has anyone ever wondered why the faces on the coffin cases of mummified paraohs in ancient Egypt painted that way?
It is amazing how beauty can be defined mathematically. Our faces match most closely to the golden proportions when we smile. Isn't a smile an inexpensive way to improve on your looks? Unless one is living in constant agony over his/her looks, perhaps surgery might still be the only answer.
Marilyn Monroe (1957) by Milton H. Greene
To end off, here's a picture of Marilyn Monroe for your viewing pleasure. The Marquardt beauty mask that fits "beautiful" faces. (Refer: http://www.goldennumber.net/beauty.htm)
Perhaps your time isn't here. Maybe you aren't prepared for it. But there comes a time when you feel that you need it. You yearn for it so much you can feel your inner self fighting with its alter ego - your true self.
One side of you tends to portray the image that you wish people to perceive. The other is your true self, hidden behind that masquerade played out to the outside world. Indeed, it's rare that one can behave as freely as he wants to entirely, and disregarding the public's opinion. Sometimes I wonder if it's human nature, societal influence or both, that causes one to behave as such.
Somehow I think it's a combination of both, the only difference being the extent of either.
Perhaps humans are so successful in mastering the skill of socializing in the animal kingdom that we were thus termed, social creatures - we do not like solitude.
The best example I think is human love relationships. It's a complex and perplexing relationship that defines the ability of two humans (monogamy) to cohabit harmoniously and treat each other with trust and good faith.
Love in this context relates to the affection and intimacy of two individuals who have agreed to come together. I don't think that anyone would disbelieve in the idea of love. Even verbally refuting the need to/for love is not sufficient proof to support such a claim. Humans are intelligent creatures. They can find out and remember what benefits them and what harms them. Relationships are sweet when one is in love. But it stings like hell when things go the wrong way. Somehow I think that people who disbelieve in love either had bad experiences before and cannot come to grips with them, or they just have not tried the taste of love and are too shy to try.
In view of that, I've come to this conclusion: One should take a long hard look and some thinking, before embarking on something like that. But one long held stand is: Love is not a necessity, it's part of life.