Welcome!
Today we conclude our introductory series on the fundamentals of my life philosophy: the quest for beauty.
Philosophy is a way of living, of asking questions and finding answers. But for that, we need guides. By defining our philosophy, we can establish our own principles.
In my case, I have three fundamental guides: seeking the truth, acquiring knowledge, and exploring beauty.
In the previous two editions, we talked about the first two principles. Today, we will dive into the last one: the quest for beauty. This fascinating concept invites us to expand our horizons, explore different perspectives, and discover the wonder around us.
Beauty is everywhere, in the subtlest details and the grandest manifestations of nature. It moves us, inspires us, and invites us to appreciate life at its fullest.
But what is beauty really? How can we experience it in our daily lives?
We will explore the importance of seeking beauty in all its forms. I encourage you to open your heart and mind to new experiences, find beauty in the ordinary, and appreciate it as a beacon that guides us towards a fuller and more meaningful life.
Join me in this exploration of beauty, and together we will discover the wonders that await us.
With love, Adrián
What is Beauty?
Every human being has particular tastes. What they consider beautiful or pleasant is related to our being, our culture, our brain development. There is no debate about tastes.
Each person has their own assessment of what they find attractive. It is a singular experience, in that sense there is no argument.
But there is a constant in every human being, and that is the definition of beauty I refer to. I will use music as an example of the definition of beauty to explain the concept.
We all experience that music, entering through the auditory channels and being processed by the brain, produces a physical reaction in us.
You feel a warm shiver that runs down your spine from the brain and continues raising the skin on your arms, legs, and sometimes your entire body.
The reaction to discovering something new. That human sensation is universal.
There is a word to describe the moment when a sensation, a sense, crosses our body and soul. It comes from French and is called "frisson".
This mechanism is something particular to human beings. Animals do not have the need to discover the universe, understand it, and adapt it to them. They do not need those sensations.
All humans have musical pieces that generate frisson. Something mysterious that creates an orgasmic sensation on our skin. Frisson is a sudden feeling of excitement, thrill, or shiver. Certain sensory stimuli can trigger this experience.
The concept can be translated or interpreted as "aesthetic chill".
The aesthetic chill is what I refer to as the basic guideline of my life philosophy. It doesn't just happen with music. We can also experience those sensations when looking at visual art. Paintings.
The same sensations, but produced by another sense. You may not have felt it yet, but that is a matter of probabilities and time.
You can define that visual art is unlimited, but what generates your "frisson" is limited. It takes time and energy to find visual art that provokes aesthetic chills in you.
It is easier with music. At work, while traveling, studying, going out, going to a concert, at any moment, by listening to auditory art, you can find aesthetic chills.
Music is the easiest art to explore and receive positive influences in our daily lives.
René Descartes argues that having a conception of perfection, having that concept in his mind, but being an imperfect human being, means that there is something perfect that implanted that idea in him before birth. Innate ideas. It is his argument for the existence of something infinite and perfect.
I find his logic logical.
Let's suppose René is right. That there exists an infinite system, god. If we have perfection in mind, why do we have pleasurable sensory experiences with nature and art?
Those pleasurable sensations on the skin, when the senses are stimulated, are motivational.
That aesthetic shiver can also be experienced when contemplating a sunrise or sunset.
When having a revelation, finding a deep truth. When reading poetry, listening to an opera, observing visual art, watching a movie, hearing stories...
The sensation of aesthetic shiver is also called skin orgasm. The experience shares similar biological elements with sexual orgasm. That aesthetic chill is a reaction, an internal impulse when having new external experiences. It serves as a guide to acquiring knowledge of the outside world.
If you live in the mountains, the view of a sunset over the ocean gives you frisson.
If you live by the sea, you have orgasmic chills when you climb to the top and see the peaks disappear into the horizon.
We appreciate the different, the new, the unusual, that encouraged humanity to expand across the planet.
Imagine the first artist of the prehistoric cave. The sensation they must have experienced when, for the first time, the artist could represent everyday life in a painting on a rock. Imagine what the first people who saw and understood it experienced.
Having a deep revelation creates that orgasmic sensation.
That motivates you to keep searching for more.
Pythagoras was considered a demigod in his time for having found mathematical formulas to describe geometric shapes. The theorem that bears his name is now learned in primary school.
Information that was once considered mystical is now basic.
Another obvious example was Archimedes with his famous "eureka". He was a mathematician, inventor, and physicist of ancient Greece. A genius. One day, the king of the empire hired him to determine, without melting it, whether a received gold crown was solid.
Archimedes knew the density of the material but not the volume of the object. One day, when he submerged himself in a bathtub, he noticed that his body had displaced water and overflowed it. With a leap of excitement, he ran out of the bathtub towards where the king was, shouting: Eureka! Eureka!, which in Greek means "I have found it". He observed that the volume of displaced water was equal to the volume of his body, thus solving, with that logic, the problem of the crown. Still naked. Defining the famous principle with his name.
That source of wonder, discovering universal truths new to us, comes from an existing perfect logic.
That motivating force is what I refer to as the principle of my life philosophy.
The advancement of humanity is the goal. I describe or understand it as personal motivation. You feel connected to the environment, to the universe, to the infinite, if you explore what generates pleasure. And, obviously, discovering something new for you generates pleasure.
Let's put it this way: can you imagine a life without music, a life without feeling skin orgasms created by your auditory senses?
Not really.
It would be a great loss if you can't be moved by music.
But that's what you do if you don't seek what visual art generates those sensations for you. What landscapes give you that? What food gives you that pleasure? What smells?
That is beauty for me... that sensation when you experience aesthetic chills.
It is essential to discover what is beautiful for you.
The knowledge acquired in the path of discovery is important. But it is also important to experience those sensations. Because that's what life is about, discovering new truths that generate pleasurable physical reactions.
That's how we advance in our knowledge.
Maybe your way of inquiring, seeking sensory beauty, leads you to define new concepts, create art, or uncover a part of the mysterious and infinite universe. Maybe none of that happens, and it doesn't matter. The small pleasures of discoveries are sufficient reward to keep seeking universal beauty.
Final Thought:
Beauty is perception. Everything is beautiful and everyone is beautiful... to someone.
You can live thinking that everything is beautiful or that nothing is. How you think changes your perceptions and sensations.
Beauty surrounds us everywhere. Just take some time to appreciate it. Just follow your intuition and sensations.
The universe is a blank canvas, and the way you choose to see it turns it into your life's masterpiece.
You are the creator of your environment, interpreting what you want to discover.
The beauty of creation.
Adrián
Applied Beauty
I want to share with you the importance of applying beauty in your daily life and the benefits you will gain from cultivating a sensitivity to it.
Applying beauty in your daily life means finding it in the simplest and most ordinary details.
Observe the sunlight entering through your window in the morning, enjoy the melody that accompanies you during breakfast, or immerse yourself in the comforting sensation of water as you wash your face.
These small moments of appreciation will fill you with gratitude and fulfillment in your day-to-day life.
By cultivating a sensitivity to beauty, you also stimulate your creativity.
Beauty inspires you, awakens your imagination, and drives you to explore new forms of artistic expression. Through painting, writing, or music, you can channel your creativity and find a deeper connection with the world around you. Not just by creating, but also by observing and enjoying art.
But the benefits are not limited to your inner world.
By developing a sensitivity to beauty, you also become more empathetic and attentive to the emotional needs of others. Sharing your appreciation for beauty can create deeper and more meaningful connections with the people around you.
I encourage you to start applying beauty in your daily life today. Open your senses and find moments of wonder and delight in the midst of routine. Cultivating your sensitivity to beauty will allow you to experience life in a fuller and more enriching way.
Don’t deprive yourself of this transformative experience. Seek beauty in every corner of your existence!
Life is beautiful, but not everyone is aware of it. You, as an observer, transform it into beauty…
Expanding the Horizon of Beauty: Exploring New Territories
It is important to expand our horizon and explore new territories. Often, we cling to the familiar, but by opening ourselves to the unknown, we discover a wide range of beauty that enriches our lives.
One way to expand our horizon of beauty is by exploring different cultures.
Each culture has its own artistic expressions, traditions, and unique perspectives on what is beautiful.
By immersing ourselves in cultural diversity, we enter a world full of colors, sounds, and styles that can awaken our imagination and open us to new ways of appreciating beauty.
Another territory to explore is nature.
We often marvel at majestic landscapes and natural phenomena, but what about the subtler details?
Observe closely the shapes and colors of flowers, admire the elegance of a butterfly in flight, or listen to the whisper of leaves moved by the wind. Nature offers us countless beautiful manifestations that we can discover if we pay attention to the small details.
We should not forget that beauty can also manifest in unexpected areas of everyday life. In the simple and ordinary, there is hidden potential to find wonder.
A smiling face, a kind gesture, a hot cup of coffee on a cold day; all these small moments can fill our hearts with joy and reveal the beauty we often overlook.
Explore these new territories of beauty.
Immerse yourself in different cultures, connect with nature, and find beauty in the everyday.
By doing so, you will discover an infinite wealth of experiences and emotions that will enrich your life. Allow yourself to be surprised by the wonders that await you beyond what you know.
10 Beautiful Quotes
"Beauty is whatever gives joy," as Edna St. Vincent Millay once said. This reminds us that in any endeavor, our ultimate goal is to bring joy. It's about finding that unique element that resonates and brings happiness to those we interact with.
Gotthold Ephraim Lessing believed that "the greatest beauty always lies in the greatest clarity." This calls us to action to ensure our communication is clear and concise. A well-crafted and direct message can itself be a work of beauty.
"Every human being has their beauty," a quote from Adrian, serves as a powerful reminder of the diversity and inclusion that should be celebrated in our society. Beauty comes from within, and it is our duty to highlight and respect diversity.
"The creation of beauty is an art, and the love of beauty is taste," as elegantly expressed by Ralph Waldo Emerson. This quote underscores the importance of creativity and innovation in our work. We are not just completing tasks; we are creating a form of art that speaks to others.
The wisdom of Aristotle teaches us that "personal beauty is a greater recommendation than any letter of reference." This highlights the power of personal inner beauty and the importance of cultivating our virtues to be beautiful.
St. Augustine believed that "as love grows within you, so beauty grows. For love is the beauty of the soul." This quote reminds us that honesty and authenticity are reflected in our daily lives, creating a sense of beauty that resonates with others.
The quote by Sri Sathya Sai Baba, "If there is righteousness in the heart, there will be beauty in character," emphasizes the importance of ethical practices. Integrity and righteousness are not just virtues; they add beauty to our character.
Confucius taught us that "everything has beauty, but not everyone sees it." This reminds us that our duty is to learn to see beauty and then help others see and appreciate the unique beauty in the universe.
"To love beauty is to see the light," said Victor Hugo. This quote highlights the power of positive thinking. By focusing on the small positive details of life, we can inspire ourselves and create a sense of constant optimism and positive excitement.
Finally, the quote from Albert Einstein, "The pursuit of truth and beauty is a sphere of activity in which we are permitted to remain children all our lives," reminds us of the importance of curiosity and constant learning. The world is in constant evolution, and we must remain adaptable and open-minded, like children, to continue enjoying the art of discovery.
Conclusion:
On this occasion, we explored the concept of beauty and its importance in your life. I hope you enjoyed this reflection and that it leads you to appreciate even more the beauty that surrounds you.
Remember that beauty is present in every moment and in every experience.
It is a constant reminder of the magic and grandeur of the universe we inhabit.
Take every opportunity you can to immerse yourself in its embrace and allow it to inspire and elevate you.
I invite you to bring the quest for beauty into your daily life.
Cultivate a sensitivity to details, be aware of the moments that generate aesthetic shivers, and find inspiration in them.
Allow yourself to discover new ways of appreciating life and share these perspectives with those around you.
As a final challenge, I urge you to take a moment at the end of each day to reflect on the moments of beauty you have experienced.
Note those moments in a diary or journal, capturing the essence of the beauty that surrounds you. The more aware you are, the more of these moments you will have. Over time, that journal will become a treasure of inspiration and gratitude.
It's a life full of discoveries and aesthetic experiences that will make you vibrate. It's worth it.
With gratitude and enthusiasm,
Adrián
P.S.: Could you share this newsletter with 3 people you know would appreciate it? You would be doing them and me a huge favor! Thank you for sharing.