Of course the answer to this question is that beauty is all around us. However, some things seem more beautiful than others and they are either worth being noted or worth being found. (And yes, I realize Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but that is a cliché. Some things are indeed universally beautiful.) If noted, they are somehow singled out for special attention. They may become landmarks or tourist attractions like: Niagara Falls, The Grand Canyon or Carlsbad Caverns. If you have ever visited any of these places, you know that you can stare and stare and stare at them for days. You want to somehow drink or absorb their beauty. You can walk around them and from different vantage points they provide a different panorama of beauty. I am sure you can add many places or items to the list that I call “Noted” beauty. By the way, “noted” beauty may include people, place, things or even ideas. Someone noted that Einstein’s Theory of Relativity was beautiful in its simplicity. Matthew R. Crawford in his blog “Albert Einstein on Beauty, Science and God” believes that:
“what drove Einstein to his scientific conclusions was a conviction that nature displayed a beauty that was discernible, and that a characteristic feature of this beauty was simplicity.”
There are many lists of “beautiful men and women. Every few years, the list of notable women beauties includes such familiar celebrities as: Jessica Alba, Gwyneth Paltrow, Amanda Seyfried and Halle Berry. These are just a few of the many notable beauties who get nominated each year for the “most beautiful woman in the world list.” I keep waiting to get nominated for most beautiful man in the world but alas to date, my name has not appeared on any lists. They keep picking guys that would be low on my list like: Matthew McConaughey, Brad Kroenig and Josh Harnett. So there is no accounting for taste which is why some people say “beauty is in the eye of the beholder.” However, I have already stated that this is a lie. Some beauty is universal. The beauty of a rose or a humming bird or a newborn baby can be put on a list of things that are universally admired.
Then there are the items that I will put in the “unnoted” beauty list. Unnoted beauty is beauty that surrounds us or that is often hidden to our eyes either because we take it for granted or because for some reason it has not become popular. Many “beautiful” items become fashionable and then are assumed to be beautiful. The “notable” beauty list is full of such items. These items have the weight of public opinion on their side. For instance, the Mona Lisa is considered to be one of the most beautiful pictures in the world and no trip to Paris is said to be complete without a visit to the Louvre to see the Mona Lisa. Right? Well, sorry but I don’t agree. Not only would I say it was not worth the effort, (Go to the Louvre anyway, you will not be disappointed) but I did not think it was such a great picture and NO, the eyes did not follow me. I am not sure where that bit about the eyes comes from but I think many viewers must have been sucked up into a form of mass hysteria if they really believe the eyes followed them anywhere.
“Unnoted” beauty surrounds us as well and unlike notable beauty, unnoted beauty is most often free. You have only to open your eyes and you can find unnoted in everything that encompasses you. Sometimes unnoted beauty is found in the least likely places. On our trip back to Wisconsin from Arizona, Karen and I stopped for two days in Bisbee, Arizona to see some sights. We went to the art shops, clothes shops, and antique stores and spend a day in Tombstone watching reenactments of the “Old West.” One night we went out for a walk (We stayed at the Bisbee Grand Hotel which I highly recommend). Prices, food, service, rooms were all incredible. For $65 dollars a night we had a wonderful room and a great hot full breakfast each morning. The view from the balcony which we ate out on was spectacular and in the saloon next door on a Tuesday night we were able to hear a great live Klezmer band called the The Underscore Orkestra which played for three hours a variety of jazz, Balkan and swing music. They were staying in our hotel and traveling around the world performing. You can find their schedule at their website. If you enjoy some eclectic music you will really enjoy the Underscore Orkestra. If you see them say hi to Jorge and Joshua and Willo for me. They were fun to listen to and talk to as well.
To return to our walk, we decided to journey up hill, Bisbee seems to have two parts, uphill and downhill. We had already toured downhill so we decided to visit uphill. As we walked by a number of shops we came to an area where there was a large town hall and some municipal buildings. Right behind the buildings was a large church. We always enjoy looking in churches to see how they are decorated. Most churches would not be on any list of notable beauty but you can often find some very beautiful artifacts in them that are not on any tourist list or brochure. Unfortunately, today most churches now are locked except during service hours. Since it was nearly 7 PM, we did not expect the church to be open.
Remaining an optimist, I walked up the steps to the church and pulled on the door. Sadly, it was locked. As I started to walk down the steps, I heard a voice call out “Would you like to go inside.”
I saw a young man in a pickup truck starting to climb out and approach me. I did not want to importune him but since he offered, I said “sure, thanks,” He told us his name was Jesus and then opened the doors and turned the lights on for Karen and I. When he did, we were astonished. As the Millennium generation like to say, it was awesome. Before us, were the most beautiful stained glass windows I have ever seen in my life! I don’t want to brag, but I have been in many churches and cathedrals including the Vatican, Notre Dame and St. Patrick’s in New York. Never in any place in my entire life, have I seen a more beautiful set of stained glass windows. There were two large ones at the front and two at the back of the church, a ceiling window and stained glass windows along each side of the church. Karen and I just looked and looked. We did not have our camera. Finally, while we did not want to leave, we decided we should probably let Jesus go home. I had introduced myself to the man that let us in and he told us a little about the church and we exchanged names and thanked him profusely for letting us in.
On this special evening in Bisbee, Arizona “unnoted beauty” was displayed before us in two ways. The first is obvious. We saw some beautiful art that was not on any tourist list I have yet seen. I should mention, we went back the next day and the church was open so we went in again and this time we took some pictures. I was also so impressed that on the morning we left, I rose early and went to a 7:30 AM mass they held at the church. Jesus was there as were about 7 or 8 other parishioners. I found out that the name of the church was St. Patrick’s Roman Catholic Church. A subsequent web search revealed the following facts about the church. I should note that none of these facts were evident at the church or in any local tourist literature that I saw while in Bisbee. Hence, I still proclaim this to be an “unnoted” treasure and beauty.
Perched 200 feet above the floor of Tombstone Canyon in historic Bisbee, Arizona, St. Patrick’s Roman Catholic Church stands as a monument to the exuberant determination of the town’s early residents to transform a primitive mining camp into one of the largest commercial centers in early Arizona.
Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the Gothic Revival church is a copy of St. Mary’s Catholic Church in the Irish district of Whitehaven, England.
St. Patrick’s 41 stained glass windows were designed and produced by Emil Frei, whose work is recognized as an unsurpassed example of Victorian-style stained glass.
The Bavarian-born Frei (1869-1942) studied at the Munich Academy of Art before immigrating to the United States in the late 1800s. In 1900 he opened the Emil Frei Art Glass Company in St. Louis, Missouri.
Now for the second example of beauty that day, it is not as obvious as the windows but it is even more beautiful than the wonders of the church. Think about this for a minute. It is 7 PM at night, you have been doing construction work all day and it is time to return home to your family and a hot meal. Just as you are getting ready to start your car and head home, two yahoo tourists walk up to your church and appear to be trying to gain entry. You are not a tour guide or the pastor and you do not earn one cent by abandoning your original plans to go home and letting them in. Furthermore, you have no idea how long they will remain or whether or not other tourists will suddenly emerge who want to come in. What would the average store clerk do? What would the average store owner do? And bear in mind, store clerks are potentially making some money off of visitors.
Jesus had nothing to gain and yet he took the time to let us in, talk to us and tell us some brief facts about the church. So what was this “unnoted” beauty of which I speak? I am talking about “beauty of the spirit” and that night in Bisbee, Jesus showed us what a beautiful spirit really was and how it gave to others with no thought of reward or privilege gained. Jesus was not the parish priest and he had no responsibility at all in the area of perhaps talking to potential parishioners. What Jesus did was done simply out of the beauty of the man’s heart.
“The ideals which have always shone before me and filled me with the joy of living are goodness, beauty, and truth. To make a goal of comfort or happiness has never appealed to me; a system of ethics built on this basis would be sufficient only for a herd of cattle.” – Albert Einstein.
“Of life’s two chief prizes, beauty and truth, I found the first in a loving heart and the second in a laborer’s hand.” – Kahil Gibran
Time for Questions:
Do you look for beauty in unexpected places? Do you find that beauty can lie in ideas and spirit and not just in things and glamour? Do you raise your children to see the beauty of life and not just accomplishments or rewards? How do you find beauty? Do you have enough beauty in your life? Can you still find beauty despite growing old and more infirm? Can you help others by sharing your beauty with them?
Life is just beginning.
“Life is full of beauty. Notice it. Notice the bumble bee, the small child, and the smiling faces. Smell the rain, and feel the wind. Live your life to the fullest potential, and fight for your dreams.” — Ashley Smith
This week, you will hear from one Jesus of Nazareth. He has been called by many names including: Messiah, Emmanuel, Christ, Lord, Master, Logos (the Word), Son of God and by himself more often The Son of Man. He is often credited with being the founder or perhaps foundation for a popular religion called Christianity. Today, it is difficult to see the link between the teachings of Jesus and many of these so-called Christian religions. I have it on good authority that Jesus never ever preached killing anyone and yet many of these so-called Christian religions are continually waving a banner of mayhem and destruction at those who think differently than they do. Anyway, it is time to let Jesus speak for himself.
I am talking about greed here. I am talking about wanting more and more regardless of the effects it has on the earth. I am telling you that happiness does not come from having more of things. The only true happiness comes from helping others. It is better to share with others who are needy than to amass a fortune that you cannot take with you. Those who berate the tax collector and call him a sinner and cheat are no better than the tax collector. Indeed, those who refuse to pay their fair share for the life they are given are worse than the tax collector. 
I am talking about sin here. I am talking about grieving your mistakes and injustices towards others. No one can walk in this world without hurting others either deliberately or by mistake. But the people who will be comforted in the next world are those who regret their mistakes and injustices and ask for forgiveness. They are the people who acknowledge their sins and mistakes and try to make amends. I was not perfect, and no one born of this world is perfect. The good and just man admits his vices and tries to overcome them. The good and just man tries to make amends to the people he has hurt or abused.
The narcissist and the man full of hubris will do injustice to all they meet. The narcissist thinks that the world revolves around his needs, wants and desires, and is content to ignore the needs and wants and desires of others. The man of hubris is overly prideful and arrogant and thinks that he has earned the right to have more than others. Both feel that everyone else is there to serve their needs and that their needs come before the needs of anyone else. The injustice done by these beliefs amounts to a mountain of intolerance and discrimination towards anyone who is perceived as inferior or beneath their consideration. For this reason, I say “Do not look upon yourself as being better than others. Remember that there but for the grace of God, would you go.”
world. No one who is not seeking righteousness and justice can expect to find peace. I say that your task is to look for justice where there is injustice. To look for goodness where there is wickedness. You can never complete your search. Your hunger will never be sated. Your thirst will never be quenched. Each generation must take up the search because evil is in our own hearts. Only by looking to replace evil with justice and righteousness can the evil that is within us be banished. We are all born with original sin, but the righteous man is the one who overcomes their sinfulness by replacing it with a goodness that transcends earthly needs and desires.
Those who show mercy towards others will have mercy shown towards them. I lived in a time when lepers, Samaritans, non-Jews and many others were thought to be unworthy of mercy. Mercy was always for those in our own tribe. This meant mercy for Jews if you were a Jew. Mercy for Romans if you were a Roman. No mercy was to be shown to the poor for they were lazy. No mercy was to be shown to the sick because they were sinners. No mercy was to be shown to those of other religions because they were “non-believers.”
I say to you that the pure of heart are those with integrity and character. They are without selfishness and seek primarily to do good for others regardless of the cost to themselves. They are not opportunists who try to squeeze the most for themselves at every turn of events. Neither are they sycophants who yield their ideas and actions to others so they can creat more profit for themselves. The pure of heart are not greedy. They are not profit driven. They are not out for fame and fortune. The pure of heart care only about the good they can do for others. Others include the entire human race and not simply those who belong to their tribe or religion or country. Those who put humanity above patriotism, humanity above family, humanity above friendships and humanity above self will surely see God.
Rage, jealousy, ingratitude, intolerance, bigotry and fear are the enemies of peace. Those who want peace must be willing to beat their swords into plowshares. If you follow my Beatitude, you will disarm yourself. You will throw down your guns. You will deactivate your nuclear weapons. You will turn your armies for war into armies for education. There is no peace possible in aggression. There is no peace possible in hatred. There is no peace possible in defensiveness. The only path to peace is to turn the other cheek. How many times have I said you must do this to find peace?
Actions speak louder than words. All those who cry out “Lord, lord” will not enter into the kingdom of heaven. What good is the salt if it has lost its taste? Those who speak beautiful words will not enter my kingdom without beautiful deeds to match their words. I spoke out my ideas and thoughts. I challenged the powers that were corrupt. I was taken up to the mountain and promised fame and fortune and power by Satan if I renounced my beliefs, but I remained steadfast. I was persecuted and crucified, but I never renounced my beliefs. How then do you think you will be saved by being nice to others and by silencing your thoughts in the face of evil? No one who speaks my name should expect to escape persecution. There is no change without struggle and oppression.
There have been many theories proposed for the policies held by Trump and his Republican supporters. They include “Greed Theory.” The Republicans are held to be greedier than most people and only want to accumulate as much money as they can. Another is “Hate Theory.” This theory holds that since most Republicans are White European in ancestry, they loath and detest any people who are different then they are. This includes Asians, Blacks, Indians, Latinos and any immigrants not from Europe.
About a week later, I was substitute teaching in a Casa Grande High School. I drew an eleventh-grade social studies class. The teacher had left an assignment wherein the students had to find certain terms and concepts associated with the second industrial revolution and write definitions for each of them. Included among such terms as: robber barons, corporations, patents and trusts was the term “Social Darwinism.” One of the students asked me to explain it beyond the simple definition she found on line. I tried to recall my ideas relating to this concept from many years ago. I gave her my explanation and then later I looked up the definition at Wikipedia. I was struck at how well my memory had served me. It was at that point that the proverbial light bulb or blinding light of inspiration hit me. I suddenly realized that the Republican Party was not just trying to create elite systems but they were also trying to build on the theories of Herbert Spencer. The following excerpt explains this theory very well as it applies to many current concepts such as: trickle down theory, privatization, corporate welfare and tax reform.
So, there you have it. Trump and the Republican Party are not greedy, hateful or fearful of others, they simply do not believe that you have a right to anything unless you are also rich and successful and White like they are. Based on the concepts of Social Darwinism, they have the right to whatever you have if they can find a way to take it away from you. If you cannot keep it, that means you are inferior. If you are inferior, you have no right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. According to Social Darwinism, the elite will eventually Trump the poor because they are stronger, smarter and more fit. This will eventually result in a society wherein everyone is fit, and everyone is trying to screw everyone else.
Jesus talked about the three classes of good people. The first class hears his message but has little time to do anything about it. The second class hears the message and when convenient they try to help others and spread the message of Jesus. The third class commits their body and soul to sharing Jesus’s message. The third class of men/women make a commitment to doing this year round and 24/7. For the third class, it is not a onetime thing or something to be done when they have time or are not busy. It is a lifetime commitment to share his message with the world.
The Joy of Christmas is a state of fulfillment, contentment and gratitude. Through the love of others who give selflessly of themselves, we can all be free to experience a Joy that cannot be bought or traded. It is one of the reasons that giving and not receiving is said to be the true path to happiness. During the holidays, we are excited about the chance to give to others. And nowhere is that feeling of giving more delightful than in watching the face of a young child receive something that we know they really wanted. However, Joy to the World should mean more than just giving toys to tots. There are physical gifts which we can give but there are also emotional and spiritual gifts as well.
I am frequently critical of all the toy drives that I see going on at Christmastime. Not just because I think most kids in America have more toys than they know what to do with, but because of the message that this sends. Why not I ask, have a “books for tots” drive? Why not give books for a present? Why is it always about toys? We become so narrowly focused that we lose sight of the larger picture.
Thus, Jesus did not come to replace the commandments but he did come to go beyond the commandments. God brought the commandments to Moses but the message that Jesus brought to us is in addition to the commandments. Jesus extended the Ten Commandments with a list that has come to be known as the Eight Beatitudes. A beatitude is something that gives one both happiness and blessedness. Jesus gave these Eight during his famous Sermon on the Mount:
I am continually surprised by so-called Christians who seem to revel in the Ten Commandments but treat the Eight Beatitudes as though they were bastard children of Satan. When was the last time you heard anyone wanting to put up a statue or sculpture or sign with the Eight Beatitudes on it? The Message of Christmas is the Eight Beatitudes. The Joy that Jesus wanted to bring to the world can only come by following the Eight Beatitudes. If you call yourself a Christian but you do not practice these in you daily life, then you are not spreading the Gospel of Jesus.
words of the Beatitudes go beyond any one religion. They speak to a way of being in the world and a way of treating other human beings. Just as I have found valuable teachings in other religions, I think more Christians should be willing to share the Message of Jesus in the Eight Beatitudes. Keep in mind though, that sharing this message will never work unless you also live by the message. You must be the change you want to see in others. Do you know what the famous Indian Chief Sitting Bull said when asked what he thought of Christianity? Chief Sitting Bull replied: “I have read your Bible and the religion seems good but I do not see many White people practicing it.”
Production Manager: Jesus Christ, you are fired. I have told you repeatedly that your job is to help us make a profit, not to take care of the sick and needy. I am sorry but I am going to have to let you go. I wish I could give you a good reference but you just don’t belong in the business world.
Advertising Manager: Jesus Christ, you are fired. You can’t tell people the truth about our client’s products. Your job was to make this stuff look good. But no, you kept telling people the truth. You are too honest and you will never make a good marketing person. I suggest you find another outlet for your talents.
Employment Counselor: Well, Jesus, if you were asked about your future plans and what you wanted to aspire to, could you maybe forget about the sacrifice thing and just talk about how hard you can work?
ure Report. 
Aging Capriciously 