If You Feel Like You've Lost Your Purpose in Life, Try Living for Beauty

One of the most worthy reasons to live for

No matter how much we think we have our lives all figured out, it might so happen that we get caught up in one of those moments of complete loneliness in which we start questioning the way our lives are going. Especially now.

This can make us feel like no matter what we do we can't be as happy as we thought we could.

It's in these moments that we might ask ourselves "what are we living for anyway?"

If you're like me, then you've probably asked yourself this question many times throughout the years. This doesn’t mean that we’re not satisfied with our lives or that we’re completely lost. It simply means that we need a stronger reason to enjoy life, a stronger purpose.

This, I believe, is a good thing to seek out.

As humans, we don't want to simply exist or survive, we want to live. Really live! This is what propels us to seek a more meaningful purpose to live other than just "making ends meet."

And yes, there are dozens of different purposes people live for, just like the responsibility to family and friends, satisfying work, and to better their societies just to mention a few.

But today I want us to explore a different type of purpose for those of us that need something different, a purpose that will make our lives more fresh and meaningful. That purpose is living for beauty.

On Beauty

But first, what exactly is beauty?

In the words of Roger Scruton:

“Beauty can be consoling, disturbing, sacred, profane; it can be exhilarating, appealing, inspiring, chilling. It can affect us in an unlimited variety of ways. Yet it is never viewed with indifference: beauty demands to be noticed; it speaks to us directly like the voice of an intimate friend. If there are people who are indifferent to beauty, then it is surely because they do not perceive it.”

So really, beauty can be anything and everything as long as it makes us feel something. As long as it moves our hearts and mesmerizes our souls.

There is beauty in the simplicity of a pencil and in the complexity of our brains. There is beauty in anything and in everything!

So how do we, then, live for beauty?

Appreciate Beauty

We must start by finding the fountain of youth.

To do that we have to reclaim our childlike eyes. Those that see beauty, those that most people lose with the passing of the years and with the burdens of life. With them we regain youth. This is key.

"Youth is happy because it has the ability to see beauty. Anyone who keeps the ability to see beauty never grows old." — Franz Kafka

Now we can start our journey.

By setting aside some time each day to appreciate beauty, we can begin to train ourselves to see with our childlike eyes once again. This requires us to pay attention to the two sources of beauty in the world:

• The natural world
• And the human-made world.

Beauty in the natural world

In order to appreciate the beauty there is in nature, we have to pay attention to everything it provides: from the tiny plant seeds to the vast ocean, the small droplets of water to the powerful mountains, the minute ant workers to the fierce tigers.

“To speak truly, few adult persons can see nature. Most persons do not see the sun. At least they have a very superficial seeing. The sun illuminates only the eye of the man but shines into the eye and the heart of the child. The lover of nature is he whose inward and outward senses are still truly adjusted to each other; who has retained the spirit of infancy even into the era of manhood.” —Ralph Waldo Emerson

And just like a child, we will find joy in the small things, the clever designs, and the magnificent forces of nature.

By seeing the natural world with fresh new eyes we can escape the monotony of the day-to-day life. Having a completely new perspective of what we thought was ordinary will not only allow us to experience inner peace, but it will also make us feel happier.

Beauty in the human-made world

Then there are those things that have been created by humans throughout history and that continue to be created. We must find joy in creations such as music, art, literature, architecture, video games, movies, and everything in between.

Appreciating beauty in the creations of men and women means paying attention within, to what you deeply love: the type of music you enjoy the most, the genres that entertain you the most, and all the other creations that bring you happiness. But it also means being open to new things, things that you haven't tried before or that you think you won't enjoy as much.

Exploring a wide range of creations can truly bring pleasure to your life.

“There is not a single true work of art that has not in the end added to the inner freedom of each person who has known and loved it. Yes, that is the freedom I am extolling, and it is what helps me through life.” — Albert Camus

Create Beauty

Living for beauty doesn't have to be limited to simply appreciating that which already exists. We can take part in the creation of beauty ourselves. And we should!

"We can create music, poetry, art, stories, philosophies, cinema, beautiful gardens, or strong and independent children. Or we can transform our own body or character into a beautiful work of art." — Academy of Ideas

But if you don't have the inner drive to create you may wonder why you should spend time in the creation of beauty? To answer this, we can turn to one of the most creative persons there are today: Hayao Miyazaki, the true lover of beauty.

It is said that Hayao Miyazaki "feels alive only when he's making a film" and that "he wants to keep creating until he dies."

The type of determination and passion by which Miyazaki lives shows what living for beauty is really all about. From observing each little detail in every living organism no matter how big or small to creating magnificent beauty in his films, Miyazaki is the master of beauty.

Following his steps, we too can become masters of beauty in our own way, in our desired fields. Most importantly, we most approach creating beauty with passion and wonder so that we may feel the joy that it brings.

But what if you feel as if you can't create due to the suffering from bad conditions? We must then remember the next quote:

“Creation, that is the redemption from suffering, and life’s growing light.”—Nietzsche

This essentially means that without suffering it would be harder to create. All the great writers, artists, and creatives have gone through some kind of suffering. It's inevitable, it's inherent in the human race.

We must not let it stop us and instead we have to use this suffering as our fuel.

Consequences and Rewards of Living for Beauty

Of course, as with most things in life, living for beauty comes with its risks.

We may find ourselves becoming more aware of the brevity of life and the sorrows of death.

“Life will follow the path it started upon, and will neither reverse nor check its course; it will make no noise, it will not remind you of its swiftness. Silent it will glide on; it will not prolong itself at the command of a king, or at the applause of the populace. Just as it was started on its first day, so it will run; nowhere will it turn aside, nowhere will it delay.” —Seneca

Or we may also become a target of envious people who do not follow the path we've chosen.

“Artists, poets, and saints are the ones who threaten the status quo, which each society is devoted to protecting.” —Rollo May

But these things should never stop us from living for beauty, for even if we decide not to follow this path due to fear, time will certainly not stop and we will perish just the same.

One Last Word

Living for beauty is definitely one of the most worthy reasons we can live for, it is a very fulfilling purpose. And it doesn't mean we must abandon our lives as they are to pursue beauty.

Even if it's just for one moment during the day, an entire weekend, or many hours during our vacations that we stop to appreciate or create beauty, we can be sure that it will benefit our well being and give more meaning to life as we know it.

So next time you're feeling lost in your path, turn to beauty. Remember that it's all around us. From the leaves outside our windows to the books we enjoy reading.

Instead of dying and not having truly lived, let's pursue a life of beauty and experience how good life can be during the very short time it lends us.