by Rubab Hamdani

Created on: August 20, 2009

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. These enlightening words of Kahlil Gibran say it all. True beauty shines from the inside, it resides within a person's soul, mind and heart. Kindness, love, generosity, delicacy, strength of character, morality and intelligence are the strong pillars of a beautiful and attractive personality.

Usually we associate beauty with the outside appearance of a person and think that beauty is only skin deep. In fact this way of thinking has gained momentum with the advent of modern day gadgets, such as TV, films, magazines and print and electronic media at large. We are so interested in knowing what is in or out, what celebrity is wearing what or whom? What are the daily beauty rituals of our favorite superstars? That we forget what makes these stars successful? If it was their beauty, all the beautiful people would be successful, ironically we see a lot of average looking actors make it big and then become beautiful in our eyes on the basis of their talent. The real hero behind any success story is talent and brains and on the basis of that one can reach any heights. Standards of beauty change everyday, but the fact, that brains and intelligence can bring about miracles, will never change.

Beauty comes from within; any beautiful face will lose its charm if there isn't a kind heart or a rational mind behind it. The great things that we humans, as a race, have achieved are not the outcome of any external beauty, but the beauty that resides in the mind, is the real architect that has designed this world and made it what it is today. All this advancement in thought, philosophy and technology is a result of what lies within the mind and heart of great thinkers and achievers.

As we all know that negative feelings and bitterness render ugliness to any beautiful face and softness of thought and kindness of the heart makes an ordinary face appear beautiful. We have beautiful artificial flower arrangements but nothing surpasses the pleasure that on feels on reception of a single sweet smelling rose, only because it is real and natural and has a life and purpose. Same is the case with us: humans, no amount of artificial adornment or external beauty can surpass the beauty of a pure soul or an uncorrupted heart.

External beauty may impress another for a while but permanency of admiration can only be achieved by the warmth and sweetness that emanates

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