by Linda Burleson

Created on: August 23, 2009

There is a very old adage that says, "the eyes are the windows of the soul". Most adages have their roots in reality. Women (and even some men) the world over spend millions of dollars on cosmetics, beauty magazines and books, and cosmetic surgery and/or treatments such as Botox. External beauty is big business. The media bombards us with pressure to "look good". Statistics show that people who are overweight or homely actually have getting jobs, or if they have jobs, getting promoted. Our obsession with "looking right" has led to a plethora of eating disorders and emotional trauma, particularly among young females.

Take the new show, "Drop Dead Diva". The theme is about a beauty focused model type who is killed in an automobile accident, and before being accepted into Heaven manages to punch a button at St. Peter's desk that sends her back to earth in another woman's persona. That woman just happens to be an overweight, workaholic attorney. She is aware of the other persona, but has the smarts, appetites and body of the attorney It just so happens that the former fiance of the deceased Diva works in the same office. The fact that she is not the beauty she was prevents him from seeing her as anything but a coworker. The message is certainly there that the external looks matter and probably matter most.

That being said, who hasn't looked at someone on television, at work, in class or in a magazine and wished that you had that hair, those lips, that body, those legs, etc.? It is human nature; yet in our personal lives, what really matters in a friend, a relative, a favorite teacher, an inspiring preacher, anyone else who impacts our lives on terra firma? People who have real influence or closeness for us have more than external beauty. Who do you depend and rely on? Does it matter how they look? It matters how they listen, how they respond, and whether they are there when you need them. It matters, when you look into their eyes, that you see caring, sincerity, encouragement, and joy.

There are a lot of people who smile superficially with their "smile muscles" and their lips, but the smile does not reach the eyes. If one is even slightly perceptive, he/she can detect this vacuous expression. It is lovely to look at beautiful people, and some beautiful people have inner beauty; however, if there has to be a choice, inner beauty is what matters in the real world. It is the person with inner beauty who will go the second mile for a friend, who will serve lunch at the homeless shelter, who will watch your child so that you can be at the hospital when your mom has surgery. It is inner beauty that sustains emotional health. External beauty fades with age. Oh yes, one can spend the big bucks to keep it a bit longer, but it is the rare person who keeps it indefinitely. Inner beauty lasts a lifetime.

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