Beauty

Although the underground system is full of crowds and pollution, I get excited when I see a new poster advertising a museum or West End show- bright colors or calming artwork- beauty in the midst of the dull and industrial.
The old buildings lining the streets of London tend to be grouped in blocks of identical narrow brick structures, yet the nameplates next to each door are unique to the personalities of the owners- individual beauty in the midst of cookie cutter beauty.
There are quite a few bridges in London, and all of them are either decorated in some vibrant way or designed so uniquely that they are stunning. Beauty in the midst of functionality.
A church is very much alive, even teaches Freedom classes. But they don't meet in a school building or warehouse (like I'm used to). They meet in a building that's at least 75 years old and has stained glass windows and paintings lining the walls. Physical beauty in the midst of spiritual beauty.
You walk down a random central London street, past Sainsbury's Express grocery stores and Pret a Mange organic cafes and Caffe Nero coffee shops and Carphone Warehouse cell phone stores, and there, in the middle of the buildings is a park. It's not a big park, and it's just one in many in central London. But here, in this spot, it provides a green escape from the gray of the city. Beauty in the midst of the crowded.

Over the last three months I've come to appreciate beauty. England has an appreciation for beauty which I think has been lost in the utilitarian, independent, achieving society of America. We need achievers and hardworking people in our society, yes, but I feel like Americans have lost something in our goal-oriented mentality. Gazing on beauty has no tangible value, so we dismiss it as laziness, unless we have already accomplished all of our tasks for the day and are "taking it easy." Yet this is not how we were meant to be.