Floating above our beloved country, Japanese astronaut Soichi Noguchi shot a photo from the International Space Station and shared it in a tweet:
Beautiful #Philippines islands! pic.twitter.com/RXuekityQh
— NOGUCHI, Soichi 野口 聡一(のぐち そういち) (@Astro_Soichi) April 6, 2021
It was just one photo and three words, but it went viral like mad. Beauty is that powerful. It attracts; it changes paradigms. It shows us greatness beyond the space that one's own self occupies. And, because of that, it gives us the hope of happiness beyond, awaiting our arrival.
The problem is that it's sometimes difficult to recognize beauty. A photo from the International Space Station has an unusual effect because we've never been at that vantage point—it's a view so jarringly foreign that we can't help but see it for what it is. But where we are right now, where you and I are here on Earth, we see the same things every single day. We overlook beauty because it is ordinary. Nonetheless, it remains as powerful as ever. And I'm not talking about the lobbies of five-star hotels, museum art pieces, or that enchanting celebrity you follow on social media. I'm referring to you, your work, your relationships, and even your struggles: all those projects you haven't finished, the next natural calamity coming your way, the mess that is your room, your laziness to pray, and that addiction you're trying to leave behind. There is beauty to behold in all those but we've become desensitized to it. So, it's easy to sink into the hopelessness of a country filled with undisciplined citizens, incompetent leaders, and limited opportunities.
But there is so much beauty. It is there. It is right in front of you and all around you. God created a beautiful world. While our human weakness sometimes messes it up, the wonder that we've inherited is far greater than the frailty of the whole human race. It persists despite us. It is so present that if we don't see it, we see so little, and therefore live so little.
We all want to live full lives. To do that, we need to see beauty and create more of it, everyday, as a matter of habit. It's not easy to move away from the shadows we've sulked in for a lifetime, but we can take one step at a time and slowly accustom our eyes to light.
That's why I built Pinay Lifestyle. The Filipina is beautiful and, as such, is called to hone the skill of recognizing beauty and the habit of propagating it—everyday, and not a moment less.
Welcome to Pinay Lifestyle.
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