What is truly beautiful?

“The earth has music for those who listen. “

A few days ago, I was in Landour(a small town in Uttarakhand, India) and taking a walk and clicking few pictures. An old man, probably in his 70s, saw me clicking the pictures and asked me if he could have a conversation with me. I said, “sure Sir.”Then he started walking with me as we had the conversation.

He asked me why was I clicking the pictures of the hills or the view and I answered that I was doing so because it’s a beautiful view. He smiled a bit as if he was expecting that answer or rather maybe wanted me to say that. He asked me why is it beautiful and then he rephrased his question to how do we consider anything beautiful. I tried to answer by saying that I think beauty is more of a subjective thing than objective. Different people find beauty in different things depending on their taste .

He nodded a bit as if approving my answer. He said we say nature is beautiful. It is so because it is untouched and still the way it was created. And then he discussed how he’s been staying in Landour for past 34 years and saw the changes in the weather and the place. And he was genuinely concerned with how humans are interfering with nature’s beauty.

Then he asked me what is the purpose of Beauty?. I started thinking. I thought that of course beauty is pleasing or delightful but then wondered if that is the purpose. And then as I saw he has been waiting for few minutes for an answer, I finally said I don’t know what’s the exact purpose of beauty. He told me to think about it and left.

“By beauty I mean, that quality or those qualities in bodies, by which they cause love, or some passion similar to it”

– Edmund Burke

And since then I’m wondering about his last question. So I want to ask what’s the purpose of beauty? or what is ‘beautiful’ according to you?

Please share your views.