Beauty, an Allegory
There once was a girl who was extremely beautiful. We shall call her Jeanette. Everyone commented upon Jeanette’s beauty. Strangers passing her on the street stopped and gazed at her in awe and commented on her in wonder. At first she blushed as she thanked them, but in time she came to expect these compliments as her right. She started to behave in a very haughty and disdainful manner.
Because she was so very beautiful, men flocked round about her and tried to win her hand in marriage. It was not too long before she did get married. For a time she was happy. She had a doting husband, a lovely home, and eventually children. It was something most women would wish and aspire to. Unfortunately, that did not prevent her from being dissatisfied, malcontent, and ill with her lot for too long. She developed a sharp, hurtful tongue and a mean spirit. People began to avoid her company.
Jeanette had a sister who could not compete with her in looks. We will call this sister Odette. Odette was quiet, gentle, kind, sweet, and wise. She may not have been a raving beauty, but her warm smiling and caring ways attracted people to her just like bees to honey. She and her husband worked hard and became successful. Their home was filled with love and a handful of happy children. It seemed as if even the rafters of their home echoed with laughter and joy.
Time passed, for time does not pause for anything or anyone. I had not seen the sisters in a few years, for they do not live in the same city as we do. One day I received a phone call from one of our mutual friends. The two sisters were in town. My friend was inviting some of the old group for tea. Would I come, I was asked? I would and I did! When I met them, I noticed that Jeanette’s face was no longer beautiful. She had a coldness about her. Her face was etched with hard lines of discontentment and dissatisfaction. Odette’s features, on the other hand, were soft and pleasant. Her smile hardly left her face. Her voice had a warm happy lilt to it. It seemed to caress a person with its warmth.
It made me ponder. Beauty that is skin deep is not permanent. Beauty that comes from deep within is lasting. Just look at older people and you will realize that. Some faces are soft and filled with contentment, whereas others are etched with deep lines of bitterness, unhappiness, and dissatisfaction.