Goethe, Dostoevsky, Kafka, and the Bliss of Beauty
Three Point Thursday | 3 Timeless Maxims
To curious minds,
Happy Three Point Thursday.
Here are 3 quotes I’m thinking about:
“A man should hear a little music, read a little poetry, and see a fine picture every day of his life, in order that worldly cares may not obliterate the sense of the beautiful which God has implanted in the human soul.”
“Beauty will save the world.”
— Fyodor Dostoevsky
“Youth is happy because it has the capacity to see beauty. Anyone who keeps the ability to see beauty never grows old.”
— Franz Kafka
A few winters ago I was skiing in Vermont with my college roommates when I received the best compliment of my life. My friend Tucker told me that I’m a “great admirer of beauty.”
It was partly because I was marveling at the mountains all day like a child. It was only my third time on one, and first time up there with clear skies.
Even though my skiing skills were a negative zero it was a fantastic day. Another roommate laughed that, right after I would have a scary painful crash, I would just look up with snow in my face and say “look how beautiful it is dawg.”
It really was a magical view. But you don’t have to be on a mountain to get in touch with the sublime.
You can find it anywhere. In a book. In music. In meditation. Even in the mundane, even during the day to day routine.
You just have to pay attention.
Stare at a plant until you have a mystical experience
Absolutely!