📘 Part 3: Beautiful things

This episode's vocabulary

To capture (verb) - if something captures your imagination or attention, you feel very interested and excited by it.

Transfixed (adj.) - unable to move or stop looking at something because you are so interested, surprised, or frightened.

Bittersweet (adj.) - containing a mixture of sadness and happiness.

Pareto principle(noun) - the idea that a small quantity of work or resources (= time, money, employees, etc.) can produce a large number of results. (the 80/20 rule)

Distribution (noun) - the number of times each value of a variable (= a number that can change) is found in a set of data, shown as a graph, chart, etc.

Sheer (adj.) - used to emphasize how very great, important, or powerful a quality or feeling is; nothing except.

Raw land (noun) - land in its natural state, which has not been used or prepared for building on or growing crops on.

Rugged (adj.) - (of land) wild and not even; not easy to travel over.

Appeal (noun) - the quality in someone or something that makes him, her, or it attractive or interesting.

Draw someone's eye(s) - to attract someone's attention.

Temperament (noun) - the part of your character that affects your moods and the way you behave.

Disposition (noun) - the particular type of character that a person naturally has.

Every cloud has a silver lining (idiom) - said to emphasize that every difficult or unpleasant situation has some advantage.

Hardwired (adj.) - if someone or something is hardwired to do a particular thing, they automatically do it and cannot change that behaviour.

To carve out something (phrasal verb) - to successfully create or get something, especially a work position, by working for it.

Elegant (adj.) - graceful and attractive in appearance or behaviour.

Arbiter (noun) - someone who makes a judgment, solves an argument, or decides what will be done.

Be-all and end-all - the most important thing.

To get your foot in the door (idiom) - to enter a business or organization at a low level, but with a chance of being more successful in the future.

Excess (noun) - an amount that is more than acceptable, expected, or reasonable.

To tread (verb) - to walk.

Manifestation (noun) - appearance.

Core (adj.) - the basic and most important part of something.

Voluptuous (adj.) - a voluptuous woman has a soft, curved, sexually attractive body.

Figure (noun) - the shape of the human body, or a person.

To manifest (verb) - to show something clearly, through signs or actions.

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Questions and Answers

M: What does beauty mean?

R: Something or someone that captures your attention and leaves you almost transfixed by how it or how they look and how they inspire you. It's usually a positive or a bittersweet experience sometimes. You can see it in certain kinds of art.

M: Do you think there are more beautiful things now than in the past?

R: Well, there are more things in general, so a simple Pareto distribution would suggest there are more in terms of sheer numbers, but the proportion is probably about the same.

M: What beautiful scenery spots are there in your country?

R: That depends on your tastes. The Highlands have a certain raw and rugged appeal since they're pure, unfiltered nature, and that certainly captures people's imaginations. Similarly, we've got many ancient Gothic-style buildings in our cities that draw the eye. So it's really dependent on the individual.

M: Where do you think people usually come into contact with beautiful things?

R: Well, that's probably a matter of temperament. By that I mean, like, if you're an angry, disagreeable person, you will probably not find a lot of beauty wherever you go. By contrast, if you're of a more positive disposition, then you're more likely to find the silver lining in every cloud you come across.

M: Why do you think people create beautiful things?

R: Well, why wouldn't they? There's already so much negativity in the world. And we're hardwired to find it. Far better to spend your time carving out something attractive and elegant to lift people up and inspire them to keep going, despite how harsh life can be at times. And if not for other people, then at least for oneself.

M: Who decides what's beautiful and what's not?

R: Ultimately, the arbiters of culture, I suppose. Though to a certain extent biology will play a role in that too. For example, apparently, facial symmetry is a key marker of health and attractiveness. And people are drawn to what is healthy and good for them.

M: What are the advantages of being considered beautiful?

R: Well, you would know, wouldn't you? But seriously, though, you get access to lots of things, if people like you, for whatever reason it is. People buy you drinks or agree to go out with you, etc. It's not the be-all and end-all you have to have a personality to back up the beauty, but it certainly gets your foot in the door.

M: Are there any disadvantages?

R: Well, if you get access to things, there's a risk of excess isn't there, you could have too much access to some things. For example, you hear a lot about models and actors developing addiction issues. So it's important to tread carefully in that regard.

M: How has what is considered beautiful changed over time?

R: Well, broadly speaking, I don't think it has. Although maybe the physical manifestations have. The core concept hasn't changed, though, like something that captures your attention, and leaves you feeling positive and transfixed afterwards. So maybe, for example, pieces of art from maybe 100 years ago had slightly more voluptuous figures in them than they do now. But still, that's changed, but they still make people stop and look and feel positive about what they're looking at. So it's still beautiful for the same reasons.

M: And do you think the concept of beauty will change in the future? And how?

R: I think as more materials to express beauty become available, then how it manifests will change as well or it will just add on to what's already there. But it will still be about things that leave people feeling good and feeling positive about what they're looking at or what they're experiencing.

M: Thank you, Rory, for your answers!

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