[Perhaps
it would have been more appropriate to publish a note on this theme on the 14th,
but here it is, better late than never].
Giacomo Chevalier de Seingalt
Casanova, the man known to the world simply as "Casanova," was the
proverbial lover, and a prolific writer who recorded his amorous adventures for
later generations to read. Although he
was not a man most honorable men would think of as a role model, there is one
lesson we can learn from his life, and how he lived it. That lesson is simply this truth: every woman
is lovely, and needs to be loved.
This was the secret, we are told, of
Casanova's amorous success. He treated
each woman as if she were indeed, the loveliest woman in the world; for, for
him, for the moment, she was. His
error was not in viewing each woman as lovely, but in the fact that he
understood love only in purely carnal terms.
if we avoid this mistake, perhaps we can learn something from the vision
of a man who could perceive the glory of the feminine far better than most.
I say it again: the lesson here is
that every woman is lovely. The reason
this is not seen is simple: each woman is taught to doubt her beauty.
Think of it. If a girl has beautiful brown eyes and
chestnut colored curls, she will be taught by the world to believe that only
blond hair and blue eyes are beautiful.
If she is not given the traditional "curvaceous figure," then
she is certain that that is the figure she must have to be beautiful. Meanwhile, those who have those curves are
taught to see themselves as too curvy, overweight, etc. (doubt this? Talk to a few of the women in your life).
The redhead with the adorable
freckles? Or the girl with the raven
locks and the alabaster skin? Surely
they will think they need to be more tan to be beautiful. The petite girl over there? She thinks the minimum height for real beauty
is 5'10. That tall drink of water that
reminds you of Gina Davis (or whatever other tall actress you may favor)? She thinks she's gawky, even as the men gawk
at her.
If her smile is her glory, she will
become convinced her teeth are not perfect, or her mouth is too big, or her
gums are too prominent. If she does not
think this—you may depend upon it—sooner or later someone will come along to
make this criticism. Rest assured,
wherever a woman's beauty lies, there will the doubt be planted.
I have not even spoken of
"inner beauty," as opposed to more exterior shows, because the
dichotomy is a false one. Inner and
outer beauty are linked, like body and soul.
Inner beauty does manifest on the outside, while outer beauty without
its inner complement—well, that is how beauty becomes vain.
So, ladies, remember: you are
beautiful. But your beauty must arise
from your being yourself, not someone else.
Big or small, short or tall, your glory is your own, and blossoms from
within; it cannot be imposed from without by imitation of others.
And, men: do not forget the
lesson. Every woman is beautiful. Our mission is to call forth that beauty in
each woman by showing her the love she needs and deserves. How do we do this? That, I am afraid, is not something I can
explain, for it is the glory of a woman to possess beauty, while it is the
glory of a man to call it forth, and I am tempted to say that each man's method
is his own. That, my brothers, is what
each of us must learn.
