There are a ton of books, magazines and websites on how to be more beautiful – but none that I’ve seen really explore the concept of beauty and why it is so powerful. In my opinion, most of what is out there is telling us how to make ourselves, our homes, our families and even our lives more “attractive” but not necessarily more beautiful. To me, this is an important distinction and one I hope to better explain in the course of this project.

The project I am planning will seek to help reconnect people with an authentic appreciation for beauty, which I believe is rapidly being replaced by an obsession with attractiveness. That which is truly beautiful can inspire awe, appreciation and respect whereas that which is merely “attractive” more usually generates fear, envy and self-loathing.

In my mind this obsession accounts for much of what I believe is going wrong in the world – driving people to make choices that are in conflict with their values, forgoing circumspect values-based decision making in order to “look good,” whether it be going into debt to buy a new Humvee or undergoing potentially harmful surgery to remove excess body fat.