Dignity, Style, Beauty
The world doesn’t need to be as ugly as it is. Yes, there are things in life that are ugly and unpleasant no matter what we do. There are emotions, situations, relationships and moments that are hard to bear and no matter how hard we try, we can't change them. There is so much we cannot control, so much that rests in God's hands. Yet, there is much we can change. Buildings, parks, clothing, objects, ourselves. We can make much of our world a little more beautiful, if we try.
What does being surrounded by ugliness do to a person? When we look around and are reminded of only the ugly parts of life, how do we begin to think about life? How do we think about the world? Do we dream anymore? Do we feel anything beautiful? Or are the feelings we feel ugly? And this ugliness beats us down, crushes us, makes us sad, and makes us feel insignificant in the most tragic way.
Most of us can't control buildings because we are not architects and builders. Most of us can't control parks because we are not city planners. Most of us can't control the design of objects because we are not inventors. But we can control our clothing and ourselves. We can control how we look and how we feel.
We control our own little world. And that little world is shown to the larger world. It makes an impact, and slowly, little by little we can make the larger world more beautiful. When we present ourselves with dignity and beauty, we help make the world a more beautiful place one day at a time.
Our clothing is the only thing that stays with us almost 24 hours a day. The only time we are without our clothes is when we are bathing. Every other moment of our lives, until we pass away, we are clothed. Our clothing is an intimate item. It presses closely against our body. It takes on our scent. Our clothing always with us. It’s important.
Dressing with dignity is not a vain pursuit. It isn't shallow, it isn't frivolous. Many are confused and don’t understand this today because they have accepted the ugliness and it now appears to be normal to them. It shouldn’t be this way.
Hopefully more men will come to understand this. Hopefully more men will seek dignity and penetrate the deeper layers of meaning in this. And hopefully our world will one day be more beautiful, both aesthetically, and spiritually.
