OVER TIME, I had developed,
as a personal coping mechanism, a don’t-care-much attitude towards people who
regard themselves as a privileged breed; who think they know everything and are
right all the time; and who behave as if they had been licensed to speak their
minds at whatever cost, dropping “freedom” as shield. One can only have sympathy for these
airheads. Unfortunately, there are
millions of them around us and somehow, we have come to accept them as natural
fixtures of society. A fellow professor
and friend at a Graduate School in the Philippines has told me these attitudes
have some psychological mooring, explaining that as a rule, we tend to view
things, including ourselves, in different ways.
Too often “the view” about and in favor of “us” is for ego-boosting
reasons. That said, I have a specific
bone to pick, however, with people who are brazenly frank to tell you,
literally right in the face, that they are better-looking than you and me.
Ouch, that hurts!
Defining beauty
It is on one such situation where I would have to draw the
line between ignoring a one-sided personal declaration and making a firm
stand. Just what is exactly society’s
standard of what’s beautiful or what’s not?
Is there such a norm? If there is
such, is it solely anchored upon outside physical appearance? This seems to be
the limited vantage view of a “few people” at the recently-concluded DNHS 2015
Grand Reunion and Homecoming where they overtly implied their displeasure - or
perhaps envy- on the selection process that picked the occasion’s Homecoming
Queen, Ms. Glorina Papaioannou of Australia.
In effect, this “limited few” was saying, “Why her and not me?”
I am sure you have heard the
oft-quoted saying “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.” In other words,
beauty is relative. What you consider as beautiful may not be viewed the same
way by the person seated next to you.
This is where the relativity element plays in. Ten individuals looking at the same thing but
employing different vantage gauges would yield ten varying viewpoints.
‘Miss Universe’ culture: the culprit
The problem with present-day society is that it has become
deeply-mired in the so-called Miss Universe culture where, no matter how
organizers and proponents cleverly justifies the selection process, it still
boils down to the winners chosen mainly on physical appearance and assets.
Interestingly, the numerous local, national and international beauty pageants
held practically all throughout the year,
only reinforce this sad reality, and
judging by the way things are going,
beauty is still unfortunately slanted along the physical sense.
Grace amidst scrutiny and criticism
Lest I totally digress, let me go back to our main issue
here. Had Ms. Papaioannou been so
onion-skinned, she would have been cowered in shame by the humiliating
reference that she was not the “perfect” Miss Homecoming material. Who should have been? When confronted shortly after the affair
about the matter which was initially limitedly-circulated, Glo surprised us
with a shrug and a big laugh. There was
no trace of rancor in her voice when she finally found herself composed to
reply. And in a gentle but portly demeanor that befits her title, she
said: “Oh, well, what can I say? It’s just too bad that I disappointed a few,
but you know, I really think that night was solely meant for me and I could not
have been any happier and more fulfilled.
All my life, I have had some disappointments and being not recognized
for what little worth I thought I may have is just one of them. Never mind that
I may not be as physically good-looking as other people think they are. I am
well aware of this. But to me, beauty is more than a captivating face or a
nicely-sculpted figure. True beauty
resides in the whole person, both inside and outside.”
With a warm and loving smile
so characteristic of her, her voice still calm but almost reduced to a whisper
now, she concluded, “I am more inclined to believe that true beauty is not
totally an item for physical display. I think it transcends beyond what the
eyes can see. It is more as a thing holed inside of you. It is spiritual. You
feel it and you try to reflect that feeling upon others. That feeling which is non-threatening and
non-encroaching is contagious, you know, and before you realize it, you see
“beauty” all around you, something which nobody can take away, not even the
airheads and know-it-alls.”
Queen she is indeed!
REFLECTING upon that short
interview, Glorina left us no reason to argue her position. Instead, she provided us that rare chance to
list more personal attributes she has which obviously we did not know about:
grace, humility, forgiving and understanding heart, open and positive-minded
and forthright spirit. Truly, there
could not have been a better choice for a face and name to the 2015 Homecoming
Queen title. And, true to her name, Glorina
was “glory sent” to all the Dingras National High School homecomers this year!
*(Author’s Note: Because of the
sensitive nature of this article, permission from Ms. Glorina Papaioannou was
sought for its publication.)
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