Hello everyone! In my essay on beauty, parts 1 and 2 (available soon in the members area), I set out to prove that beauty has an order. This order influences a man's psyche, suggesting a morality that should be pursued. Visually present things influence your internal order and disorder. When we use the idea of beauty to achieve a transcendent perception of reality, we internalize these values into our routine, our habits, and our worldview.
This goes far beyond the environment itself. My essays convey the idea that just as an unkempt environment attracts the worst behavior from those who pass through it, a person with a poor personality and appearance is self-destructive. Such a person does not build elevated values around themselves or within themselves. People who pass through their life tend not to bring out the best in themselves, consciously or unconsciously. The notion that self-degradation elicits compassion is simply wrong.
Let me be clear: those who feel compassion for an individual who appears weakened, fragile, or incapable at that moment or who even harbor a sense of disgust towards them are the exception. Compassion in these cases requires effort because, at first, the aesthetics surrounding a person serve as an invitation to what lies within. As social animals, we understand that aesthetics are important for grasping something as humanized. I’m not saying this kind of thinking is correct or right. However, if you see an environment—for example, a dirty city or a filthy space—the first reaction people have is to contribute to that disorder. They throw more trash because the place doesn’t look worth preserving.
If we want others to treat us with respect, we must first respect ourselves. When we degrade our image and fail to project a sense of personal value, we invite others to behave similarly towards us. If you project self-pity, people will stop trying to value you. I want to be clear: if you don’t cultivate beauty and values—including aesthetic ones—you are encouraging people to project their worst onto you. It’s not just the environment that can provoke repulsion and validate vile behaviors. You are inviting people to perceive you as someone without value when you place yourself in a subservient, personality-lacking position with no care for your appearance. If you are seen as valueless, people will rarely preserve what is good in you.
Let’s be clear: the notion of men as fragile beings who should be protected, who are not self-sufficient, and who should not strive for self-sufficiency is a myth. It’s as if weakness were a virtue. The masculine ideals of past generations were wrong in many ways. However, we must not swing to the opposite extreme, where weakness is celebrated as something beneficial. It isn’t. Weakness is an exceptional moment on your journey, not the compass guiding your perception of life and the world. It is also part of your internal order to build an image and perception of yourself that incites others to see your value. Our desires are shaped by how we reflect ourselves aesthetically. Consider the value you place on something that has no design or construction behind it that invites care. Take material goods, for example. It’s a simple fact that when you acquire something beautiful and pleasing to the eye, you tend to take better care of it. If something doesn’t function properly, that’s an internal issue. But beauty is not something you can dismiss, and your appearance is not something you can ignore. It is crucial to care about the environment and cultivate a valuable appearance.
Aesthetics are an essential part of forming a powerful moral imagination. There’s no reason to dismiss this. On the other hand, if you degrade yourself, people—even those who have no relationship with you—will treat you as if you have little value. I emphasize the power of aesthetics because I know it can renew both the external and internal aspects of yourself. Aristotle’s philosophy is clear: act as if you already possess a virtue, and you will soon enough. It’s no coincidence. What we want to be must be in harmony with how we act.
To be a man and to be good, you must act as if you already are. This is not mere imitation. It is a desire to connect your external self with your internal self. Health, appearance, speech, and vocabulary are not trivial matters. They are integral to your wisdom in seeking coherence and communicating the quality of who you are on the inside through the external.