"Beauty inspires devotion."

This is something my teacher said recently that has really stuck with me. What would a truly devoted society look like? Instead of actions based on fear, upholding identifications, seeking power and dominance, we could experience, and offer, actions that arise from pure appreciation and gratitude. I think of this now especially as we enter the fury of the election cycle and are hearimg how everyone who wants our vote is doing what they are doing for our sake and our sake alone. I think of this when I see endless posts on Instagram on how to "trick the algorithms" so your message can be seen and "liked." I think about this when I might act in a way that I know will gain favor for the sake of favor itself.
All of our striving causes us to miss the most important thing - that beauty that is always in front of us. I remember as a younger person walking along the city streets and seeing beauty in a crumbling sidewalk or bent rusted chain-link fence. At first, it surprised me to see something like that as beautiful, then it delighted me. I recall seeing beauty in the face of a person weeping from grief and loss, and when someone's face crumpled in dismay when they revealed a truth they hid from themselves for decades. Although I have a lot of amazing art in my house, and I am a huge fan of decorating and making the external environment as beautiful as possible, I feel the most awesome beauty is when someone embodies their truth. I understand why Mukunda used to thank me when I shuddered out a grief that was stuck in my body, or when I would unexpectedly burst into tears when I recognized I had been lying to myself about sometimes extremely deep, but also something very simple.
Having said all of that, the beauty of the early spring flowers and the budding trees, the green haze of moss erupting across the rocks, the smell of the sun in the air, all this beauty is delightful as well. Drink it in, friends! Let it feed your soul so you can be inspired towards devotion to whatever and whomever appears in front of you.