broken bread

i’m taking a class about defining what “ugly” means, so naturally i’ve been thinking about it.

historically, beauty is associated with being good. that’s the definition of kalokagathia: what’s “beautiful” (kalos) is also “good” (agathos). ugliness meant being out of harmony, disproportionate, or even “non-being,” like plato said. y’know, bad. leaves a lot of room for ridicule. immoral actions are ugly.

marcus aurelius, however, talked about a different kind of beauty in the everyday. cracked bread, the slobber of a wild boar, a crooked branch. things that are notably ugly, but follow the rhythm of life itself. these small, messy imperfections follow nature’s order, making them inherently beautiful. you can appreciate them because that’s just how things are.

on another note, i’ve been thinking about how vulnerability gets you way farther than perfectionism. when have you ever felt closer to someone by appearing perfect rather than vulnerable? i’ve felt the closest to my loved ones when i’ve felt the most like ugly cracked bread. but again, that’s just how things are.

i think about this when i look at myself, at the people i care about, at the lives we build. imperfection becomes part of a greater pattern. doesnt that make life itself meaningful?!