Who Do You See?

I saw recently that a young women took a selfie with an elderly women in the background, then purposely or unintentionally shamed the women based on comparing her own figure to that of the other woman.  Doesn't this point to one of the beliefs we must unlearn in order to find true happiness?  Hasn't society led us to believe that we must be better than those around us in every conceivable way, in this case competing with others with regard to physical beauty?  I've struggled with this one over the years with the scars from my motorcycle accident and being more of a wiry guy than others who are much more muscular.  Will Kim continue to find me as physically desirable as other men, particularly as I grow older?  Heck, I remember not too long ago with respect to age, someone Kim just met commented that she must have shown up with her father, me!  HA!  I know, that's not even right.  It's like I just get older and she doesn't and yet the question is, what does any of that really matter?

I wonder if many of us are led to believe that if we are better looking than others, this somehow proves we are better, more desirable, worthy or even more loveable than others?  As we compete with and compare ourselves to others around us, can't this also lead us to criticize them, like we saw with the two woman above?  Who is to say that the elderly women isn't just as beautiful as the younger women, regardless of age, and doesn't this completely depend on the perception of the viewer?  Even if two people look at the exact same image, like the drawing below that shows both an older and younger women at the same time (can you see them both?), isn't it possible that each person might see someone entirely different and both be right?  Sure, in the eyes of what society suggests, there will always be people around us better looking, yet at the end of the day, in the truest sense of what genuine beauty is, not one of us is any better than another.

We must stop the judging, labeling, criticizing of others, as well as our self.  We must simply relax, begin to unlearn, and stop believing what we have been taught.  The truth is, we are all of equal, arguably infinite inherent beauty and value.  Now go take a look at yourself in the mirror and ask yourself, who do you see?  Are you beautiful?  I've got news for you, you most certainly are.