This post inspired by excerpts of the lyrics from "Breaking Out the Windows," by Matthew Perryman Jones.
"You got soul under your skin
What happens when you don’t know who to let in
Will we ever understand?
We’re just breaking out the windows..."
It's interesting... Matthew Perryman speaks of having our soul hidden behind our "skin," our physical selves. But shouldn't it be the other way around? Aren't the attributes of our soul more obvious than our physical attributes? It isn't the crown that makes someone a king; it isn't the hug that makes someone a friend; it isn't the kiss that makes someone in love. When someone comes into the room, it isn't from their clothing or their posture that you can tell whether or not they are loving or courageous.
I'll admit I don't always look past people's appearance when I meet them... but there are some people who just naturally cause my attention to shift from their outward attributes to their inward attributes. Mother Teresa is one example... her message was so compelling, and she gave of it so generously, that you couldn't care less if she had wrinkles or not. You can't necessarily control how other people percieve you, but you can still influence it. If you notice that other people focus more on your appearance than your soul, that might mean that you're focusing too much on it yourself. Have you ever been talking to someone, they looked away, and you followed their line of sight to see what they were looking at? If your attention is on how you look, you will command other peoples' attention to the same area.
I'm not saying you shouldn't care about how you look... just try wearing your soul over your skin, not hiding it underneath. Dressing 'hip,' acting 'cool,' and getting Botox won't make people more receptive to your message.
Speaking of skin and soul, did you guys hear of the scandal over the Chinese Olympic opening ceremony? The little 10-year-old girl who sang 'Ode to the Motherland' was actually lip-synching to a recorded song. No, that's not too bad -- what kind of ten-year-old would have the courage to get up there and sing live, after all? The problem is, the track had actually been sung by 7-year-old Yang Peiyi (on the right), who was not allowed to perform after officials decided she wasn't pretty enough.
I'm really at a loss for words. The excuse given was that Yang had "crooked teeth" and could not do justice to the "image of the country." How can you tell a child something like that? How can you make a little girl believe that she is not good enough to share her skills and talents with the world just because she doesn't look a certain way? (And, personally, I think Yang looks positively sweet. :) She has a real innocence about her, and her genuine smile in the snapshot above brings me more joy than the manufactured smile which was somehow deemed "prettier"...). Sigh. Your thoughts?
Before I go, I just want to comment on another part of the lyrics in this song...
"How did we get so far?
Running to hide these scars?
Love’s not afraid of what it finds in the dark..."
Somebody once told me a nugget of truth, that has never failed to comfort me. I just want to share it with you. It's simple and it's a wonderful thing to remember...
God knows your past, your present, and your future, and he loves you anyway.
Track 3 coming later...
Love, Oksana
2 comments:
On Yang Peiyi- It truly saddened me when I saw this in the news. China has made extravagant efforts to put on a good face for the world during these games as often happens in countries with turmoil. Friends of mine were attempting to get into a certain Asian country to do missions work, but the government suddenly closed the borders after a natural disaster because they didn't want Americans to see their country in a poor state. I think that an even greater damage was done in the case of Yang Peiyi. They are sending a message to her and other young girls that their worth is defined in their looks.
Absolutely. I hadn't heard about the missions thing... very sad. :(
About Yang Peiyi, I'm sure her family is sheltering her from this as much as they can, but she'll find out on her own when she becomes a preteen -- the very age when you're trying to figure out your self-image, your purpose, and your where you fit in in the world. Then, it's really going to hurt.
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