"Love sees, not with the eyes, but with the mind. Therefore is winged Cupid painted blind." (Midsummer's Night Dream Act 1 scene 1)
I guess back in those days this kind of sentiment might have held true, when what we are on the inside is more important than the outer trappings that people see with their eyes. Too bad it doesn't seem to be that way anymore. We are constantly being judged by appearances. What kinds of clothes do we wear? What type of car do we drive? How much is our home worth?
Almost nowhere does this hold as much weight as in the affairs of the heart. Survival of the fittest for the furtherance of the species. The bird with the brightest plummage is seen as the most attractive potential mate. The strongest lion that can provide the best gets the lioness. And what of that most primative of animals, the human? The best guys get the best girls. More often than not the outer shell is the largest hurdle to overcome in trying to attract the attention of someone you might be interested in.
We diet to try to fit into some masochistic view of what we should look like, and when even that doesn't work to make us happy we shell out a ton of money to plastic surgeons. We go into debt up to our eyeballs to get a good car or fancy clothes to try to dress up the package, hoping someone will be interested enough to unwrap the gift of the person we are inside. I think I have a great sense of humor, a good personality, and am pretty intelligent. I have a good job and I take pride in being responsible in it. I own my own home, and while my clothes might not be name-brand they are in good shape and I keep them clean.
All of this aside, though, doesn't seem to be enough nowadays. Some people have it in their minds that every woman should look like Julia Roberts and every guy should be another George Clooney. They hold out trying to find the outer wrapping of their dreams, not giving anyone the chance to show them that it is what is inside that counts. Beauty is great, but it is a fragile thing that fades with time. The true love of a worthy heart and pure soul can be timeless and well worth the patience and effort.
So next time, try to take time to unwrap the package and see what is inside before you try to figure out how much the gift is truely worth.
