Most of us can relate to belting out the words of America the Beautiful in school assemblies, sports events, or national holidays. We might not have thought much about the lyrics at the time, but we knew it was a patriotic song and thus, an important one. In particular, we may not have realized the deep significance of recognizing America’s beauty—something that we need to appreciate and protect now more than ever as deportations threaten the inherent beauty of our nation.
Beautiful landscapes
When I was a teenager longing for my independence, my parents decided we would take a family road trip across the country. While it wasn’t exactly what I had in mind, it offered unexpected experience of our nation’s beauty. There was a newfound inner freedom as we drove for hours as golden cornfields stretched endlessly into the horizon. After days, I gazed up at spacious blue skies in disbelief as my eyes adjusted to a new wonder. What at first sight seemed to be clouds were enormous, snow-capped mountains stretching higher than I had ever imagined. I gazed with wonder at the gorgeous, grandiose Grand Teton mountains, humbled by the glorious grandeur.
America the Beautiful
As we drove, my siblings and I listened to 90s mixes featuring Third Eye Blind and Sublime, yet my experiences aligned with a tune from my earlier years:
Oh beautiful, for spacious skies
For amber waves of grain
For purple mountain majesties
Above the fruited plain.
– Katharine Lee Bates
By the way, take a moment to listen to this incredible version of the song by Ray Charles.
I couldn’t help but recognize the reality expressed in this song.
Awe, hope, and fulfillment
I’ll never forget the profound awe which consumed me as we rolled past amber waves and witnessed mountain sketches come to life. These experiences align with research showing that encounters with natural beauty evoke awe, stir feelings of hope and gratitude, and even inspire altruistic behavior (Diessner, 2019; Zhang et al., 2014). Experiences of beauty also foster not only momentary pleasure, but a also deeper fulfillment and meaning (Pritchard et al., 2020).
Beauty of diversity
While the beautiful landscape of America is inarguable, an equally potent beauty exists. This beauty emerges from the unity of individuals, each distinguished by countless, immeasurable differences. While some are native to this land, others come from abroad, journeying across beautiful wilderness “for pilgrim feet.” Our differences extend beyond our nationality, though. They span our abilities and disabilities, talents and skills, hair and eye color, ancestry, personality, and more.
Photo taken by Millicent Price
Unity-in-diversity
These differences might be more essential to our country’s beauty than we realize. Plato and countless other philosophers have long recognized that beautiful things are characterized by unity amongst differences—a notion also known as unity-in-diversity. A former leader of the Baháʼí Faith, for example, explained:
Humanity may be likened unto the vari-colored flowers of one garden. There is unity in diversity. Each sets off and enhances the other’s beauty. -Abdu’l-Bahá (1918)
If we recognize diversity as essential to our nation’s beauty, we might also recognize our duty to protect it by establishing policies to protect it.
Beauty is rooted in love
Across many theological traditions, beauty is rooted in goodness. In the Catholic tradition, for example, theological aesthetics asserts that Jesus Christ, who is the Word of God made flesh, is the source of all beauty. Likewise, in psychology, research shows that moral actions are perceived as beautiful and, like natural beauty, promote positive outcomes such as hope and inspiration. If you want to learn more, check out Dr. Rhett Diessner’s TED talk about the psychology of beauty and love.
Sing of moral beauty
We may not have sung about moral beauty in our childhood, but we can start now. We should offer all individuals an opportunity to remain safe in America, enjoying the landscape and contributing to its beauty. These moral, virtuous actions—or love—also contribute to the beauty of our land.
Preserve beauty of unity-in-diversity
Overall, let’s continue to sing of America’s beauty. Let’s preserve not only the natural beauty of the Redwood Forests, Everglades, and the Grand Tetons; but also the inherent beauty manifested by our unity-in-diversity.
In doing so, we might enjoy a newfound, unexpected freedom along with awe, hope, and fulfillment.
References
Diessner, R. (2019). Understanding the Beauty Appreciation Trait. Empirical Research on seeking beauty on all things. Lewisson: Palgrave Macmillan.
Pritchard, A., Richardson, M., Sheffield, D., & McEwan, K. (2020). The relationship between nature connectedness and eudaimonic well-being: A meta-analysis. Journal of happiness studies, 21, 1145-1167.
Zhang, J. W., Piff, P. K., Iyer, R., Koleva, S., & Keltner, D. (2014). An occasion for unselfing: Beautiful nature leads to prosociality. Journal of environmental psychology, 37, 61-72.
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