If nature had a different form, would it still be beautiful? Or do human beings call the world beautiful in its present form because they are accustomed to its physical conditions and cannot imagine any other structure—or because they have never encountered a structure different from the one nature has now?
For example, what if there were no gravity, but instead a different kind of gravity and conditions that allowed human beings to fly?
Or, more simply, what if the sky were purple at dawn and green at night?
What if trees turned yellow in spring and green in autumn?
Is Nature Beautiful in Every Form?
The essence and first answer at a glance (60-word summary)
The form nature takes is not the ultimate measure of its beauty; its beauty is revealed through its relationship with beauty’s source and origin. Whatever form nature takes, it displays its beauty through its harmonious connection with beauty. Forms, colours, patterns, proportions, quantities and qualities are not beauty itself; rather, they point towards beauty and serve as its instruments and messengers.
Answer by Master Ali Saei (Abdullah Meshkat)
Teacher and researcher in the intellectual tradition of wisdom and the Ahl al-Bayt | Soroush Bamdadān Cultural CenterThe form of nature is not the primary measure of beauty; what makes it beautiful is its connection to beauty’s source and root. Whatever its form, nature reveals its beauty through its fine relationship with beauty.
Shapes, colours, patterns, proportions, quantities and qualities are not the essence or life of beauty; they point the way to it. In truth, all these attributes are instruments and envoys of beauty, not beauty itself.