—I write this not because it is true, but because it is how I feel, and what I believe.

Beauty isn’t everything. The great lie. Beauty is everything— everything that matters. Beauty is life and love and humanity. What separates humanity from all other creatures that walk the earth? Intelligence? No. We are more intelligent than all other known life forms, but intelligence is not specific to humanity. Intelligence is found in animals. Intelligence is unequal in humans. Could we then say that one less intelligent is somehow less human? No, this is a fallacy. Sentience? No. Sentience is not solely a human characteristic. Furthermore, sentience is simply a logical extension of intelligence. The path from being and thinking, knowing that one exists, to asking why one exists is clear—thus, it is not the fact that humans question who and what we are, and why we are here, as many might say. Humanity is not defined by intelligence, sentience, or philosophical query. It is beauty that defines humanity. Beauty is everything. It is beauty that separates us from the beasts that walk the earth, which makes us something different, something more. Beauty itself is not specific to humanity. Birds are beautiful. The exotic creatures of this vibrant planet are beautiful.  Nature itself is beautiful—many would say more so than humans. How then does beauty define us, make us who we are, make us different? It is not the beauty itself; it is our perception of it. We appreciate beauty in a way that other creatures do not. A disproportionate import is placed on this triviality. Only humans sit and watch the sun set or rise for pleasure, take in the vivid red, the gentle pink with wistful memory, hopeful appreciation for the majesty of such a mundane occurrence. Only humans dwell on beauty and integrate it into society. Products are bought and sold because of their beauty, pieces are written and composed, edifices created, art formed, and to what end? Beauty. Only we have undying love for something so utterly pointless. Only we hang steadfast to an ideal of no practical worth or value. A man might willingly put his life in danger for a painting. Only humans are willing to die for beauty. Why? Because we are human. Because that is who we are. Because that is what we are. That is all we can be.