The Perfect Work of Art

You have heard it said*: "I have an idea that the only thing which makes it possible to regard this world we live in without disgust is the beauty which now and then men create out of the chaos.  The pictures they paint, the music they compose, the books they write, and the lives they lead.  Of all these the richest in beauty is the beautiful life.  That is the perfect work of art."

But I say unto you:  "There are an infinite number of things which make it possible to regard this world we live in without disgust because there are an infinite number of aspects of God and an infinite number of the manifestations of God.  Every time you see a beautiful painting, or hear melodious music, or read an inspirational piece of literature, then you are experiencing a manifestation of God.  And of all these manifestations, the greatest is experiencing a beautiful life.  That is the perfect work of art."



*W. Somerset Maugham