LAYLA:
I found this chapter somewhat trickier to fully grasp- possibly because Beauty is arguably the most abstract word we’ve encountered so far.
Beauty is subjective- even down to its very definition.
I enjoyed Whyte’s framing of it- “beauty is the harvest of presence”.
It’s true- when we see beauty, or experience it in any way, we are completely in the moment. Because there’s nowhere else we’d rather be. Even when fleeting it’s all-consuming.
The quality of it and the way if affects us can be incredibly varied too. Sometimes it’s gentle: a glimmer of warmth from a loved one. Other times it’s intense: something (or someone) surprises you- takes your breath away.
Personally, my favourite manifestation of Beauty is found out in nature; in those awe-inspiring moments when the sheer miracle of it can move you to tears.
The most intriguing part of the chapter is when Whyte says that Beauty invites us to the brink of “what we think makes us; and what we think makes the world”. It’s easy to forget that they are one of the same: that we are part of the universe’s very fabric- made from the same substance as stars.
And yet, while we recognise beauty effortlessly in the world around us, we are far less inclined to see and appreciate it within ourselves- though if it exists outwardly, it must exist inwardly as well.

PATRIZIA:
The beauty I get to witness every day right now is my mother.
Mamma Brunella wakes up every morning just wanting to be there for people—for my dad, us kids, the grandkids, and anyone else who needs a hand. She truly never gets tired of giving; it’s just who she is and what she lives for.
For years, she was a teacher who treated her students like family. She knew every single one of them by name, believed in them, and always pushed them to think for themselves. I’ve always thought of her as someone so far ahead of her time, someone who taught us the value of respect, good manners, and doing what’s right. I know I’m using all the classic clichés calling her a “beacon,” a “pillar,” and someone “one-of-a-kind and irreplaceable,” but it’s all true. My mamma is that and so much more. She’s just pure love, and she’s still giving it away so generously, even at 90 years young, a milestone that we’re going to celebrate in style today!
We’re different, she and I, but she’s always known exactly how to reach me and help me become a better person. I don’t just owe her my life— I owe her the best part of who I am.

BRUNELLA:
Remarkably, Whyte manages to say everything about beauty in a brief, tightly woven and poetic chapter.
For Whyte, “beauty is the harvest of presence” – that is, if I have interpreted him correctly, a manifestation or revelation of being, but also a result, a reward, the fruit of intense endeavour. It forms a bridge between what is inside and outside of us, built through the eyes and ears or through the imagination: an inner and outer aspect that can live in a single face. It is found in symmetry and asymmetry; subjective and objective, sensible and intelligible, and it can transcend the senses to elevate us spiritually (the union of beauty and ecstasy).
Beauty is fleeting, and in my view, its transience only makes it more beautiful.
But what is my idea of beauty? For me, it is both a conscious and unconscious search: the perception of something that brings pleasure, the recognition of harmony. And it is deeply emotional. Shaped by life experiences, its meaning changes over time and shifts with society.
Our society, obsessed with appearances, prizes physical beauty and turns it into a commodity- a matter of fashion and consumption.
When we are young, it is easy to become obsessed with our appearance, checking mirrors and trying to please others. As we grow older, the first wrinkles and grey hairs remind us that beauty is more than skin-deep; it lies in character, values, and the qualities that make us who we are.
I, who have never considered myself physically beautiful, have sought beauty in other forms: in art, music, culture, love for others, for animals, and for nature. I have built values within myself and become the person I am: a nonagenarian whose uniqueness and irreplaceability give her a beauty that transcends age.