Burgerland Roundabout
“In a sense, all the contemporary crises can be reduced to a crisis about the nature of beauty.
The media are becoming the global mirror and the shows tend to enshrine the ugly as the normal standard. Beauty is mostly forgotten and made to seem naïve and romantic.
The blindness of property development creates rooms, buildings and suburbs which lack grace and mystery. Socially this influences the atmosphere in the community. It also results in the degradation of the environment that we are turning more and more of our beautiful earth into a wasteland.
Much of the stress and emptiness that haunts us can be traced back to our lack of attention to beauty. Internally, the mind becomes coarse and dull if it remains unvisited by images and thoughts which hold the radiance of beauty.
Beauty offers us an invitation to order, coherence and unity. When these needs are met, the soul feels at home in the world.”
– John O’Donohue from Beauty The Invisible Embrace
Racing towards Jidhafs the other morning, I was frustrated when I missed the green light. But as I slowed I saw this new mural painted on the side of the house.
Instantly my heart lifted. No longer did I need to hurry. I was surprised how how peaceful I felt as I waited for the light to change. And I was struck by the power of Beauty.
Thank you Romantic Moments for bringing some Beauty to the Burgerland roundabout.
And thank you John O’Donohue for so eloquently articulating why we need Beauty in our lives. His book Beauty The Invisible Embrace : Rediscovering the True Source of Compassion Serenity and Hope is “a gentle, urgent call to awaken.”
Tales of Dragons, Rabbits and Roosters 
May 11, 2012 @ 05:49:23
Well said Eva, in our daily rush or grind, we tend to overlook pockets of beauty, or if sighting them, not really reflect on them as you were able to do. Even weeds do grow amid the ugly concrete of a parking lot, and for a moment, they bring a small measure of contrast – nay beauty – to a place which knows it not. It is often harder to search for beauty in a place so devoid of it, but then again, the onus is on searching, and so much greater is the joy when you find it.
May 11, 2012 @ 08:37:03
EXACTLY
May 11, 2012 @ 06:50:47
I also saw the mural and thought how beautiful it looked in amongst all the mess that has been caused over the past year. I also love the Arabic calligraphy that adorns the under pass and surrounding walls near Burgerland. I heard about the idea of “koranic” words being painted on the walls last year and couldn’t wait to see it put in to action. I felt sure even the most hardened village thugs would not be able to bring themselves to desecrate over any form of religious script and so far it has proved to be true. My heart sinks everyday at the chaos caused by a certain few but ever the optimist, I feel we will return to normality over time. Nothing lasts forever!
May 11, 2012 @ 08:41:37
I LOVE the calligraphy. It gives such a wonderful artistic look to the community.
Plus they say reciting Koranic verses heals. Perhaps if they choose the right verses the words will heal the area or create a more positive atmosphere.
Things will change, that is a guarantee.
May 11, 2012 @ 06:53:12
People who’ve never been to LA always ask, How can you live there? imagining it as a toxic cesspool. It’s the trees, flowers, and perpetual green, I tell them, the unexpected beauty that comes into view with even a casual glance, exemplified by the purple haze of jacarandas, now in bloom. The beauty creates breathing room in an otherwise hectic, overcrowded city.
May 11, 2012 @ 08:36:22
OOOOh I LOVE jacarandas. I think they are the most beautiful trees. My neighbor used to complain about the “messy” purple flowers that fell on the car.
I love LA because it has all the wonderful things to do and the millions (literally) of different people to meet.
I just realized that is something LA and Bahrain have in common. Bahrain is this mix of so many nationalities who come to this place where they find new opportunities. AND relative to their native lands, they find beauty in the laid back lifestyle and happy people who live here. Perhaps moving to Bahrain I simply replaced one LALA land with another, smaller version.
Vacation is coming! Now I am excited.
May 11, 2012 @ 10:34:33
Eva, you have touched on a topic that for me is crucial to my sense of well-being! Beauty, and the visual stimulation that results from it, are for me necessary to find contentment. I always thought that it was because I was an artist, I relied more on visual stimulation from nature, vibrant colors, and art/architecture to feel satisfied and inspired. Apparently it is a universal emotion! If you have the book by John O’Donohue, I’d love to browse through it…