Value Education Chart

BEAUTY IS ONLY SKIN DEEP

This proverb, first coined by poet Sir Thomas Overbury in his 1613 poem “My Wife” tells us
about physical beauty being superficial and not as important as a person's intellectual,
emotional, and spiritual qualities. We may be the prettiest, most beautiful person in the room
but if our innate qualities are not a reflection of our internal goodness, then all that physical
beauty is for naught.

We take our example from the myth of Narcissus, one of the most popular figures in greek
history which adeptly explains that superficiality will never triumph over innate goodness.

A cautionary Classical tale of solipsism and self-obsession.

The son of the river god Cephissus and the naiad, or nymph, Liriope, it was said that
Narcissus would live to old age, if he never looked at himself. He had gained many female
admirers, entranced by his beauty, but he rejected them all. One of them, Echo, was so
upset by his rejection that she withdrew from the world to waste away. All that was left of her
was a whisper. It was heard by the goddess Nemesis, who, in response, made Narcissus fall
in love with his own reflection, at which he stared until he died. A narcissus flowered in his
absence.

The ancient myth of Narcissus tells us that all superficiality can only lead to one’s own
downfall. Narcissus only ever focused on his outward appearance while completely ignoring
all his virtues and bestowed kindness on no one and so by the will of the god’s he died while
looking at the only thing that remained with him in his life — himself and his appearance.

Our main objective in life should be to always remain kind, humble, virtuous and to cultivate
good moral values so that we do not allow vanity, self conceit and narcissism to lead to our
own destruction or hinder society’s perception of us in any way or form.