Have you ever wandered through an incredible museum like the National Gallery, the Louvre, or even your local Art Exhibit? Have you been taken a-back by a centuries old artifact or realer-than-life painting that seems to good to be a existing before your very eyes?
In a worldview that values thought and rationale, it seems obvious that we would respect
and honor those who came before us and desire to learn from them. We take great delight in the Rosetta Stone or the Ancient Egyptian Mummies because they help us understand the world around us and the lives the proceeded ours. Even the smallest fragment from an ancient object is carefully analyzed, protected and respected regardless of what its original purpose was.
You admire these pieces because there is great intentionality about the way these artifacts are treasured.
What is mankind if we don’t value, treasure, and take care of our world and its history?
Without deep consideration for history and our predecessors, we become just like barbarians- disfunctional, chaotic, and drowning in a world of confusion and inconsistancies. No art or order flourished in the world of the Barbarians because they existed to simply survive. They acted in order to quench their desires- to fulfill a duty for the simple sake of fulfillment. They wore clothes simply for warmth and covering, ate food to revive their strength, and went to war to shed blood. In fact, the word “Barbarian” comes from the word meaning “uncivilized” because they were dramatically immature in comparison to modern-day, western society. From the Barbarians, we have received no artistry, no great plays, no ideologies of welfare, in fact nothing remotely remarkable came from them- nothing in any museum representing an expansion or consideration of modern thought. Aside from their pillage of Rome. They were only wild men living for the moment.
In some ways culture today returns to a Barbaric state. So much of our world has become pragmatic and utilitarian. Arts are scoffed upon as the junior of the sciences. Education is seen only as a necessary step to necessary career. Great artwork is only great in the eye of the beholder, and clothing is only a consequence of the Fall.
As people who appreciate beauty and thoughtfulness, we should look at the world around us as more than a means to an end. We should be intentional about the way we evaluate artistry, educate our children, walk day-by-day in our careers, create beauty and dress ourselves.
Should our inspiration for our dress be because we want to attract attention from others, be a part of the latest trend, or want to be seen in a certain light? Our clothing should reflect our intentionality, our love of history, and our unutilitarian perspective of looking at the world.
So let us not be barbarians in the way we conduct ourselves. May we be intentional, considerate, fun, and elegant women so that the intentionality and thoughtfulness of our hearts is evident for all the world to see.
