Story-A-Day #89: 1.618

1.618

1.618 and onwards; it never ends, an endless series of digits. It is commonly referred to as the golden ratio and it is the underlying truth to our entire existence.

I have always been a superficial man, even in the petulance of youth. It wasn’t until my heart was shattered by the disdain of the most beautiful woman in the south of France that I realized this. It became, as they say, my defining moment.

I had never dwelled on what made something visually appealing, I just accepted that it was and sought out those things that I deemed to be beautiful. I never wondered why were so many people were fascinated by the pyramids. I never wondered what the underlying appeal was of the Parthenon. I respected the imagery presented in The Last Supper, but I did so superficially.

And so, with broken heart, I sought the deeper truth. In life, as in art, there are certain undercurrents of design and appearance that create an immediate sense of appeal. It is often subtle: the simple rectangle shape of a playing card, poster, or light switch cover.

That truth extends beyond the mundane though. Sometimes it is the symmetrical makeup of a beautiful woman’s face, and at first glance, she might not represent the preconceived definition of beauty, but something in that perfect medley communicates the underlying perfection. From a strictly mathematical perspective, there is a perfectly proportioned mix of eyes, nose, mouth, ears, forehead, hair. This is the golden ratio as well.

With the mystery solved, I am now able to view my character flaw as a purer essence. I am not vain or superficial – my notions of beauty are mathematically defined and there is no arguing the truth of equations.

Of course, this knowledge comes with a price. The mystique and intrigue I once knew is no more. It is as though I see the world through a grid, a perfect overlay of geometrical shapes and patterns. Symmetry, the rule of thirds, proportion and balance – these are the things I see in the world now.

There is no beauty in math, only perfection and truth. In finding the answers, I have somehow managed to lose the question. It started out about beauty, and resulted in this, a falsehood of figures defining my perceptions and reshaping the very nature of the landscapes around me.

This is what the golden ration delivered unto me: a stark life of perfection.