You may have heard some recent stories about people using cosmetic surgical procedures to align their appearance with the enhanced look of Snapchat filters. Such behaviour suggests that a person may be overly identified with their body, as if their physical appearance is the most important aspect of who they are.
In extreme cases of such distortion, your body is the only thing that matters, and completely defines who you are as a person. The reality is that your body is one of many aspects that builds yourself into being healthy and whole.
You also have a mind. Your thoughts and beliefs make up who you are, in any moment.
You also have a heart. Your feelings and ability to share with others make up who you are, in any moment.
You also have a soul. Your reasons why and meaning and purpose make up who you are, in any moment.
When all you see is your body, and this is all that matters, in any moment, you are missing the value of the other aspects of who you are.
There exists a person that took up extreme measures and cost in plastic surgery and tattoos to modify their entire body to look like a cat. There exists a person that modified their body to look like a lizard. There exists a person that modified their body to look like Barbie. There existed a television show that made ugly ducklings into beautiful swans by using a definition of beauty focused only on physical appearance.
These are examples of distortions in how we view our bodies. And although some botox or veneers or eyelifts or collagen injections are not as extreme as full body tattoos or complete facial reconstruction, the distortion is still there, just in less degree.
Before you get that tattoo, or that lasering, or that cosmetic enhancement, it is worthwhile to ask yourself if you are giving more value to your body than you really need to be healthy and whole.
Are you modifying your body to change the way you appear to others, and to influence what they think of you? What is driving you to seek such power over people?
Are you giving just as much time, attention, and care to modifying your belief systems, your relationships, and your purpose in life as you are giving to modifying your body? Why should one aspect of who you are deserve more value than others?
Your body matters, and it deserves to be healthy and whole. It is also a vessel that carries the other aspects of who you are. In your body somewhere is a mind, a heart, and a soul, which also deserve to be healthy and whole.
And if Snapchat had a filter that could show you the beauty of what you felt, how you aspired, how you honoured, and how you loved, you might not put such high value in how you looked.