mtcodex

Bass seems to be where it’s at. I remember my sony walkman and then cd player having a Mega Bass switch which could be cranked to 2 (sadly no 11) in order to keep that base line thumping. There seems to be a fixation with low resonance. Some people’s setups could probably serve as backup pace makers with the right music. The thing is, when you play a lot of music through a bass enhancing setup, sometimes the dominance of the bass range partially obscures the other ranges. In emphasizing bass one may miss the tune!

The word that’s been on my mind today is proportion. Proportion, along with symmetry is a good part of beauty. I think this is a reason I have grown to love the music of J.S. Bach so much over the last year, in everything – range, tempo, volume there is always proportion, nothing gets neglected. And being contrapuntal music it usually exhibits beautiful symmetry too.

But proportion is important to so much more than just music, it applies to everything. In appearance, proportion is important, and it doesn’t matter so much if someone is big or small, tall or short, if their features are in proportion then they may look good. Beyond appearance though, when you consider the attractiveness of someone as a whole, proportion is important.

Some people have amazing physical beauty but can’t hold an interesting conversation. Some people can be smart and interesting but not particularly good looking. Someone might have a beautiful physical appearance, be intelligent and smart, but suffer some character flaw such as self-centredness. Of course it’s not that all types of people can’t be beautiful, but those who are well proportioned are going to be the most attractive over all. This is important to those that maybe don’t have the figure of a super-model because beauty is also in those other things, above all else i’d say in ones demeanor and character. It’s important to everyone as we can all improve ourselves to be better proportioned.

In case you don’t agree with my assertion, that proportion is a good and beautiful thing, consider the opposite – disproportion. When a media company gives disproportionate weight to one aspect of a news story it’s called sensationalism or distortion. When ones gives disproportionate importance to a particular truth, it’s called perversion. When one devotes a disproportionate amount of attention to a person in a group of peers, it’s called favouritism.

Above all, proportion is essential in studying the Word of God, the Bible. Allow me to quote from the introduction to The Sovereignty of God by A.W. Pink:

Almost all doctrinal error is, really, Truth perverted, Truth wrongly divided, Truth disproportionately held and taught. The fairest face on earth, with the most comely features, would soon become ugly and unsightly, if one member continued growing while the others remained undeveloped. Beauty is, primarily, a matter of proportion. Thus it is with the Word of God: its beauty and blessedness are best perceived when its manifold wisdom is exhibited in its true proportions.

And so it is. So, please allow me to ask you, and myself – where are we emphasizing things in our lives at the expense of other good and proper things? Are we disproportionate in how we spend our time, what we read, the aspects of Christianity we explore further, the graces we seek to improve? The answer is of course ‘yes’. As we seek to set the equalizer of our life to a neutral response, I hope we all see more beauty and become more beautiful to those around us.