Pulchrum: The Power of Beauty Beauty in the old and the sick: An initial three-part study

University of Asia and the Pacific (Pasig City, Philippines): Instructor: Mr. Robert Cortes Lecturer, English Department University of Asia and the Pacific robert.cortes@uap.asia; +63929131485 Lanz Andre Oliveros 2nd year School of Sciences and Engineering student University of Asia and the Pacific lanz.oliveros@uap.asia; +639065088242 Joseph Mari Mundo 1st year College of Arts and Sciences student University of Asia and the Pacific joseph.mundo@uap.asia; +639189101458 Jose Miguel Marasigan 1st year College of Arts and Sciences student University of Asia and the Pacific miggymarasigan@gmail.com; +639178058568 William Charles Galvez 1st year College of Arts and Sciences student University of Asia and the Pacific galvezcharles@gmail.com; +639278484023

Paper presented at the UNIV Forum 45th University Congress Rome, April 2012 (finalist) and at the UNIV Asia Forum 4th University Congress Manila, January 2012 (1st runner up)

ABSTRACT With the rise of the culture of death and as different media promote a more sensual approach to human beauty, emphasizing youth and vigor as requirements for being beautiful, the researchers found significance in a phrase written by Peggy Noonan (2005) in her book John Paul the Great: the Pope reminds us that it is crucial to see the beauty in the old, the infirm, the imperfect. Can the old and the infirm be beautiful? If so, in what way? What do the Filipino youth think of this issue? To find the answer to these questions, the researchers use three approaches that reflect John Paul IIs holistic approach to the study of issues. First, a deeper study of the Aristotelian and Thomistic definition of beauty; second, an empirical exploration of what the Filipino youth of today think of the question; thirdly, a personalist approach to the issue at hand. The researchers found that a big number of Filipino youth from different age groups believe that there is more to beauty than the physical and that the old and the infirm can be beautiful and thus appreciated in more ways than one. The researchers likewise found a certain disparity between this opinion of the youth and their initial reaction towards the question on beauty. They believe this disparity can be bridged by exposing the youth to the real concept of beauty both in theoretical and practical spheres. INTRODUCTION Beauty is attractive, and we dont want people to be attracted by old things. We want them to like the new ones. - Aldous Huxley, Brave New World Can beauty be found in the elderly and the infirm? This is an interesting and very current question in the light of Benedict XVIs (2011) most recent address to Germanys Bundestag: Yet I would like to underline a point that seems to me to be neglected, today as in the past: there is also an ecology of man. Concretely, modern society now cringes more and more at the idea of becoming old and sick and the incidence of euthanasia and other means to shorten the lives of these people has been increasing (John Paul II, 1999; Lavi, 2007, p. 169). In a 1997 study of euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide (EAS) in North Holland, for both men and women EAS was most frequently performed in the age-categories of 60-69 years and 70-79 years... In the age-groups of 70-79 years and 80 years and over, the number of cases of EAS increased over the years (Onwuteaka-Philipsen, Muller, and Van de Wal, 1997). The toleration and acceptance of EAS is not true only in Holland. Larue (1999) states that while active voluntary (EAS) are illegal in every country throughout the world except Colombia..., it is possible to state that, throughout the world, passive voluntary euthanasia for the terminally ill is not often treated as illegal. While it is true that people resort to euthanasia for a variety of reasons, it cannot be denied that one possible reason for the rise of euthanasia is that the elderly and the infirm are valued less and less. Part of this is connected to their lack physical attractiveness, as more and more value is being placed especially by media and advertisements on physical beauty, youth, and vigor. The terms old and sick (or other similar terms) have gained such negative connotations that its as if being old and sick is an indisposition: something that should not be tolerated and looked at. When one encounters the old and the sick, one might be led to ask, whats beautiful in them?
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Some studies show that the state of senescence and infirmity is unattractive to young people. In a survey done in Ireland sponsored by the National Council for the Elderly, 67% of girls and 49% of boys of college age manifested some fear or anxiety about growing old and larger percentages of the respondents entertained negative images of most elderly people... the terms most often selected to describe the elderly were cranky... and difficult (Power 1992). This sort of negativity may consequently lead to the belief that the old and the infirm are only a burden to the resources of the family (Essman, 2010), a belief that further worsens the negative image of the old and the infirm. This negative view of old age is only worsened by advertising media when it shows that those who are growing older are resorting to products that attempt to hide their real age. Filbey (2008) in her study on language in cosmetic advertisements affirms that advertisements nowadays almost always nearly includes famous models who are not in their youth, but are still wrinklefree. The more direct implication, of course, is that women would look like these models if they used these products. However, a more subtle implication is that old age is unattractive and must be avoided at all costs. Furthermore, the ideal of beauty that is being promoted, now more than ever by the same advertising media, is that of young men and women with nearly perfect physiques: for women, thin and pretty; for men, muscular and good-looking: and for both, full of life and vigor (Grogan, 2008). As a consequence, looking at the elderly and the infirm as beautiful may seem absurd and out of the question, especially with the definition of beauty in the Merriam-Webster Dictionary (2011) as a beautiful person or thing, wherein beautiful is defined vaguely defined as something that is generally pleasing (Beautiful, 2011). This superficial definition that is attached to the word beauty today results to a greater difficulty in seeing beauty in the elderly and the infirm. However, there was one person who begged to differ: Pope (now Blessed) John Paul II. In her book entitled "John Paul the Great: Remembering a Spiritual Father", Peggy Noonan (2005) paraphrases Michael Novaks words on Pope John Paul II: "The pope's suffering tells us...that it is important in an age like ours to look beyond the superficial. We honor and adore surface thingsbeauty, youth, grace, vigor. And it's understandable: they're beautiful. But the pope reminds us it is crucial to see the beauty in the old, the infirm, the imperfect. They have a place in life, a purpose, a deep legitimacy and due. John Paul not only said this, of course, he also lived it. He showed us this truth by presenting himself to the world each day as he was." These ideas from the Pope that directly negate the common tendencies present in modern society got the researchers asking whether the old and the infirm could, in fact, be beautiful. If so, how or in what way? Are there others who think like him - especially among the youth? Moreover, how would the Filipino youth respond to the question Can beauty be found in the old and sick? METHODOLOGY In order to begin an in-depth investigation on whether beauty can be found in the old and infirm, the researchers first explored the meaning of beauty beyond its dictionary meaning. They did this
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by studying and reflecting on the concepts of beauty laid down first by Aristotle, then enriched by St. Thomas Aquinas, and later on elaborated by Mortimer Adler in his book, Six Great Ideas (1987). The reason for focusing on these sources is that Pope John Paul II, whose remark sparked the interest of this study, although known to be steeped in phenomenology and personalism, had a philosophy that had deep Aristotelian and Thomistic foundations (Flippen, n.d.). By synthesizing these mentioned sources with texts from John Paul II, and other Vatican documents speaking of the elderly, the researchers sought to articulate the connection between beauty and old age and infirmity. Next, to see another perspective on the issue of beauty, old age and infirmity, the researchers decided to conduct a survey (online) among Filipino youth ages 15 - 44 from all over the world that touched on the relationship between these three realities. Initially, the writers of the research came up with the hypothesis that most of the Filipino youth do not see beauty in the old and sick because the average Filipino youth is now more exposed to media and advertisements that promote this kind of mentality against the old and the infirm. This is so because of the emergence and prominence of technology related activities (McCann, 2006). The survey was made using Google Docs and blasted through Facebook, Google+ and a number of Filipino forums such as www.filipinopeople.com and www.pinoyexchange.com. The survey ran from October 7 to December 7, 2011. The survey can be found in this LINK. Lastly, since the idea of doing this research came from an encounter with the words of John Paul II who was known for his personalist philosophy, the researchers thought that it was but proper to include a personalist side to this study. Aware that in the personalism of John Paul II interpersonal relations...are never superfluous or optional to the person, but are constitutive of his inherent make-up and vocation, (Williams & Bengtsson, 2009) the researchers decided to personally interview a handful of senior citizens so that, having directly encountered the persons of the old and sick, they might acquire a deeper understanding of this group of people that might in turn explain further and contribute to the understanding of the results of the survey. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION Philosophical Findings Whereas todays media promotes a type of beauty that focuses on the perfection of the human physique, youthfulness, and vigor, Aristotle and St. Thomas Aquinas offers a deeper view. At first glance, Aristotle and St. Thomas Aquinas who state that beautiful things are those which please when seen (Summa Theologiae, Ia q.5 a.4) seem to agree with the beauty that is portrayed by the media. These advertisements and billboards, after all, do show images which please when seen. However, a closer study of the definition of beauty by these two philosophers show that there is more to beauty than meets the eye, i.e., than merely the perfection of the human physique. That beauty is connected to the intellect is clearly pointed out by St. Thomas Aquinas when he said that beauty relates to the cognitive faculty (Summa Theologiae, Ia q. 5 a. 4) and that the senses chiefly regard the beautiful, which are the most cognitive, viz. sight and hearing, as
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ministering to reason (Summa Theologiae, Ia IIae q. 27 a. 1). On the other hand, beauty is connected to the will because, as Aquinas pointed out, The beautiful is the same as the good, and they differ in aspect only. For since good is what all seek, the notion of good is that which calms the desire; while the notion of the beautiful is that which calms the desire, by being seen or known (Summa Theologiae, Ia IIae q. 27 a. 1). Finally, Aquinas connects the intellect and the will through beauty by saying that it is evident that beauty adds to goodness a relation to the cognitive faculty: so that good means that which simply pleases the appetite; while the beautiful is something pleasant to apprehend. (Summa Theologiae, Ia IIae q. 27 a. 1). The consideration just mentioned point out that there are various levels of beauty. These levels of beauty are differentiated not only in the faculty or faculties that apprehend them but also in the effort involved in doing so. The level of beauty apprehended by the intellect and will is definitely deeper and requires more effort than that apprehended only by the external senses. This understanding hints that in Aquinass definition, the word see doesnt only pertain to the sense of sight but also to the internal senses (i.e. imagination and memory) and the intellect and will as well. Adler (1987) states that the word see does not always mean apprehend visually. In fact, it can also mean to imagine, to remember, and to understand (and thus, desire). That man uses his intellect and will in the appreciation of beauty points to the fact that beauty is closely related - indeed inextricably connected - to the ends of these faculties which are truth and goodness, respectively (Summa Theologiae, Ia IIae q. 27 a. 1). In turn, this last consideration necessarily leads to the following ideas: 1) that beauty is then more than what is seen in the material and physical, and 2) that since the truth and goodness of a thing is dependent on the nature of that thing, so is its beauty. This latter idea requires that one judges the things beauty vis-a-vis its nature. Adler (1987) calls this admirable beauty, - that beauty which is objective and he distinguishes this from enjoyable beauty which is subjective. This manner of looking for and at beauty is what reveals the more profound levels of beauty than the media advertisements promote. The previously mentioned ideas lays out how old people and the infirm could be and are beautiful. While it is undeniable that old and sick people rarely have physical beauty, their beauty stems from the very nature of what it means to be human. A document released in 1998 by the Pontifical Council for the Laity actually expounds on the source of the beauty of old people. In that document one reads about charisms proper to old age, which is another way of saying extraordinary power(s)...given a Christian by the Holy Spirit for the good of the church (Merriam-Webster, 2011) fitting and appropriate to old age. Upon reflection on these charisms, the researchers realized that they could also be applied, by extension, to the sick and infirm. The definition of charism shows how it is a form of grace. Building on the basic Thomistic doctrine that grace perfects nature according to the manner of the nature (Summa Theologiae, Ia q. 62 a. 5) it can then be concluded that these gifts are appropriate to this particular stage of life in the human being more than to any other. This is the source of the beauty of the old and the infirm. This point can be understood more clearly once the following charisms proper to old age (and the sick) are enumerated and understood. Disinterestedness: not being part of the main workforce,
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they can look beyond todays over-busy society & press for the need to take away the indifference that overshadows the dimension of self-giving. Memory: having lived through generations, the old can help restore the loss of the sense of history in society. Experience: with all their experiences, they can help preserve the true meaning of humanity in a world where science & technology are slowly overshadowing it. Interdependence: as they seek company & support, they confront a rising individualism in todays world. A more complete vision of life: the important human values they gain - especially from their experience of suffering - are an abundant resource for cultivating & putting together society, the family, and the individual, in a world where essential human knowledge are forgotten. (Pontifical Council for the Laity, 1998) John Paul II himself refers to these charisms in his Letter to the Elderly (1999). The previously mentioned charisms proper to the old (and the sick), which are perfections proper to human nature, provide the key to how the old and the sick can, in fact, be beautiful. The old and sick may not be physically perfect or attractive, but they cannot be then said to be ugly for that reason; rather their beauty should be reckoned by these charisms proper to them. For the old and the sick, the possession of these charisms is what it means to be beautiful. However, like any free being, the individual old and sick person must seek to move towards these perfections freely to possess the fullness of beauty proper to the human being. Survey Results The online survey conducted for the Filipino youth ages 15 to 44 through Google Docs from October 7 to December 7, 2011, got 289 respondents of whom 51% were male and 49% were female. (The small sample size which limits the conclusion of this study is due mainly to time constraints.) The great majority (77%) came from the 15-19 age bracket - the digital natives of Generation Z (Schroer, n.d.) - and the 20 - 24 (14%), the 2 most digitally native age brackets. Complete demographic information & all graphs are found in http://univcharts2012.blogspot.com/. The survey consisted of questions that related to the respondents perception on beauty. After the questions on demographics, the respondents were first asked to choose among eight images which corresponded to a matrix that showed the different combinations of the presence or absence of three qualities related to human beauty: youthfulness, health, and physical attractiveness. In the survey the respondents were asked to choose in which of the images they found their personal concept of beauty in some or all of its forms. The top choice (86%) was picture #2, representing a young, healthy, and pretty woman. Ironically, picture #1 came next (72%) showing a sick boy, albeit also cute. This seems to show that the respondents initial take on beauty involved youthfulness and a certain facial attractiveness. The statement is supported by the fact that, the least picked images were pictures #8 & #4 which showed old and physically unattractive persons (19% and 20% respectively). Fig. 1 below is the image that was shown to the respondents and while Fig. 2 is the graph that shows the complete results of this part of the survey.

Figure 1

Figure 2

Majority of the respondents (62%) answered that physical attractiveness did not equal beauty, i.e., beauty does not lie in physical attractiveness alone, but also in the different aspects of a human person. They mentioned that there is an inner beauty found in the person that relates to the persons personality, character, or attitude. For instance, one respondent commented that old persons can be beautiful when they have a soul that is admirable and makes you want to be better. They have a heart that makes you smile when you're down. In short, they have beauty with in (sic) them. Relating to the same question, the respondents also mentioned that a persons significant contributions to society can define how he or she may be beautiful. This means that being beautiful can be found externally but not through the physical attractiveness that would initially be seen; rather, through the works that one does. For example, one respondent commented that ... good deeds could come as beautiful. Your legacy to the world could come as
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beautiful, take for example Steve Jobs who made a technological difference in today's era. Steve Jobs ranked 4th in the picture survey. Also relating to the question above, the respondents mentioned that beauty can be found within the soul, i.e., virtue. One respondent commented that physical beauty fades and that a persons real beauty is seen in his soul. The respondent then added that beauty in the soul is a reference to having a good moral conduct, a strong will to overcome problems, and confidence despite physical appearance. When asked whether or not beauty can be found in the old, majority (38%) of the respondents answered Yes. The primary reason was that beauty could also be found in the personality/character of the person. Also, 21% of the respondents noted that beauty in the old can be found in their wisdom. One respondent stated that in the old we see wisdom, and in my opinion, that is beauty...They have walked through the whole path of life that we barely even stepped on yet (sic). Likewise, on whether beauty can be found in the sick and in the infirm or not, majority of the respondents (52%) stated that beauty is found only in the infirms attitude towards life. One answer that jumped out of the majority came from a respondent who said: An able person would never be able to fully understand the world through an invalid's eyes, would never understand the reason why, even if every day was painful, it would still be glorious...People who are like that, who are sickand are able to survive while smiling, are wonderful and beautiful because of their strength. While 52% of the respondents stated that beauty is found in the sick and in the infirm, 7% of the respondents answered otherwise. The latter seemed to say that beauty in any or all of its forms cannot be found in the sick and in the infirm. One possible explanation for this is found in a study entitled Disease Avoidance and Ageism which states that since pathogens are microscopic, people tend to rely on superficial morphological or behavioral cues to be able to detect them. These cues then trigger disgust and an ill-disposed perception that relates to the working memory and triggers avoidance towards the sick and the infirm (Duncan & Schaller, 2009). The next two questions focused on whether or not the old and the sick and the infirm should be subjected to mercy killing because theyre either hopelessly sick or they (the old and sick) think that theyre of no use to society. While a big majority disapproved of euthanasia in any of its forms, it is nevertheless interesting to note that a rather large percentage (25%) actually approved of euthanasia for the hopelessly sick and 14% for the old who believe they are of no use to society. The respondents were later asked what value they found in the old and the sick. The ones who answered in the affirmative as regards the old represented 89% of the survey; for this sick, it was 69%. Since this was an open question, they gave various answers which the researchers later classified according to one or a combination of the charisms proper to old age enumerated by the Pontifical Council for the Laity (1998). A good number of respondents refer to a more complete vision of life as the source of beauty for both the old and the sick. As well, many respondents
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pointed out to experience of the old as a source of the latters beauty, and with reference to the sick, their being (i.e., their suffering selves that point out to something deeper). Upon studying the results of the whole survey, one sees a seeming conflict between the respondents initial take on beauty in the old and the sick (i.e. their response to the images) and their answers to the questions that prompted them to take a deeper look at it. Concretely, whereas the images that majority of the respondents chose implied a gravitation towards those people with youthfulness and a certain facial attractiveness and a repulsion towards people who are old and sick, in the succeeding questions, the respondents seemed to have leaned away from that very pattern. After being asked questions that prompted them to think more deeply about beauty in the old and sick, their answers hinted more to a belief that beauty can be found in the old and sick, and that it is not necessarily related to physical attractiveness. The conflict mentioned above hints that for the majority, the initial take on beauty more often than not always involves physical and facial attractiveness. However, the majority does know that beauty is not necessarily superficial and skin-deep. It seems that they only needed to be prompted and reminded to make this knowledge or belief come to the surface.

Interview Results In order to corroborate on a personal level (more than conclude) the findings and results, after examining the philosophical findings and gathering results from the survey, the researchers interviewed people who were qualified to be called elderly (60 years old and above) . All of these men and women complained of some kind of physical ailment as well. The term personal here has two meanings: a focus on the unique experiences of individual subjects that point towards the beauty found in them and the collective subjective experiences of the researchers in the course of interviewing these elderly people. The subjects were asked, among other things, questions on their own personal concept/s of beauty, and how they felt about the initial take of people on beauty in the old and the sick. This personalist approach allowed the researchers to see more clearly and concretely the beauty that the philosophical findings and survey results disclosed the old and the sick may possess. According to the survey, the youth find beauty in the old through wisdom. The reserachers interpreted wisdom as a combination of three charisms proper to old age- experience, memory, and a more complete view of life - mentioned in the Pontifical Council of the Laity (1998) document on the elderly. The researchers found this among the people they interviewed. For example, Alice Mundo (65 yrs. old) believes that beauty resides in objects or persons that are in balance and harmony with nature. She added the example of Blessed John Paul II and Blessed Teresa of Calcutta, citing that "they were not particularly physically beautiful because of many qualities that disabled them, e.g. Blessed John Paul's rigid face and slurred speech and Mother Teresa's wrinkled state and stooped figure." Despite these difficulties, for her, both of them were able to "radiate an inner beauty that captivated and taught countless lessons to many people". She also added that for herself and for many, Blessed John Paul and Blessed Teresa of Calcutta "gave a good example of how dignified, respectable, and beautiful it is to be old and infirm" and that they showed us "not only what we could go through when we become old and sick, but more
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importantly, how to go through it". In addition, Pablo Carencia (not his real name), 65 yrs. old, says that age begets wisdom, and that older people are good advisers because of that. The same respondents and two others are not ashamed of their age. The researchers opine that being at ease with ones age manifests a more complete vision of life because it shows that they see life more than just a function of age, a number that would make no difference. This is the exact opposite of what the media show a lot of old people doing who are trying so hard to look much younger than their age. One respondent, Generosa R. Basco (86 yrs. old), stated that she is not sensitive with the issue (i.e., being old) because it is the truth and is a part of life. Another respondent, Lenny Dominguez (62 yrs. old), referring to the same issue, said: Oo. Hindi ako dapat mahiya at dapat ko itong tanggapin. Dapat ko na lang i-enjoy ang buhay (Yes. I shouldnt be ashamed and I should accept it. I should just enjoy life). Fortunato Mondragon (79 yrs. old) accepts his current state, and does not get insulted when he is called old: What can I do? I really am old already. Another response in the survey which caught the researchers attention was that people who are old and sick can be beautiful because they were people who give us unconditional love. This kind of attitude towards the youth and other people is a reference to another charism proper to old age, which is disinterestedness. The researchers likewise perceived this attribute in their interviews. Generosa R. Basco stated that her many experiences is something that she can share with her children and grandchildren to guide them in their lives. Maria Napay, a 77-year old lady whom the researchers met months before this research and whom they revisited for it, takes care of her grandchildren since their parents have problems taking care of them. Despite hardly being able to walk, she hobbles about with a cane to make sure that the house is kept orderly, and she did so without any complaint, going about her business as if it were the most normal thing. Pablo Carencia, added that he thinks of his life as a life of service to others, citing the facts that he still tries to help with his familys businesses and that he would like for others to benefit from what he has to offer (e.g. mentoring and spiritual direction). Lastly, Crescencia Monte, 72 yrs. old, whom the researchers met and interviewed while she was taking care of a sick grandchild, proudly spoke of how she was part of raising all of her numerous grandchildren. All these individuals did not show any sign of regret for having their time taken away and all showed that disinterested love which can only be considered unconditional. The last charism proper to old age, interdependence, was likewise hinted in the survey results with answers that mentioned gratitude and being part of a family. The researchers saw this sense of interdependence in the interview as well. Alice Mundo stated that having been in contact with the elderly allowed her to have more insight on how to become old. This kind of dependence on other elderly people allowed her to be able to get in touch with them and allowed her to be able to understand more why they (elderly people) are like how they are. The seven sons and daughters of Dolores and Domingo Marasigan (77 and 84 yrs. old, respectively) now have their own families and/or professions to take care of, and the parents see most of them very few times a year. But they receive those few meetings with great joy, returning with great gratitude even the small acts of respect and love done to them by their grandchildren. Pablo Carencia speaks of old people as models of respect, relating this with his experiences with younger ones doing good deeds to him without asking for them. This is similar
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to what Pope Benedict XVI, mentioned in his Letter to the Elderly (2010), that the long years of life allow them to afford the opportunity to appreciate the greatest gift of God, which is the gift of life, and the fragility of human spirit. However, the researchers did notice that interdependence was the charism that surfaced least in the interviews. Interestingly, this was also the charism that surfaced least in the survey. In the interviews, the researchers saw that most of the interviewees were afraid to get sick, and perhaps this is normal. However, this could also mean that the old are afraid to be a burden to their loved ones (Albrecht & Havighurst, 1980), a manifestation which is opposed to interdependence and something that would not have been an issue if ones environment actually encouraged such interdependence (Buettner, 2008). All in all, the researchers found that what they found concretely in the interviews and the survey echoed the idea of beauty in the old and sick that they were able to articulate from their philosophical exploration. The coherence among the three parts of this research seems to affirm that what the researchers found in the philosophical texts and documents can and ought to be seen every day by the simple acts of taking notice of the elderly and the infirm and looking beyond their physical attributes. Conclusion and Recommendations Much has already been said about beauty being more than skin deep. What this research first wanted to clarify was how this truism applied to the old and the sick, if it could. Upon reflecting on the Aristotelian and Thomistic philosophy of beauty and synthesizing this with more recent Vatican documents, the researchers concluded that the old and sick could be beautiful. According to Aristotle and Aquinas the beautiful is that which is pleasing to behold where behold refers not only to the senses but the intellect as well. Connected to this, something is pleasing only to the beholder insofar as his or her intellect first grasps that the thing beheld conforms to that things nature. The pleasure then increases in proportion to the apprehension of perfections that conform to the said nature. Considering that the old (and, by extension, the sick) have a charism proper to them which are perfections proper to human nature, one can thus conclude that the old and sick can be beautiful, i.e. pleasing to behold, in those in whom these charisms are present. These charisms include disinterestedness, a more complete vision of life, memory, experience, and interdependence (Pontifical Council for the Laity, 1998). Reflecting on these charisms and ones experience with the old and sick will immediately suggest that the pleasure in beholding them transcends the physical. This likewise suggests that beauty in the proper sense should and does transcend the physical. The survey on the Filipino youth (albeit limited) about their perception of beauty in the old and sick and the interviews which the researchers did on a few elderly men and women (most of whom had physical ailments as well) hinted to the researchers that these charisms are in fact present in the old and sick and are the reasons that they are considered beautiful by a big majority of the respondents. Despite the fact that the survey results may not be conclusive (because of the small sample size), the researchers believe that these point to the right direction.

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Insofar as the Filipino youth are concerned, majority of them have the usual superficial idea about beauty e.g. a certain facial attractiveness and a certain air of youthfulness (based on the graphs) but when prompted to think about it more deeply, they actually show that they understand that the old and sick possess a more transcendental form of beauty. This means that the youth ought to be educated better in terms of attitudes and behavior towards the elderly so that this understanding of the old and sick as valuable and beautiful becomes present more permanently in their minds, not just something that comes up when prompted. More frequent occasions and venues for the young to see the beauty of the elderly and the infirm more regularly would help to this end. Practices such as visiting the sick in hospital and visiting homes for the aged are such occasions. Several studies have shown (Cheong, Wong, & Koh, 2009; Zambrini, Moraru, Hanna, Kalache, & Nuez, 2008; Chew & Greenhill, 2007; Searl & Gabel, 2003) that men and women in occupations that require them to be with elderly and the infirm (nurses, doctors, speech pathologists, etc.) have positive attitudes and initial takes towards the elderly and the infirm. In this sort of exposure, the youth in the survey have much to improve. After all, when in one part of the survey, the respondents were asked how often they visited people who are old and sick and who are not necessarily related to them, only 9% of the respondents admitted that they visited the sick or old more than quarterly. The majority (69%) either visited these people only once a year (35%) or none at all (34).

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References Adler, M. J. (1981). Six Great Ideas. New York: Macmillan. Aquinas, S. T. (n.d.). St. Thomas - Summa Theologica. Ordo Praedicatorum. Retrieved December 8, 2011, from www.op.org/summa/ Beauty - definition and more from the free Merriam-Webster dictionary. (n.d.). Dictionary and thesaurus - Merriam-Webster online. Retrieved November 22, 2011, from http://www.merriamwebster.com/dictionary/beauty Benedict XVI. (2010). London Borough of Lambeth, Visit to St Peter's Residence for the elderly, 18 September 2010, Benedict XVI. Vatican: the Holy See. Retrieved January 16, 2012, from http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/speeches/2010/september/documents/hf_benxvi_spe_20100918_st-peter-residence_en.html Benedict XVI. (2011). Visit to the Bundestag, Reichstag Building - Berlin, 22 September 2011. Vatican: the Holy See. Retrieved December 21, 2011, from http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/speeches/2011/september/documents/hf_benxvi_spe_20110922_reichstag-berlin_en.html Buettner, D. (2008). The blue zones: Lessons for living longer from the people who've lived the longest. Washington, D.C.: National Geographic. Charism - definition and more from the free Merriam-Webster dictionary. (n.d.). Dictionary and thesaurus - Merriam-Webster online. Retrieved December 12, 2011, from http://www.merriamwebster.com/dictionary/charism Cheong, S. K., Wong, T. Y., & Koh, G. C. (2009). Attitudes Towards the Elderly among Singapore Medical Students. Annals Academy of Medicine, 38(10), 5. Retrieved November 27, 2011, from http://www.annals.edu.sg/pdf/38volno10oct2009/v38n10p857.pdf Chew, D., & Greenhill, J. (2007). Nurses' attitudes toward elderly people and knowledge of gerontic care in a multi-purpose health service (MPHS). Australian Journal of Advanced Nursing, 24(4), 37-41. Retrieved December 10, 2011, from http://www.ajan.com.au/vol24/vol24.4-7.pdf Council of the Laity. (n.d.). The dignity of older people and their mission in the Church and in the world. Vatican: The Holy See. Retrieved December 3, 2011, from http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/pontifical_councils/laity/documents/rc_pc_laity_doc_05021 999_older-people_en.html Duncan, L., & Schaller, M. (2009). Prejudicial attitudes toward older adults may be exaggerated when people feel vulnerable to infectious disease: Evidence and implications. Analyses of Social Issue and Public Policy , 9(1), 97-115.

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The researchers and their adviser would like to sincerely thank the following people who helped them with this study:

Mrs. Generosa Basco Mr. Pete Dimaculangan Mrs. Lenny Dominguez Dr. Jerry Kliatchko Mrs. Dolores Marasigan Mr. Domingo Marasigan Mrs. Crescencia Monte Ms. Alice Mundo Mrs. Maria Napay

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