That’s the beauty of…

Professors are an interesting bunch of people. I’ve had couple of male college professors who always appended the word ‘beauty’ whenever they are justifying the intricacies of their topic.

One was a math professor, and he would say “that’s the beauty of mathematics”, after parading before us a dizzing equation of Algebra. It was peculiar to find beauty in a mathematical equation, let alone consider it beautiful.

Another was a criminal law professor, and he really was a lawyer. He would say “that’s the beauty of criminal law”. Oh how clinical! If anything it was thought provoking, but not at all beautiful. He would say that smugly after a nice debate, where of course, he would win against any student whom he debated against. I wasn’t spared from the debates, particularly because I thouroughly enjoyed it, but not the ‘beauty’ part.

These professors must be very obsessed with their subjects to consider it beautiful. They devoted all their thinking years in developing and mastering Xs and Ys and sections and articles. Maybe even bring the subject with them in their sleep. And so the concept of beauty has been distorted.

Mathematics could have been resplendent, though synonymous, at least it doesn’t sound pretty. Criminal law could have been perfect.

Humanities can be appropriately beautiful, or Sociology, even Economics. But Math and Criminal Law!

For one, Math is strictly mundane, much like Physics, and Criminal Law is, austere, would very often remind me of Victorian spinsters and shrewd fiscal. Now that’s not beautiful!