"Should we not look at ugly things?"
Ren murmured. Looking at a photo of an old building.
"Why?" Noa asked.
"Because it makes us uncomfortable."
Mio quietly approached. Looked at the photo.
"But," Noa objected, "ugliness may also have meaning."
"Meaning?"
"As the opposite of beauty. Without ugliness, we cannot understand beauty."
Ren thought. "Relative concept?"
"Yes. Like light and shadow."
Mio said in a small voice. "...Ugliness is honest."
The two were surprised.
"Honest?" Ren asked back.
Mio nodded. "Does not hide. As it is."
Noa understood. "Not beautifying is value?"
"May be so."
Ren offered another perspective. "But we sometimes make ugly things into art."
"Like?"
"Goya's 'The Disasters of War.' Terrible, ugly paintings."
"But art works," Noa nodded.
"Why?"
"Because they convey truth."
Mio said quietly. "...Ugliness is warning."
"Warning?" Ren thought.
"Things we do not want to see. But should see."
Noa supplemented. "Holocaust photos. Ugly, cruel. But should be recorded."
"Not to forget."
"Yes. Ugliness preserves memory."
Ren organized. "So ugliness has two meanings. Aesthetic ugliness and moral ugliness."
"Interesting distinction," Noa acknowledged.
"Aesthetic ugliness is?"
"Unpleasantness of form or color. But subjective."
"Moral ugliness is?"
"Violence, injustice, cruelty. These are objectively bad."
Mio objected. "...All subjective."
"Eh?"
"Differs by culture. Differs by era."
Noa nodded. "True. Absolute ugliness may not exist."
Ren resisted. "But torture is ugly. Anyone would see."
"That is empathy for suffering," Noa explained. "Not ugliness itself."
"So ugliness is illusion?"
"No, it exists. But by interpretation."
Mio turned pages. Read a poem.
"'Fair is foul, and foul is fair.'"
"Shakespeare?" Ren asked.
Mio nodded.
"Paradox," Noa said. "But deep."
"What does it mean?"
"Appearance and essence can differ."
Ren understood. "What looks beautiful may be ugly inside."
"And what looks ugly may be beautiful inside."
Mio said quietly. "...Appearance lies."
"Not always," Noa said cautiously. "But sometimes."
"So true ugliness is?"
"Kant said, 'Moral evil is true ugliness.'"
Ren thought. "Ugliness of the heart."
"Malice, coldness, selfishness."
Mio smiled. "But that too..."
"What?"
"...Is human."
The two were surprised.
"Human?" Ren asked back.
"Not perfect. Weak. Make mistakes."
Noa understood. "Imperfection is human essence."
"Humans including ugliness."
Ren took a deep breath. "So accept ugliness?"
"Not reject, but understand," Noa answered.
"But improvement?"
"Of course. But do not think it can be completely eliminated."
Mio stood up. Opened the window. Wind came in.
"...Ugly wind also necessary."
"Ugly wind?" Ren laughed.
"Cold, painful. But awakens."
Noa nodded. "Unpleasant truth also has value."
"Shows reality."
Ren summarized. "Ugliness is both flaw and value."
"Depends on context," Noa supplemented. "What is the purpose."
Mio said quietly. "...Accept everything."
"Beauty and ugliness?"
"Yes. Both exist, that is the world."
Ren looked outside the window. Beautiful sky. But behind the building, there is trash.
"Reality is mixed."
"Embrace both pure and impure," Noa said. "Laozi's teaching."
"Do not look away from ugliness."
"But not captured by ugliness."
Mio smiled. Sign of agreement.
The three stood quietly.
Ugliness cannot be erased.
But it has meaning.
When understanding that, the world expands a little.
The world cannot be told by beauty alone.
Including ugliness is the truth.