The news around COVID-19 has not been encouraging of late. Positive cases are once again surging around the country. In Los Angeles, government and public health officials are considering resuming safer-at-home orders to prevent the spread of the disease. Many of us have been largely stuck at home since March, while others have been risking their lives every day doing that essential work that keeps us healthy and fed and the economy, such as it is, going. With how indefinitely it appears this will continue, it’s easy to get discouraged.

To counter that, we share this video essay from Teo Ruiz, professor emeritus of history, who asserts that “beauty saves,” and asks how we each can add beauty to the world.

This article originally appeared in the UCLA Newsroom.