Wednesday, June 20, 2007
Life as art
Art is life. Art, in its myriad forms and functions, is a basic component of human existence. Whether the form of expression is graphical, musical, or physical, humans make art and everything we do can be treated as an art form. Computer programming can be made an art form the same way skillfully managing a group of people can be. In this way we are all artists. The balinese embrace this concept so fully that there language does not include a word equivalent to "art", because they literally see everything as a form of artistic expression.
Why shouldn't we in some way embrace this philosophy? Think about it. If we were to see everything we do as a form of self-expression, and give it the attention an artist does a creation, would we not be better off? Take driving, for instance. If the average person drove with the same focus and attention to detail that a sculpture would approach a fresh piece of stone or clay, would they not be better drivers? Would we not have fewer accidents and traffic fatalities? What a better place the world would be! If we lived in a world where people were consciously aware that everything they do is a form of self-expression and conducted themselves accordingly, things would inevitably get better.
Life as a work of art makes perfect sense to me. It is in our power to live our lives so that we can be the people we want to be. We are our own creations. It takes courage and fortitude to commit one's self to one's self. If you disagree with the majority, you have to willingly discard the huddled masses' ideas of normalcy and define your own. That is the only way to truly be an individual. You cannot succumb to the same fears, the same limitations, and the same conformist practices as the majority and then claim to stand out in the crowd. Not everyone can stand out from the crowd, otherwise there would be no crowd. Some people need the safety of numbers. If you feel better falling in line and doing what others do, by all means, fall in line, but at least have the self-awareness and self-respect to admit that you are part of the herd. If your life's fate is to be a reproduction in a stack of reproductions, there's no shame in that, but don't fool yourself or anyone else by proclaiming that you are not, in fact, a copy.
And if you should discover that you are a copy, but want to be something different, for the love of Jebus CHANGE! The world is so packed with sameness, monotony, and mediocrity, anyone desiring something more, but settling for something less, should be thrown off the proverbial island. As much as ever, the world needs good people doing good things, so get up off your ass and change something. Most of us will not ever change the world, but we might make a small difference. It may be the equivalent of painting the Sistine Chapel with a single drop of paint, but a few million drops working toward the same end over a few million lifetimes makes for some incredible possibilities.
It seems so simple, and it is! The problem is finding motivated souls willing to actively participate. At present, there are over 300 million legalized citizens in the US. If only 10% of that 300 million were to commit themselves to positive change, or at the very least, commit to painting their lives with goodness in mind, you would have 30 million people working toward the proverbial "greater good". If 10% were doing evil, and the other 80% continued being apathetic passengers on the cruise ship Life, good works would STILL be carried out collectively, if not en masse. It would only take a meager 10%...10 lousy percent, but even that number is unrealistic. You won't ever get 30 million people working toward similar, never mind identical, goals. And the majority will always be too busy or too cynical or too self-absorbed, to get involved. I know because I have been all those things. Hell, in many ways, I am STILL all of those things, but I'm trying not to be. I'm trying to embrace the idea that I can be the change I want to see in the world. That I can paint my life in different shades and colors. Shouldn't we all at the very least TRY to paint our own pictures? Is that really so much to ask? I no longer think so, and I hope I'm not alone.
I found a quote in Free Play, that compliments what I am trying to say here beautifully: "The creative artist and poet and saint must fight the actual (as opposed to ideal) gods of our society - the god of conformism as well as the god of apathy, material success, and exploitative power. These are the "idols" of our society that are worshiped by multitudes of people." - Rollo May
Labels: life
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