Absolutely couldn't agree more. That has been my experience, not of art, but of parallel reasoning, in my observations of people when I go out and wander around the city or any other public place. There are so many common tendencies that I see between people's interactions with one another, their environment, it is obvious that though we walk individual paths and are guided towards different ends, there are always ties between each one of us that binds us to this collective we call "humanity". It's something I think people can often overlook, in their own selfish quests in life. I don't use the word selfish negatively here, as it is such a natural, survival mode of thinking, we must think of the self, and protect that self, but in so doing, it can remove us from the bigger picture at times and I feel that intrinsic unity, what it means to share in life with one another can be lost if we don't return to that perspective at least once in a while to ground ourselves. Personally, that is where I find the balance to be in life. Finding your own path and truth, while finding compassion in your fellow human traveler in this universe. There is no reason to be cruel to one another, nor is there any significance in tearing apart others. At the end of the day, we are in this together.
Art is something special and unique. To me, art is that photograph, that tangible object, that can relay that very information and understanding. Deliver our society's subconscious and knowing. Art is what reveals our pains, our virtues, our self reflection as a society and in greater scope, our humanity. Why does art get such praise over other outlets? Because art has the ability to tap into the unknown, and it has the ability to bring out truths in all of us, that we were once blind to before.
With all this talk of art, @
Xann, you have inspired me to visit a fine art museum again. It has been much, much too long since I felt that connection to the outside world, and to my inner world, all in one setting.