Art shows Us where We have Been, Art shows Us where We are Going - Part 1

"May you live in interesting times."

ancient Chinese curse

     What an interesting time to be alive! What a wonderful time! What a crazy time! We live in an age where technology and information are increasing at an exponential rate. Think about this: 90% of the world's data has been created in the last two years alone(source). That, to me, is simply mind-blowing. Think about it: we now have access to almost any piece of information imaginable: access to almost every artwork, story, and philosophy, every holy book, every method and set of instructions for doing any thing. Any data from any country, any culture, from any time throughout history. It's overwhelming, to say the least.

    How is one expected to even begin the process of attempting to comprehend this enormous mountain of information? After all, us humans have more or less the same brain-power as our cave-dwelling ancestors, nothing much has changed except through our usage of words and tools. So where is one begin in this world where we are likely to consume more information in a single day then our grandparents would have consumed in 10 years? This is a question many people are wondering about, a question which many are responding to by attempting to expand and complicate our old paradigms, such as the concepts involved in traditional K-12 schooling, traditional methods of governance, and our traditional idea of what it means to think logically.

    But if one looks to the ancient masters, if one looks to the great men and women of our past and earnestly seeks their guidance, they will find that the solution is already here. The solution is Art. But before I get into this, let's take a look at how things are handled at the present time: much of our current philosophy on core issues such as education and governance seem to glorify the act of acquiring, manipulating, and then regurgitating ideas. From our earliest days as a kindergartner we are taught that ideas are knowledge, and knowledge is power. We are taught the idea of "2+2=4," and the idea of "the sky is blue." We are taught these things because we imagine them to be useful, to be a required part of becoming a functional adult which can operate within the "real world." Then, upon entering this "real world," the ideas which were memorized throughout the required 13+ years of educational indoctrination are organized, rearranged, and then spread throughout the world in order to make it a "better place."

    This system of ideas influencing ideas has surely made our world a more complicated place, a more fast-paced place, and a much, much more developed place. But rarely is the question asked: is the world a happier place? Is this world truly a "better place" to live in than the world of, say, 100 years ago? Do your research: most studies and people you ask will give you a resounding "no". Our modern, fast-paced world of cars and planes and cubicles and meetings and suits and ties and 24-hour gyms and such and such is not designed for our happiness. It's designed to perpetuate and build upon the ideas we have acquired.

   I was going to get into my explanation of how art can change this, but I think I'll sleep on it and write up that post tomorrow. For now, I'd like to leave ya'll to meditate on a video I've made, and I hope you'll see the connections with the topic which I have covered.

   So I guess this is Part 1 - I'll be back tomorrow with a continuation of these thoughts, and definitely a larger focus on contemporary art and its role in all this :)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

"Churn of the Century"

or "Where We have Been"