The human need to connect is essential to our existence. We may find it through lively conversation, a gentle touch, or the sharing of ideas through blogging on the Internet. We look for connections every day of our lives. Whether it be political, spiritual, philosophical, or physical, all of us need to connect, in one way or another. These connections let us know we're not alone. They give us hope. They give us comfort. They give us peace. They feed our creativity and help us find it when we didn't know it existed.
Yet, our natural tendency is to look for these connections where we're most comfortable, it's the law of attraction. But the arts challenge this comfortable notion. Whether it's U2's politically-charged, emotive-rich lyrics or the brilliantly detailed literature penned by Dickens, the arts facilitate discussion and bring us together across the boundaries of man-made parameters that can limit us.
What if a person, half your age, of a different race & a different nationality, who didn't speak English, had spent time in prison, and who believed things you chose not to, came up to you and attempted to have a conversation with you? Would you connect with this person? The answer, more likely than not, would probably be "no."
You may try not to judge, and you may show compassion by being kind and shaking her hand before walking away, but the truth is, the connection would usually not be given the necessary time to form due to false perceptions based on your frame of reference.
Now suppose you walk into an art gallery, and you see a painting that touches you, speaks volumes to you; you feel like you've known it your whole life and that the artist painted it just for you. So who is this person, this artist that put brush to canvas and painted the world as you see it? What if she is the person whom I just described? And yet, in this context you see her tremendous depth of compassion, love, understanding, and intellectual curiosity. You feel like you'd like to meet her to tell her what a profound effect her painting has on you.
And as you're standing there wishing for someone with whom you could share these feelings of joy and awe with, another person approaches to admire the painting as well, a person whom, if you passed him on the street, you would no more than offer a polite smile and continue on your way. But here, in the midst of your common interest, you strike up a rich dialogue, which continues at a caf where you have a powerful discussion about the depths of the painting and the intrigue of the artist. This is called the universal language of the arts, and it is very powerful.
As United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan so aptly stated at the 2001 Florence Biennale, "...Artists have a special role to play in our global struggle for peace. At their best, artists speak not only to people, but for themArt is a weapon against ignorance and hatred and an agent of public awareness Art opens new doors for learning, understanding, and peace among people and nations."
But the term "art" applies not only to the product of those who cultivate their artistic skill for the masses, but to the unlimited potential to create in each and every one of us. It is a child's colorful, animated painting of her family, the joyful, uplifting sounds of song uniting members of a congregation, and the beautiful video montage of a person's observations of life as he sees it. We "connect" through these expressions of who we are, what we think, and our dreams for our future.
The arts bring us together, in our thoughts, our actions, our beliefs, and our hearts, to remind us that we are all one race, the human race, and we are all here on this beautiful, blue planet spinning through space, to experience something that is greater than simply the sum of our individual contributions. The context in which we live, create, and work is inextricably global and therefore we are inextricably linked. So create. Connect. And rejoice in the hope, comfort and peace that it can bring.