In Harmony— At Principle Gallery
I have an idea that the only thing which makes it possible to regard this world we live in without disgust is the beauty which now and then men create out of the chaos. The pictures they paint, the music they compose, the books they write, and the lives they lead. Of all these the richest in beauty is the beautiful life. That is the perfect work of art.
― The Painted Veil
There are so many things that I could use to demonstrate the chaos and ugliness currently taking place in this country, from masked ICE agents racially profiling then sweeping people off the streets of our cities to a host on Fox News unequivocally advocating for the euthanasia of the homeless and mentally ill, stating, they should be subject to “Involuntary lethal injection, or something. Just kill them.“
That clip from Fox has haunted me since I first watched it yesterday. I found myself asking how people have allowed themselves to descend to such depths of inhumanity. How could they be so cavalier with the life of another person?
But more than that, I asked myself how people who possess any warmth and humanity towards others can get through times like this without themselves falling into a pit of anger and hatred.
I know the answer to that last question. It’s a thought that has been revisited here many times, one that perfectly captured in the passage above from Somerset Maugham.
People under stress react with the creative impulse.
Much like trees that produce more seeds when they feel under stress. I thought of this yesterday when I came across a acorn caps that had fallen from the oaks along the path between my home and the studio. I have seen it many times over the years as the oaks, hickories, and white pines on our land respond with big increases in their seed production when the weather is severely hot and dry.
Not being trees, humans react to stress by trying to change the world in the only ways they know–through their art, their writing, their music, and so on.
And most importantly of all, by focusing on living in a way that creates a beautiful life, one filled with grace, harmony, honesty, compassion, balance, and courage.
As Maugham writes, that is the perfect work of art.
That’s not easy, of course. Creation is never easy. But by recognizing that one can create beauty in their own life, the path is at least created. And maybe that path will serve, like many works of art, as a symbol and guide for others.
I know it sounds naive, even weak, when faced with the vitriol and the hatred of the inhumanity we are facing. But you have to remember that creation takes strength, courage, and sacrifice. It ultimately comes from tough people with strong survival instincts.
If they have to fight to protect that which they have created, they do not hesitate.
That is the type of strength that defeats hatred and inhumanity.
Here’s this week’s Sunday Morning Music, an oldie from that perfectly matched team of singer Dionne Warwick and the songwriting team of Burt Bacharach and Hal David. This is Anyone Who Had a Heart from 1964. It seems right for the subject today.
Redtree Times 