“Art is not a pleasure, a solace,
or an amusement; art is great matter.
Art is an organ of human life,
transmitting man’s reasonable perception
into feeling. In our age the common religious
perception of men is the consciousness
of the brotherhood of man-we know that
the well-being of man lies in the union
with his fellow men. True science should
indicate the various methods of applying
this consciousness to life. Art should
transform this perception into feeling.
The task of art is enormous. Through the
influence of real art, aided by science,
guided by religion, that peaceful co-operation
of man is now obtained by external means-by
law courts, police, charitable institutions,
factory inspection, etc.-should be obtained
by man’s free and joyous activity.
Art should cause violence to be set aside.
And it is only art that can accomplish this.“”
“Have you ever thought about how we’re living in a society designed to give us anything we want, but we’re essentially the same people who lived during tribal times? We’re catering to the same base needs like warmth and sex and social gratification, but we’re doing so through unnatural means. If you think about it, the scrolling mechanism on a phone is a bit like strolling through a forest. We still come across unknown things. But now the first judgment that comes to our mind is immediately reinforced. We can say “I like it,” and we’ll be given more of the same. Or we can say ‘I don’t like it,’ and the thing will go away forever. That single mechanism ascribes permanence to our most basic instincts. We’re never forced to ask: ‘Why do I like it?’ Or ‘Should I like it?’ We’re living in a world that always adapts to us, so we never have to adapt to the world. I wonder how that affects us. I also wonder why we like squirrels but hate rats. Because they’re both rodents.”
tbh the real advice I’d give to anyone is, do shit alone. go to a museum & go at your own pace & leave the instant you’re done. go somewhere you’ve never been and just wander around, duck into & out of places as it pleases you. linger as long as you’d like.
