“Art, poetry, music, all forms of true beauty, prayer, and meditation—these are the things that will save us as individuals and, if we're lucky, civilization.” -Joseph Massey, of Dispatches From the Basement (a poet who’s here on Substack)
I love the sentiment of that quote. Since stories connect us, and stories are part of art, we will need art to motivate us to solve the most pressing issues of human civilization: Climate collapse, species extinction, ecological catastrophe, mass migrations, etc. etc. We need stories (and thus art) that move us out of complacency more than ever!
I agree with this statement, with the world every changing and technology ramping up at such a rapid pace we're finding more and more people burning out because they've forgotten the true beauty of life. I've never met someone who regretted meditating more or regretted engaging in art forms like poetry or music, in fact they always feel better afterwards. I think the only way to save our souls is to engage in the things of true beauty.
The arts, whether you’re the creator or appreciator, allow a balancing of the energy in this world. It’s necessary to have an economy to have food and shelter. Inevitably there will be those who gain more resources and use that power to exploit others. Over a period of time this creates poverty and prejudice. The arts are an expression and a coping mechanism that gratefully create connection and conversation as well as a shared experience.
Beauty is the one thing that has kept me going the last several years. Without it, life is just an arduous chore, a meaningless austerity. for years I looked for comfort in keeping busy. (That was the wrong place.) the last several years, I’ve found so much solace in the beach, majestic nature, and prayerful music. Saved me from a lonely abyss of disappointment many times. So, as an individual, I attest to beauty saving me. As a civilization, the further we move away from romance, bohemia, beautiful ideals, the closer we get to meaningless consumerism, devastating war and conflict (bc when we lose sight of beauty, we lose meaning and purpose.) accumulating money and prestige may bring fleeting joy and pride (not that I would know 😂) but I don’t think it grounds AND uplifts us like art and beauty.
Where does the creation and enjoyment of beauty fit in the human experience? We cannot just be here to acquire stuff and fight with those who would oppose our acquisition. We are here for something much more important. Does anyone know?
Beauty = the human form, poetry, wisdom, art (of all kinds,) and our sublime achievement, music.
I feel conflicted about this quote. I'm an artist, too, so I believe in the power of art (and all forms of beauty) to bear witness, to shape imagination, and to change reality if, to quote James Baldwin, we "alter, even but a millimeter" how people look at it. Art and beauty have saved me from the madness of grief, trauma, and the bite of loneliness. But how do we reckon with the spirit of this idea and the harm that systems of oppression cause? There are videos of people on Tik Tok dancing, saying that they will not let "them" take away their joy. Dancing, too, is a form of beauty. But what will beauty say to the legislator or the politician? What will art say to the person ordering bombs to drop on another country? Are these even fair questions? This is a long-winded way of saying I don't know. I'm hopeful, but deeply uncertain. I don't know what it means for beauty to save a civilization. Can art and beauty make hope a contagion (I want to believe it can)? And how can we transmute that hope into action?
I totally understand these questions and conflicts, TJ - I think about them all the time, too (though I'm struck by how much you seem to underweight the following sentence: "Art and beauty have saved me from the madness of grief, trauma, and the bite of loneliness.") This is actually a spectacular thing.
Thank you for asking! Here are my thoughts about the quote from Joseph Massey.
“Art, poetry, music, all forms of true beauty, prayer, and meditation—these are the things that will save us as individuals and, if we're lucky, civilization.”
These things all have the power to bring us from the chaos of the outside world into our inner sanctuary of contemplation. They allow us to see beauty in an otherwise hectic or challenging day. Appreciating art, poetry, music, meditation aren't mere escapes—they're gateways to deeper understanding. They are a means for individuals to connect with themselves and each other. At this moment in time—there's nothing more important than empathy for yourself and for others.
These are the things that ground us in the present. They help us go “within” while in a world that is too “without.” They plunge us into heightened states of euphoria — flow, wonder, awe. It is in these realms that people encounter joy, love, compassion. They build bridges between reality and imagination allowing us to envision a new world, a better world.
The first thing that came to mind when reading this was "all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy." A co-worker said that to me the other day (not in the spirit of meanness, but out of concern), and I realized lately that that's me. My life for the past few years has been work, work, work, and no play. No peace, no beauty, no art. And I find myself burnt out, lost, having wandered away from myself. I think these forms of true beauty of which Massey speaks, they light our way through life. Sometimes the roads we travel are dark and fraught with the sadnesses of life. We can get lost there, in that inky dark night of the soul. True beauty--art, poetry, music, prayer--is the guiding hand to help us find our own way out. I no longer believe in saviors or the responsibility of "saving" to be on anyone but yourself; but I do know what lights my way out of the dark, and it's these gentle, quiet things. They illuminate our paths and lead us home, ultimately, to ourselves.
I can't wait to see what your next project entails, Susan!
I took a class on the Wisdom of Beauty. We referred to a book titled "Notes On The Need For Beauty" by Ruth Gendler. She writes: "Our willingness to see and honor beauty makes more beauty possible. Beauty like every other quality-courage, fear, ugliness, trust, truth, wisdom-is a part of us and apart from us, inside us and outside us, personal and impersonal. Beauty invites us to build bridges and make connections between the senses and the soul, between contemplation and expression, between ourselves and the world."
“Art, poetry, music, all forms of true beauty, prayer, and meditation—these are the things that will save us as individuals and, if we're lucky, civilization.” -Joseph Massey, of Dispatches From the Basement (a poet who’s here on Substack)
Susan, long time ago I discovered a work by German philosopher Friedrich Schiller, in his Letters on the Aesthetic Education of a Man he proposed that “beauty is not a luxury but the cornerstone of human freedom”; as a trained in STEM and with a strong analytical and introvert mindset/personality it has been through the cultivation of mindfulness (and other forms of meditation in last 20+ years), classical philosophies and spirituality that I’ve learnt to relax and pay attention to the infinite possibilities that the mystery of creation, and the ingenuity of human beings, bring to my life every single moment; from the forms and shapes, colors and essences, sounds and noises, for anything that stimulates my 6 senses (Buddhist way) I am simply grateful for being alive to experience it, and for the opportunity to use it as transformers of inner energies that feed my soul and her purpose in this life, in this moment, right where I am, and to recognize the duality within that mystery because for every manifestation of beauty there’s one of horror and ugliness, those which sink souls and destroy spirits if they aren’t acknowledge and counterbalance with the element of beauty that when paying careful and deep attention are there, right in those crevices waiting to be found and opened to release it, and to quench, maybe even stop, the suffering brought by the darkness. Your work I’m sure will be one beautiful creation to guiding us in the moments of doubt and obscuration, go for it!
Here's some evidence for your book proposal... Honestly, I've been procrastinating writing about this for 6 months. Take it for whatever it's worth.
During the winter of 2018/2019 I rediscovered my love of classical music. Yet, I'd never attended a live performance and, I love live music. I splurged and got a ticket for a Sunday afternoon concert by Nicola Benedetti and Alexei Grynyuk at the Ordway in Saint Paul MN. It was a very cold, windy day in January (01/20/2018). I really enjoyed the concert and Nicola Benedetti played a Stradivarius, the sound lives up to the legend. For an encore they performed “The Meditation” from the opera “Thaïs ” which I'd never heard before. Nicola Benedetti stated that it was her Dad's favorite piece...
At the end of the show as I gathered my stuff and waited to exit the row and the room. Suddenly, I became very uncomfortable, breaking out in a sweat and nervous, as though I was going to have a panic attack or anxiety attack (which I have had). Something was swelling in me. I quickly got it out of the room, got my coat at the coat room and exited the hall, getting more and more uncomfortable the entire time.
With the arctic wind in my face I headed down the street to the parking garage. I was halfway down the block and I started uncontrollably sobbing and I had no idea why. It was incredibly cold out and I practically ran to the parking garage, up the stairs to my car. I didn't even start he car but only continued sobbing, weeping with my head on the steering wheel. I'd never experienced anything like it. Time didn't seem to exist and I didn't comprehend the world around me, the strangest thing.
Eventually, I drove back to my apartment in the west burbs, took a long hot shower, had a good meal and hit the sack. I slept from 7PM to 7AM the following morning without a bathroom break. I've never been so exhausted. Something had a stronghold on me something I can't describe. Listening to that piece of music, in that room, played by those musicians affected me that way. Art broke that in me. I'm not who or how I was before that experience. I did discuss the episode with my Therapist that week. She explained the how the brain has to much information to process and that's what happens, tears, weeping... But it didn't explain the how and the why...
The musician's played “The Meditation” as though they were playing for someone they truly loved, an audience of one. I have a lot of very bad experiences in life, abuse of every kind, untreated mental illness and the dysfunction and shame that goes with it. I believe I listed to what love really is in that moment. I can't say it any other way... Before I was very dysfunctional and the experience with art broke something I me that allowed me to heal.
Meditation might be in many forms. Walking meditations, painting quietly and meditating, prayer.... These moments often provide a portal to ideas and thoughts that would otherwise be buried in the noise of the day. Meditation is one of the most powerful tools that we each possess and it's FREE!
I love the sentiment of that quote. Since stories connect us, and stories are part of art, we will need art to motivate us to solve the most pressing issues of human civilization: Climate collapse, species extinction, ecological catastrophe, mass migrations, etc. etc. We need stories (and thus art) that move us out of complacency more than ever!
I agree with this statement, with the world every changing and technology ramping up at such a rapid pace we're finding more and more people burning out because they've forgotten the true beauty of life. I've never met someone who regretted meditating more or regretted engaging in art forms like poetry or music, in fact they always feel better afterwards. I think the only way to save our souls is to engage in the things of true beauty.
One of my favorite answers to this question can be found in On Beauty by John O’Donohue…
The arts, whether you’re the creator or appreciator, allow a balancing of the energy in this world. It’s necessary to have an economy to have food and shelter. Inevitably there will be those who gain more resources and use that power to exploit others. Over a period of time this creates poverty and prejudice. The arts are an expression and a coping mechanism that gratefully create connection and conversation as well as a shared experience.
Beauty is the one thing that has kept me going the last several years. Without it, life is just an arduous chore, a meaningless austerity. for years I looked for comfort in keeping busy. (That was the wrong place.) the last several years, I’ve found so much solace in the beach, majestic nature, and prayerful music. Saved me from a lonely abyss of disappointment many times. So, as an individual, I attest to beauty saving me. As a civilization, the further we move away from romance, bohemia, beautiful ideals, the closer we get to meaningless consumerism, devastating war and conflict (bc when we lose sight of beauty, we lose meaning and purpose.) accumulating money and prestige may bring fleeting joy and pride (not that I would know 😂) but I don’t think it grounds AND uplifts us like art and beauty.
Where does the creation and enjoyment of beauty fit in the human experience? We cannot just be here to acquire stuff and fight with those who would oppose our acquisition. We are here for something much more important. Does anyone know?
Beauty = the human form, poetry, wisdom, art (of all kinds,) and our sublime achievement, music.
v/r, Al
I feel conflicted about this quote. I'm an artist, too, so I believe in the power of art (and all forms of beauty) to bear witness, to shape imagination, and to change reality if, to quote James Baldwin, we "alter, even but a millimeter" how people look at it. Art and beauty have saved me from the madness of grief, trauma, and the bite of loneliness. But how do we reckon with the spirit of this idea and the harm that systems of oppression cause? There are videos of people on Tik Tok dancing, saying that they will not let "them" take away their joy. Dancing, too, is a form of beauty. But what will beauty say to the legislator or the politician? What will art say to the person ordering bombs to drop on another country? Are these even fair questions? This is a long-winded way of saying I don't know. I'm hopeful, but deeply uncertain. I don't know what it means for beauty to save a civilization. Can art and beauty make hope a contagion (I want to believe it can)? And how can we transmute that hope into action?
I totally understand these questions and conflicts, TJ - I think about them all the time, too (though I'm struck by how much you seem to underweight the following sentence: "Art and beauty have saved me from the madness of grief, trauma, and the bite of loneliness.") This is actually a spectacular thing.
Susan-
Thank you for asking! Here are my thoughts about the quote from Joseph Massey.
“Art, poetry, music, all forms of true beauty, prayer, and meditation—these are the things that will save us as individuals and, if we're lucky, civilization.”
These things all have the power to bring us from the chaos of the outside world into our inner sanctuary of contemplation. They allow us to see beauty in an otherwise hectic or challenging day. Appreciating art, poetry, music, meditation aren't mere escapes—they're gateways to deeper understanding. They are a means for individuals to connect with themselves and each other. At this moment in time—there's nothing more important than empathy for yourself and for others.
xo,
Lia
These are the things that ground us in the present. They help us go “within” while in a world that is too “without.” They plunge us into heightened states of euphoria — flow, wonder, awe. It is in these realms that people encounter joy, love, compassion. They build bridges between reality and imagination allowing us to envision a new world, a better world.
The first thing that came to mind when reading this was "all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy." A co-worker said that to me the other day (not in the spirit of meanness, but out of concern), and I realized lately that that's me. My life for the past few years has been work, work, work, and no play. No peace, no beauty, no art. And I find myself burnt out, lost, having wandered away from myself. I think these forms of true beauty of which Massey speaks, they light our way through life. Sometimes the roads we travel are dark and fraught with the sadnesses of life. We can get lost there, in that inky dark night of the soul. True beauty--art, poetry, music, prayer--is the guiding hand to help us find our own way out. I no longer believe in saviors or the responsibility of "saving" to be on anyone but yourself; but I do know what lights my way out of the dark, and it's these gentle, quiet things. They illuminate our paths and lead us home, ultimately, to ourselves.
I can't wait to see what your next project entails, Susan!
I took a class on the Wisdom of Beauty. We referred to a book titled "Notes On The Need For Beauty" by Ruth Gendler. She writes: "Our willingness to see and honor beauty makes more beauty possible. Beauty like every other quality-courage, fear, ugliness, trust, truth, wisdom-is a part of us and apart from us, inside us and outside us, personal and impersonal. Beauty invites us to build bridges and make connections between the senses and the soul, between contemplation and expression, between ourselves and the world."
“Art, poetry, music, all forms of true beauty, prayer, and meditation—these are the things that will save us as individuals and, if we're lucky, civilization.” -Joseph Massey, of Dispatches From the Basement (a poet who’s here on Substack)
Where have these gotten us thus far?
Meditation and prayer are important to me. It helps me to not assume others have mastered gentleness. It helps me to face limiting beliefs.
Susan, long time ago I discovered a work by German philosopher Friedrich Schiller, in his Letters on the Aesthetic Education of a Man he proposed that “beauty is not a luxury but the cornerstone of human freedom”; as a trained in STEM and with a strong analytical and introvert mindset/personality it has been through the cultivation of mindfulness (and other forms of meditation in last 20+ years), classical philosophies and spirituality that I’ve learnt to relax and pay attention to the infinite possibilities that the mystery of creation, and the ingenuity of human beings, bring to my life every single moment; from the forms and shapes, colors and essences, sounds and noises, for anything that stimulates my 6 senses (Buddhist way) I am simply grateful for being alive to experience it, and for the opportunity to use it as transformers of inner energies that feed my soul and her purpose in this life, in this moment, right where I am, and to recognize the duality within that mystery because for every manifestation of beauty there’s one of horror and ugliness, those which sink souls and destroy spirits if they aren’t acknowledge and counterbalance with the element of beauty that when paying careful and deep attention are there, right in those crevices waiting to be found and opened to release it, and to quench, maybe even stop, the suffering brought by the darkness. Your work I’m sure will be one beautiful creation to guiding us in the moments of doubt and obscuration, go for it!
Hey Susan,
Here's some evidence for your book proposal... Honestly, I've been procrastinating writing about this for 6 months. Take it for whatever it's worth.
During the winter of 2018/2019 I rediscovered my love of classical music. Yet, I'd never attended a live performance and, I love live music. I splurged and got a ticket for a Sunday afternoon concert by Nicola Benedetti and Alexei Grynyuk at the Ordway in Saint Paul MN. It was a very cold, windy day in January (01/20/2018). I really enjoyed the concert and Nicola Benedetti played a Stradivarius, the sound lives up to the legend. For an encore they performed “The Meditation” from the opera “Thaïs ” which I'd never heard before. Nicola Benedetti stated that it was her Dad's favorite piece...
At the end of the show as I gathered my stuff and waited to exit the row and the room. Suddenly, I became very uncomfortable, breaking out in a sweat and nervous, as though I was going to have a panic attack or anxiety attack (which I have had). Something was swelling in me. I quickly got it out of the room, got my coat at the coat room and exited the hall, getting more and more uncomfortable the entire time.
With the arctic wind in my face I headed down the street to the parking garage. I was halfway down the block and I started uncontrollably sobbing and I had no idea why. It was incredibly cold out and I practically ran to the parking garage, up the stairs to my car. I didn't even start he car but only continued sobbing, weeping with my head on the steering wheel. I'd never experienced anything like it. Time didn't seem to exist and I didn't comprehend the world around me, the strangest thing.
Eventually, I drove back to my apartment in the west burbs, took a long hot shower, had a good meal and hit the sack. I slept from 7PM to 7AM the following morning without a bathroom break. I've never been so exhausted. Something had a stronghold on me something I can't describe. Listening to that piece of music, in that room, played by those musicians affected me that way. Art broke that in me. I'm not who or how I was before that experience. I did discuss the episode with my Therapist that week. She explained the how the brain has to much information to process and that's what happens, tears, weeping... But it didn't explain the how and the why...
The musician's played “The Meditation” as though they were playing for someone they truly loved, an audience of one. I have a lot of very bad experiences in life, abuse of every kind, untreated mental illness and the dysfunction and shame that goes with it. I believe I listed to what love really is in that moment. I can't say it any other way... Before I was very dysfunctional and the experience with art broke something I me that allowed me to heal.
I hope this helps with your book proposal!
Sincerely,
Martin Kuester
Meditation might be in many forms. Walking meditations, painting quietly and meditating, prayer.... These moments often provide a portal to ideas and thoughts that would otherwise be buried in the noise of the day. Meditation is one of the most powerful tools that we each possess and it's FREE!