What is the one defining attribute that archeologists ascribe to the very first few humans, to differentiate them from their Neanderthal predecessors? It is art! They wore jewellery and painted on cave walls. As Solzhenitsyn also pointed out in his Nobel speech (see my previous blog) there has never been a time in the history of the human race when we did not make art. What is this fundamental need? What is this elusive concept that has survived so doggedly, while being relevant to every stage of our development, in every part of the world? Why is it such a crucial part of our existence?
And it begs the question: is it still as valued in contemporary Western society as it has been throughout history? I think not. And if it is not, could this be one of the reasons why our culture has gone adrift, why we abuse the earth and each other? Unlike earlier societies, we now find our identity and reassurance in feeding our individual pride with mass consumption, rather than nurturing our humility. We are insecure and undernourished which only leads to greater craving and consumption, resulting in more environmental destruction and human exploitation. How can we turn this around?
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