THE ARTS AND WAR

Why it takes more Courage to be a Creative than it does to Join the Military in the
21st Century.

It's not uncommon for people to think of artistic types as softies. These poets, dancers, novelists,
painters, sculptors, instrumentalists, dramatic performers, singers, cultivators and creators in
general in all their varying nuances of sensuality and sensibility, can certainly not be ready to handle
the immensity of our worlds challenges. They feel too much and therefore seldom think clearly
enough to step out of the fantastic worlds they have created in their heads to face the harsh reality
and the ominous obligations of day-to-day living. In this line of thinking art can be seen as nothing
more than a drug, a stimulant or sedative depending on the consumers need at the time. Once
consumed, it's effect is soaked up and immediately discarded, an aberration in reality after which
one has no other option than to put back on their camouflage await further orders.

It is because of this that society tolerates art but it can never elevate beyond anything more than a
hobby unless:
(a) it's used to communicate biased ideas for the private profits of a highly strategic minority, or
(b) can be mass produced and marketed to a population of unquestioning automatons who consume
whatever best helps them to re-enforce the self imposed comfort zone(s) they have mistaken for
real life.

In a world where the force of group think is so strong that to be original and unique is to attract
ostracism, risk embarrassment or criticism those who confidently express a creative intellectual
impulses that seizes them from within, without loosing their integrity are the epitome of
courageousness.

In the military world today, things are pretty intense. They are the most technologically advanced
group of people in the world. Their most intelligent have created the Internet, their most brutish
have mercilessly plundered many a village, orchestrating mass killings in their unbridled display of
mechanical fire power. This is celebrated as bravery, departing one's own land to go pillage
another's. Those who have trained daily for battle are called strong and looked upon as the
exemplar peak of human physical conditioning and fitness.
Those who survive these ordeals are looked upon as heroes, even though they invariably suffer
psychological breakdown. Yet every faculty of human education and learning is now contributing to
the growth and development of the military complex. Weapons factory's supply both sides while
banks make a killing from funding both sides and as long as this has a positive impact on the
economy it is considered clean and legitimate business.
The soldier (unlike the artist) however, is always under the care of the taxpayer. The soldier is fed
and clothed and given shelter and educated for as long as it is willing to give up it's own originality,
it's capacity to spontaneously think for itself and it's own conscience. For people to have to risk their
own lives and the lives of others for no other motivation than to 'make a living' clearly shows to
anyone with eyes to see that there is an inherent sickness or imbalance in the structure of our global
society.Those people who voluntarily sign up for such duty are the epitome of cowardice and those
who take pride in this form of violent patriotism are the ultimate example of ignorance.
Why is preparing to wage war the primary focus of annual budgets in countries that have professed
to be active agents in the promotion of peace between all nations?
Why is creativity (not just art) the least funded human activity even though it is that through which
we all come to recognize our similarity AND are simultaneously encouraged to explore our infinite
potential and uniqueness without harming others?

What are armies anyway? All primitive cultures had them and they were primarily for the protection,
dispossession or repossession of assets from other tribes. We haven't outgrown the primitive tribe
mentality, we've just given it bigger toys to play with.

If so much effort was placed into developing creative activity as it is now with training soldiers and
developing super killing technologies then the world would change so drastically in one generation
that the earth might have to stop spinning just to vibe with the revolution.

Artists would know how to feed themselves when they are far from home or in unfamiliar territory.
Artist would know how to continuously develop themselves to maintain peak physical and mental
performance. Artists would be rigorously trained in overcoming limiting beliefs. All artists would
have access to free education and training. Artists would be subjected to simulated stressful
situations to test whether they would still be able to act with integrity even under the harshest
conditions a human could bear. Every faculty of human thinking would be at service to the artists
whose visions emphasize shared community objectives instead of individual glory. The artist would
be trained to wield her/his weapon with confidence and skill and would always be prepared to
perform wherever in the world their message is needed most. The artist would be seen as a hero,
who has battled with the dark demons within themselves and emerged stronger and more gracious
every time. Information would pass between cultures more freely because we would encourage
expressing different views instead of suppressing or controlling the peoples access to knowledge.
The artist who keeps at their artwork daily would be respected as the example of an applauseworthy use of mental energy.

It takes a lot of courage to be a true artist because the benefits accumulate in the unseen. As most
people are myopically fixated on material objectives they basically just overlook the pleasures of
continuously refining the intellect. The sense of empowerment that comes from embracing the fact
of being infinitely creative is forever lost to them. Unfortunately this is what would make the
attainment of their goals either less stressful to strive for or even just simply irrelevant.
By the way, this short piece is about art - the same thing can not be said of entertainment. Know the
difference.
Kai.