Ephemera

Varieties of artistic experience dominate the cultural landscape from time to time.

Novels, films, music and fashion create interesting effects through their interactions. These are for the most part transitory, though for some they are difficult to abandon when they run their courses.

It is difficult to envision and create those things of lasting value. More difficult is to recognize the desire for them.  But such desire exists.

Hidden, Waiting

Inclusive language is ubiquitous, and insidiously manipulative.

While the implications for art and culture are obvious, they have not always been so, with the result that conformity of thought is now more rigidly enforced than in previous, less dangerous times.

The danger lies in loss of vision, followed by loss of freedom.

The Lake, The Sky, Disappear

When there is only darkness, or noise, perception declines.

But endless argument is pointless as well, and there are always those who will call day, night, and night, day.  So forward, from there, to evil ends, or beyond these to unknown tomorrow.

Nova Sound

The indiscriminate ear reflects the intellectual nature as well.

A simple bias toward things "random" is a key indicator of the mental laxity that will not put forth the effort to determine cause and effect or its impact on ideas and events.  Such minds cannot be troubled with "meaning", and are easily set in perpetual, escalating conflict with all who have the wherewithal necessary to acknowledge simple, objective perspectives.

Thus was established the environment of din and clamor that has plagued the past half-century and eviscerated its cultural arts.

Posed Little Time

Ideas are shaped and colored to purposes.

Some purposes are intentionally clear; others are crafted to be intentionally obscure.  What is necessary is to be cognizant of the ideas, rather than of their appearances only.

Mindful

The general Western perspective on living recognizes a central idea of continuing progress.

This is natural, given historical experience and the impetus to invent and to refine and improve existing technologies.  Even so, human progress, that is to say, the ways and means by which the human condition and state of being may be elevated, cannot be neglected without consequences.

And, again, it is often the artist who is first to recognize this fact, and to act upon it.

Stone

Access to knowledge is not culture.

A culture that countenances the belief that any view of the nature of reality is no different than any other is one step removed from barbarism, and may anticipate the immediate arrival of what will be known as a dark age.