It is said, rightly so, that art furthers our understanding of the human experience. It’s also true, I believe, that art in all its forms asks us to question everything – to think more carefully and deeply about our own as well as the collective experience.
As helpers, we should avail ourselves of art on a regular basis – music, theater, the fine arts, poetry, literature, movies of substance, sculptures, the spoken word – in order to continue to develop a deeper, richer, more nuanced and fuller recognition of humanity, the world as it is, the world as it could be, the possibilities that abound. In this way, I think, we develop a more meaningful connection with other people, and a greater awareness, perhaps, of what hurting people of all kinds may need most.
It is notable that every culture in the world has a few things in common: music, dance, humor, language, and art. This says to me that art is a fundamental expression, an important way to cope and keep hope, the never-ending tendency for humans to both explore and understand their world. It is healing: research has long named artistic expression and exposure as an evidence-based means of healing from trauma, extreme stress, depression and anxiety, even physical pain and discomfort. In fact, science has discovered that the experience of ‘awe’ – those things that are beautiful and inspirational – reduces our level of cytokines, chemicals in our body that create protective inflammation, but if occurring too long at too-high levels, actually creates illness. In fact, according to Dacher Keltner, the founding director of the Greater Good Science Center and a professor of psychology at the University of California, Berkeley, instructs that there are important evolutionary reasons for experiencing awe: it’s good for our minds, bodies, and social connections.
Art is a major provenance of experiencing a sense of awe – and thus is, literally, healing. It is also an important source of a deeper understanding of things, events, and people. It enriches us, it develops us, and – I don’t think this is stating things too strongly – it makes us more humane.
Challenge yourself to avail yourself of art in the next week. Consider regular ‘art outings’ as a part of your own growth, perhaps your own healing, and even of developing a finer sense of how we can be an even more empathic and kindly and sensitive person and helper to others. And by the way, a baby’s face and a gorgeous sunset and nature itself are forms of art and awe in their own right – so that’s good news, because it is everywhere.
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