Thursday, June 28, 2018
Human ities
Human ities
Recently I was asked to give a presentation to the UVU humanities department. I chose as my topic the concept that the humanities make us human. I began with having the students finish the sentence "The reason Im going to college is to _______." Predictably, the response was "...to get a job." The rest of my seminar was spent debunking this myth. I presented my "Food, Fur, and Cave Theory" which simply put means that if we spend all our waking hours just trying to find food, clothe ourselves, and find shelter (in other words - just get a job and work) then were no different than animals lower on the food chain. However - what makes us human are artistic endeavors.
The cause of our current state of affairs has been uncreative leadership. Wars are fought over power, money, etc.- base animalistic things. We need creative solutions that emphasize altruistic and loftier ideals - those that are found in poetry, music, dance, acting, etc.
The following are quotes I used in the presentation:
ACTING:
Life beats down and crushes the soul and art reminds you that you have one.
Stella Adler
DANCE:
Everything in the universe has rhythm. Everything dances.
Maya Angelou
MUSIC:
Music washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life.
Berthold (Red) Auerbach
ARCHITECTURE:
Architecture is inhabited sculpture.
Constantin Brancusi
POETRY:
Let a man be stimulated by poetry, established by the rules of propriety, and perfected by music.
Confucius
