Art has the sad fate of being the antithesis of science, and therefore also of progress.
Art, more so than any other activity, brings about the most human aspects of our society. It is sacred by its own right. Art is not a necessity for survival, but isn’t that why it’s so special? Rather than ensuring our survival by means of nutrition or safety or territory, it does so through faith. It gives us the strength to carry one into the unknown and against the difficult. Art, it defines and enriches are life in untold and dynamic ways such that we surely cannot circumscribe its contribution to our daily lives. Some degrade and slough off artists as lazy, unmotivated, or otherwise cancerous upon society. Well, my response is always “have you ever slaved and toiled, dreamed and scarified, sweated and cried over a piece of yourself; a fragment of your soul?” I bet I know the answer.