The Commercialization of Art

I, who have been an avid admirer of the arts and the freedom that the work and the term represents have had a reawakening after studying the history of artistic works. All the greatest artists that are revered in the Western World, were excellent at their trade, however they too were promoted heavily, marketed, and commissioned by the powerful families and the Catholic Church (no less) to create works that are admired by millions. Also, the fact that religious drawings, that touch people's hearts due to their faith, will always recieve an emotional response from the viewer regardless of the exceptional talent of the painter. Not to say that these artists did not have skill. They did, but so did thousands of others. If one is to view Eastern art, where the artist's name has not been promoted or discussed or even recorded, then one can easily say that they are on par with the European arts. However, it is rare to hear a famous eastern artist's name echoed again and again throughout musuems or in discussions about the arts.

A sad fact regarding the commercialization of arts is the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles using the famous names of artist's which ensures that an entire generation of children will grow up knowing who Raphael is.

Marketing, commercialization, replication through posters and images, as well as religious leanings have biased the perception of art in the world today. Is it possible that we can actually live in a world where people see and think for themselves? How many millions of dollars have been made by replicating the Mona Lisa or frescos from the Sistine Chapel. Angels, demons, Gods, Serpents, and other religious Catholic "images" are famous the world over. How long will it take before the other religions with "graven images" (not associated with the Church) get an understanding of the fabulous amount of money to be made and decide to promote their "artists" on a mass scale. For shame..... You can NOT buy and sell God.

Philosophy Cube by S.H.A. is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License

Atheism

Atheism as opposed to Theism, asserts that there is no deity or divine essence within the Universe. My question is why such certainty in the non-existance of a Divine Being? I understand the millions of people who have "faith" in a certain belief system, largely to the fact that they were raised as children in a certain belief system. Religion holds value in the sense that it, in most cases, purports excellent values, provides a unity among it's followers, and serves as a gathering point/social community for it's believers. However, religion itself, it must be made clear has many less positive sides, especially the use of violence towards those who do not practice the same faith. In many cases, the religions themselves do not view violence in a positive light, however the followers of a certain faith may not be 100% religious (ironically enough).

Religion, is practiced by billions of human beings, and though not everyone can be right, it is rare to find people actually seeking truth. For there is only truth or untruth in the universe regarding the divine. One can not tell truth and lie at the same time..... As most religions in the world claim to be the correct one, it can only be said that the majority of the people in the world, must be "incorrect" in placing blind faith in the religion of their fathers. That is why education, knowledge, and extreme caution should be exercised when seeking truth. I have met a large number of people whom are happy to be born into and practice a certain faith throughout their lives, without really paying any attention at all to what they are worshipping or doing.

Hence, all the violence in the world, due to religion. If people actually cared for their belief system, and truly believed in it, they would not break the codes so nonchalantly and claim divine guidance when they do so.

Saying that, atheists, without proof claim there is no divine. To deny the existence of something, due to lack of evidence does not make sense, when the denial itself has no evidence. Would it not be more accurate to state, this is a grey area, and unknown? However, atheists too are subject to human feelings, and must have an idea of what will happen in the after life. Atheists do not believe in an afterlife yet somehow they must have knowledge that "nothing" happens after death except non-existence.

I believe Atheists are subject to what all other human beings are victim of which is the fear of the unknown. To die and not have a belief about what will happen must be a scary prospect. So the atheist has faith that when he dies nothing will happen and he will become non-existent. That is fair enough, however a belief just the same, as there is no proof of this concept.

Perception of our World with Limited Senses

Philosophy Cube by S.H.A. is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License

Being confined to the five senses is so limited, how can one perceive this world with only five senses. The fact of the matter is that there is so much in existence that our senses are not capable of defining. We know for a fact that energy exists, it is all around us yet we are not aware of the energy patterns in our world. Also, we have technology to detect heat, yet our bodies can not do the same function.

There could be so much going on around us, that we really have no idea what is happening in the vicinity near us. Imagine our perception if we were to add an additional 95 senses to the five that we already have. Our world would be a completely different place. Just as the world of a blind person is experienced differently from a person with sight. Take this difference, and multiply it by hundreds, possibly thousands, perhaps more and that is the minute fragment of our personal experience compared to the reality of the Earth/Life. It is definately humbling that our minor perception of reality, leads to science and other skills, and yet there is so much more out there. It is so true, that the more I learn, the more I realize that I do not know.

What is the true nature of the world we live in, I do not think we as humans will ever be in a position to define. For now, it will have to suffice that our perception of this world is a small fragment of what the world truly is. Humbling indeed.....