Art and Humanities: 20th Century and Beyond - Essay Example

Art and Humanities: 20th Century and Beyond Dear Friend, I would like to share with you some experiences from one’s current life here in the year 2013. First of all, I know that you might find some endeavors and daily routine strange; given that I would expect life 100 years from now to be more exciting, extremely advanced, and highly scientifically technical. Currently, being a mother of two very young children, both girls, is both challenging and rewarding. My husband and I are both working and also attending higher education. Therefore, a daily experience would involve waking at about 6 in the morning to prepare breakfast for the family; prior to going to our respective routines: children go to school, while my husband and I go to our respective places of work. Attending higher education means opting to pursue distance learning where class modules are taken online through the electronic medium. Otherwise, some students are able to attend night classes or classes during week-ends, if their schedules could permit. We actually spend week-ends with the children. Sometimes we go out to attend movies, eat outside in restaurants or fast food chains which are usually found in shopping malls. Likewise, most of our spare times are spent navigating through social networking sites to be immersed and updated on the various current events being held within the locality or attended by other family members, relatives, and friends. One’s perspective of the modern era is that it actually is significantly influenced by technological advancements and innovative discoveries affecting our contemporary lives. My dream is to graduate with a degree in and to be promoted in my current work setting to be able to aptly provide and support the holistic needs of our children. Life in contemporary times still value love within the family and focusing endeavors to support our loved ones. I hope I have shared something worthwhile for you to learn from 100 years from now. Best regards, Item 2: Morality/Decision Making In current culture, an example of morality and decision making encompasses various facets ranging from the arts, philosophy, religion, work, and self-interest, among others (Janaro & Altshuler, 2012). For instance in terms of the morality and the arts, although art could be deemed a means of personal expression of the artist, some controversial works and decisions that had to be made involves balancing what is right and wrong in terms of respecting the rights of people who could be offended when viewing subjects that do not conform to their personal, religions, or cultural beliefs. For example, promoting interpretations of Jesus Christ in blasphemous manners in predominantly Catholic country could solicit ridicule from the practitioners of faith. Item 3: Happiness One’s definition of happiness is that it is an emotional state of being that is manifested by feeling of elation due to reasons that are subjective to the individual involved. For instance, as a mother with two young daughters, happiness does not mean more food, more clothes and other secular amenities for me. Better health is one of the important parameters of happiness; having a family and spending time together is another one. Outer happiness without the happiness within has no meaning. Inner happiness therefore is exemplified through feelings of peace of mind, satisfaction and symbiotic love and support from the people I love. Item 4: Literature A specific literary work that one found to be significant in terms of the lessons that the author had relayed. The Little Prince written by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry is actually a short novel about a certain narrator and a little prince from an asteroid. The lessons extends beyond boundaries of time and space and that one could only truly understand the real meaning and worth of what we have in life when we try to search within oneself. One of the most famous lines which summarized an important lesson was “One sees clearly only with the heart. What is essential is invisible to the eye” (de Sainte-Exupery, 1943, p. 13). Thus, this short novel is worth preserving because it embodied relevant values and lessons in contemporary culture that could still be useful 100 years from now. Item 5: Art and Architecture One strongly believes that one of the most famous works of art that should be preserved in The Last Supper painted by Leonardo da Vinci for the reason that it captured the interests and appeal of varied audiences for a considerable span of more than 7 centuries. As such, it was inspired by the life of Jesus Christ, depicted and identified to be the Son of God and lived within the midst of mankind. This item is worth preserving because in itself, there seems to be a mysterious story that future generations could learn from. As such, this selection communicates the life of Jesus Christ as an inspirational contributor to the salvation of mankind, as foretold in another relevant literary work spanning different centuries: through the Bible. Item 6: Music A specific song that is significant to me is the song entitled “You Raise Me Up” and sung by Josh Groban. It is significant in terms of the message: a loved one or special someone being instrumental in assisting the singer to be uplifted from the depths of loneliness experienced from challenges in life. Thus, the song is worth preserving for readers 100 years in the future so that they could appreciate the lesson that love brings through the support of other people. As such, the song communicates the thought that contemporary culture relishes and acknowledges that no man is an island and that we need other people to achieve various endeavors and goals in life. Item 7: Film The film that is significant to me is The King’s Speech, a historical drama, for the reason that it imparts the ability of man to rise despite physical disabilities through the assistance of others. This film is worth preserving for readers 100 years in the future due to the relevance of the historical information that was provided and how it relayed the message of genuine love, support, and determination to succeed. This film therefore communicates the importance of support of loved ones in overcoming challenges and difficulties in the culture today. Item 8: Pop Culture One specific item from pop culture that revolutionized contemporary culture is hip hop. This is therefore significant to me in terms of signifying another form of personal expression through dance. This item is worth preserving since one is convinced that future generations could still use this as a personal or group expression of their feelings and values in life. As such, the selection communicates essence of camaraderie, cultural values, form of entertainment, to name a few. Conclusion/Summary: Readers in the future would learn from the brief overviews of arts, literary works, music, film, and expressions of popular culture from current times. As revealed, most that have been classified as significant in one’s life embodied values of love, family, support, and acknowledgement that life is worth living when shared with loved ones. That happiness is a state of wellbeing that is most cherished when sourced not so much on material possessions; but more so, from finding fulfillment and satisfaction through the holistic support genuinely shared among loved ones. Likewise, that current culture values freedom of expression, equal rights, and access to resources which would assist in the conduct of daily endeavors. And finally, although there have been vast technological advancements that have remarkably made contemporary times more united in terms of enabling communications and access to information more accessible, people still value faith, conformity to religious beliefs and practices, and acknowledging that life is only worth living when lived unselfishly towards the betterment of others. Reference de Sainte-Exupery, A. (1943). The Little Prince. Reynal & Hitchcock (U.S.A.); Gallimard(France). Janaro, R., & Altshuler, T. (2012). In R. Janaro, & T. Altshuler, Art of Being Human, The: The Humanities as a Technique for Living, 10/E. Pearson Longman. Read More