To paraphrase one of my jazz heroes Sun Ra “We’ve tried everything possible and nothing worked. Now it's time to try the impossible.”
And certified genius Albert Einstein said in 1950, "A human being is a part of the whole called by us universe, a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feeling as something separated from the rest, a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest to us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty.”
And the following quote was ascribed to Albert as well, though we’re not sure if he really said it. But maybe it doesn’t take a genius to see that “It has become appallingly obvious that our technology has exceeded our humanity.”
Well, I believe we can catch up. I believe that we all contain the genius needed to inject the humanity back into technology, not relying on technology to save us, but to express our creativity along with all the other art forms. The only thing that can save us now is our humanity with or without technology.
Yes, we gotta stop the bleeding with the use of human rights measures. But ultimately we gotta find our way back to the root of who we are as animals on this planet and rediscover our interconnectedness.
Our brains were designed to categorize. We’ve historically created clans to create safety. But now technology has created the global clan. And at the same time, technology has helped to solidify the spell of the us and them. Who’s gonna break that spell?
We will. And art will guide us. When I play music with someone their humanity shines through any prejudices I might have. Even if they have an AR-15 strapped on their shoulder I can see their goodness that's been shrouded in fear exacerbated by a system of power that manipulates our scared simple minds into seeing simple black and white fake answers. It happens to all of us regardless of the lens we were raised with. This is why I am so drawn to community art.
Someone told me my dream of global compassion was naive. I think it’s naive to think we can continue on this same path. And to see the new path we need to see through the optical delusion.
And to do that we need each of our geniuses that fit together like a puzzle.
Let me tell you how genius rescued me.
When I was a teenager, I knew that I had been sexually abused but I didn’t know how that was linked to my belief that I was broken because my brokenness felt innate and inseparable from my being. I didn't think linearly. Then I discovered drawing. My first drawings were complex mazes. I was kinda obsessed with these mazes. They would fill an entire page and I made reams of them.
And I just now made a connection that the maze was a metaphor for how I felt. It’s like these mazes were attempts to find my way out of my prison. Noses started to grow out of these mazes and then wild surrealistic drawings, most of which I still have to this day. They continue to teach me as they did then.
I showed them to people. The genius inside of me that didn't have words was like, “The feelings inside are so indescribable, even unknowable, but I want you to see that I’m here inside. My survival depends on it. I don’t know it but I want to be close to you. I’m too afraid to see you now, but if you see just a piece of my genius, maybe someday I will see yours.”
And now, that day has arrived. I want to see your genius more than I ever imagined. I want to see how your genius fits with mine like pieces in a puzzle.
I use the words art and genius interchangeably. You know how words are. They’re shapeshifters. I mean poetry uses words to say things beyond words.
The trouble with the word art is that it often finds itself after the word commercial which cancels it out. I want to make a distinction between Every Body Art and the art you find in galleries and the rockstars called artists. Every body is full of art and genius and when we share it it takes on pandemic proportions.
Every Body Art/Genius, like Every Body Music pulls us to places we couldn’t have imagined. If we think we are poles apart in our beliefs, there is no straight line that connects us. Genius/Art doesn’t follow straight lines. It goes through walls. Even border walls. It takes quantum leaps outside our belief systems. The discovery of quantum mechanics was itself a quantum Leap outside the scientific understanding of the time and thus is a genius/art form.
I’ve had massages that transported me to other dimensions. I’ve been in movement classes where I felt connections with people I never thought possible. The connective Arts/Geniuses are endless and they can find a home in any human activity. Here’re a few more. Yoga, theatre, dance, poetry, painting, tai chi, filmmaking, cooking, gardening, story telling…
Any kind of human connection is a miracle. Genius/Art needs attention. It needs a safe palace to thrive. Creating safety is a group effort. I want to create a safe space for anyone no matter their sexual or gender orientation, their color, culture, ethnicity, political or spiritual beliefs.
One thing that art does for me is it makes me feel less alone. I feel accompanied on my mysterious journey. It feels good to know that someone else experiences the indescribable sadness and joy of living on this earth.
What if the divisions in our world that everyone is talking about don't compare to the divisions we all have collectively from nature and our true selves. What if we’re all lost in the forest together. Maybe if we all start singing the forest will find us.
I’m putting together a team to explore these ideas further with a goal of creating a global presence, a Prescott presence or maybe even satellite presences all over the world. Email me at jb@everybodymusic.rocks or leave a comment on the chat.
Comments