Art for Sustained Change

From the old 60s to today, resistance to change has marked much of the important scene on how we operate with power and how we take care of ourselves, our body and minds as well as of our planet. Avandgardists rang always bells, yet in a world with many barriers to access and read useful books, they became unnoticed.

#book Many Many Beginnings, published June 6, 2020 demonstrated why we cannot ignore anymore the dangers of old habit; as a new way of reminding that human beings have alternatives, and we are not doomed.

Similar tones were leading libertarian thinking when Murray Bookchin initially published "Ecology and Revolutionary Thought" in the ecoanarchist journal New Directions in Libertarian Thought. Back then it was September 1964.

“Is there an alternative to plundering the earth and so our children?

Is there an alternative to making war?

Is there an alternative to destroying the planet?

Since then, busy with private agendas, no one seemed to ask these questions loud enough anymore because they seem absurd. Yet until today, no one can escape them either.

Some days ago some were plundering shops in the USA, a country that had made headlines privatizing the American Dream after WWII.

Today deforestation without replacement still happens in some parts of the world. It is really sad to witness that. Today scholars calculate that less than 10% of World population has a diploma. Against such inequalities, no adjective can really describe the feelings of a cultivated human with empathy. How difficult it really can be to look at the World from a new perspective that we are not used to – maybe since we were borne?

Critical Thinking

If you are part of a few who have a diploma and do good for society –thank you for your work in influencing minds for a better future. As there are only a few of you, I feel confident that any colorful contribution of you will be crucial to uplift others.

As we stand in solidarity against coronavirus, climate change, racism, oppression, violence, and socio-economic injustice, there is lots of work to do in all our communities. We intend to turn the lens on ourselves to become actively non-discriminating. Yet how to make anyone see that we are each responsible for the direction we take?

For those who do not like, have access to books, or who got books but have no time to read –Prof Agnis Stible, an expert on business and individual transformation, discussed recently on critical questions:

Will digital transformation save us?

He argues that instead of digital transformation, we need sustainable transformation. He highlights the necessity of a way of ensuring that new technology empowers people and organizations to succeed when pursuing new goals and responding to change.

What does he mean?

When thinking about change, managers typically think in terms of rewards (carrots) and punishment (sticks). This focuses the employee’s attention on external factors, rather than their attitudes and identity, which are just as important.

Yes, inspiration and motivation are very important. Yet one of the biggest hallmarks of critical thinking is the capacity for independent thought. It's easy to believe or agree without consideration.

Critical thinking in Kenya - The pear cactus – a devil or an angel?

The prickly pear cactus has taken over thousands of hectares of grazing land in arid parts of Kenya. For many, it is a devil’s work as it harms the herders and makes livestock decrease.

Now, herders, NGOs, and scientists are teaming up to fight back against the prickly menace, deadly to livestock as herders in Kenya turn an invasive cactus into biofuel.

They use a system that turns some heavy kilograms of cacti into biogas every two weeks. The gas is stored in tanks and used for cooking, while waste sludge can be used as fertilizer on kitchen gardens.

Hopes are alive to bring the scheme to households and schools in rural areas and training women's' groups to use it on a wider scale with the help of aid organization World Vision.

Happy herders mean economic growth, yet the question remains: Is economic growth alone sufficient for a sustained change?

Princess Alia Al-Senussi sought to answer this – by bringing the world closer together through her work, in which she illustrates how Art can be a catalyst for social change. In an interview to Artnet she explained how she saw the power of Art to change the lives of others.

Yet working with psychologists and with couple therapists, I have learned that beyond individual experiences (with art and literature) the dynamics of social change are largely influenced by the person next to us – especially the one we love in our couple relationship.

Critical thinking for Openness

Couple to society is open and transparent only when it has reached a level of understanding and respect of the rules its cultural production codex of the society and is well integrated into its functioning thanks to its developed consciousness about the freedom from guilt. The integration opens ways of exchange of influence where the couple and the society influence each other dynamically. The socialization of the couple enables the actualization of their free will. Like different poles of a battery, couples within each society influence each other when they interact according to their power of influence. This influence's intrinsic power is driven from the seamless alignment of their values with the truth.

Truth in turn is better internalized with cultivation and access to Art and Literature other positive and open experiences coming from other performances, opera, ballet, theatre, etc. Each experience enlarges couple consciousness about the external world around them, especially by the time when the couple's confrontational phase on different views yields to well digestion, into a consensus of meaning.

With a domino effect, new meaning triggers over time diffusion of positive happy couples over negatives, where negative couples are sent back to questioning and re-positioning their societal codex.

The resulting invitation and permanent query about the need to progress anchors as a helpful motor of the society to propel a healthier state of mind.

Yet how can couples progress in an inner-looking, not-discussing society that does not accept or welcome them? In many countries around the world, today being gay or trans is hard. Surely, dangerous all becomes when homophobia becomes a political tool. This tool is similar to other political tools that put pressure against a mind-controlling regime that does not allow any discussion on sexuality, religion, or race – even on education openly. So how can a couple be open and transparent to society, if society is closed to the couple?

The answer is not to find in the increased number cases of violence against women, or social unrest with many injured until it reaches a limit where politicians are overthrown – such as it happened just in Lebanon.

A few weeks ago protesters with a healthier state of mind tear down statues of slave traders as anti-racism demonstrations take place worldwide. Those were in parallel with anti-democracy demonstrations that took place in Hong Kong, famous not only for its financial hubs but also for its place in the art world.

Art has long provided an answer to that what is politically happening, also in Hong Kong.

Over the years, Art Basel Hong Kong has been appealing not only for the chance to see a wide range of works in many genres including paintings, photography, film and video, sculptures, and more but the fact that they come from a large and diverse cultural and geographical sphere. Its diversity sparks as a gem of an open society addressing questions, including how a couple can be open and transparent to society, if society is closed to the couple?

Today, as once again the pressure in Hong Kong shows, the answer is not to find in the increased number cases of violence against women, or social unrest with many injured until it reaches a limit where politicians are overthrown – the answer is to find how to make Art accessible.

Art is the platform that allows open discussions on all those issues as it allows any discussion on diverse topics such as sexuality, religion, or race – even on education openly.

For sustained change statesmen for education are responsible as much as ordinary citizens.

Art is not an impossible mission.

This article and #book Many Many Beginnings support those who cannot find answers to 'Why shall I care? What can I do alone?' especially when it comes to socio-economic, racial, environmental, and gender 'apartheid' and propaganda:

To change the world means to change the future. To change the future means to change our own children. To change our children means providing them quality education. This means quality education is a public good for our World.

In the future, in a new World by 2060, we will not have to read “economic definitions” of freshly coined post-modern terms such as:

Afro-Wirtschaftswunder (German: "African economic miracle") that describes the rapid reconstruction and development of the economies of Africa after World War III adopting an ordoliberalism-based social market economy. An expression referring to this phenomenon first used by The Times in 2050.

Because: Today is 2020, August 14.

So where do we go from here? Can we have new, fresh beginnings?

Like you also I believe: Yes we can and this is to be celebrated.

It can be that our mental awareness can mature towards a peaceful term Afro-Wirtschaftswunder – even though socio-economic, cultural, and economic values result in diverse opinions.

We may disagree with some content that we come across. But we are human beings. We can keep in mind that something that may be disagreeable to us may not violate our Guidelines. To maintain a welcoming and peaceful and green environment for all of us, our participation in the Community must always be respectful of others.

Art can teach us this message effectively. Art can help us share this peacefully.

Starting with a celebration with what we have as a positive value in our hands today, it is possible.

While art institutions across the world have developed virtual spaces to contend with the restrictions resulting from the coronavirus pandemic, the Virtual Online Museum of Art (VOMA) is scheduled to open on August 14, today.

VOMA, curated by London-based art dealer Lee Cavaliere, will feature masterpieces on loan from international institutions such as Musée d'Orsay, Whitney Museum of American Art, the Museum of Modern Art and the Art Institute of Chicago.

And today, visiting the World’s first Virtual Museum we are once again elegantly invited to search to find a new way at looking at our world and yet another reason to celebrate – because when art becomes accessible – peace becomes accessible.