Let Art Reign

in almost all cultures, except our current western one, art used to be a matter of utmost importance. imagine being a conductor of the king's ceremoy, or a religious one. doing your job badly might make you lose your head; or it might threaten the political and religious structure of the nation. compare this to the rather mild dangers our techno bedroom producers face, and their (seemingly) lack of power.
but art was not seen only as important and having amongst the highest power in society and elsewhere, it was also omnipresent. remember the saying: we need a society in which the artist is not a special type of person, but every person a special type of artist. this could be amended with: we need a world where doing art is not a special form of activity, but every activity is a special form of art. in the past and in other societies it is like that. it's no wonder we speak of the "art of cooking" or art of architecture, or artisans; in the past activities that are now considered to be quite general, "everyday" activities were considered to be an art unto themselves; only true masters - masters of their art - were considered to be genius cooks, builders, carpenters, and so on. this is most clearly seen at how artfully everyday items such as knifes, chairs, cups were designed in other or ancient cultures, compared to our industrial mass production of these things.
art is simply amongst the highest things possible. it is above politics, economics, cultures. it shapes society and the world and each persons life. it is the framework for all these things. it's again not accidentally that culture has a double meaning - one for created art in general, and one for the very totality of the social and political structure (as in such wordings as 'western culture', 'eastern culture').
this is most clearly seen in the effect art still has upon the world. rock'n'roll shaped society much deeper than any president, political party or political movement. the soviets realized in western pop lied more danger to their political structure then in most foreign spies, military men or hostile ministers.
yet contemporary culture is split about this issue. while the power of art is felt, it is publicly denied. when a politican would issue a call, that a famous rockstar is to become a member of the parliament with a high salary, everyone would laugh. it's just an artist after all! nothing too serious. yet a rockstar has a much direct and stronger influence on society than any politician; if he would issue a call to a social issue, like to donate money, support a political goal, or even take the fighting to the streets, masses of people would follow; while such a call from a political person would in most cases have almost zero effect these days.
it is what has broken so many artists by now; that on one side people realized that there art is the most important thing in the universe; yet at the same time it is seen as being "just art", "just music", nothing that matters too much in the end. the famous artist is pulled back and forth between these two viewpoints - a dilemma.
of course, even now, upcoming and starting artists, still have enough mind and wits, to realize that art is important, that art is amongst the most important things; much more important that other social or cultural or political issue. yet, the ignorance of the masses in this matter, is a force pulling them down again.
art is part of what i call the "higher layer"; the part of thought and reflection and pondering, that is already above mere societal theories and political structures; the root and base of worldviews, theories, philosophies, thinkers and insightful people.
so, the power of art still remains; the only thing missing is the conscious recognition of this power. but this can be regained. artists need to realize that they indeed play a high game, an important game, the highest game; that their work is more important than that of most people, especially than such people such as bankers, politicians, etc.
artist need to recognise that they have the power to change the world, and the power to change people's lifes - to the better.
let art reign.