Somebody out there needs to hear this. I’m not an artist nor an entertainer so this is for the one who is.
The purpose of arts and entertainment is to lift the burdens of people. It’s to help humanity forget for a bit the heaviness of life and to enjoy. Whether that’s a work of art, a sports game, a movie, or more.
When arts, sports and entertainment stops what they do to become heavily political or to choose political sides, they cease to fulfill that purpose. Sure, it’s ok when a songwriter writes on occasion about the things of their day. But when something like late night comedy becomes political and one-sided, it ceases to be the humor that lifts us.
It’s not to say there isn’t a place for dealing with heavy issues, politics, etc…, as long as that is the main thing one does. I know of a few political satirists and their political and current events comedy is what they do. I know of books that changed peoples thinking and have changed history. I now of a poet that helped take down slavery in England along with William Wilberforce. This is fine as it is centrally and at its core political in nature. It is understood that is what it is about. It’s an art unto itself.
But in recent years so much of what lifts us has become heavy, laced with political views and comes about taking sides on issues. What once was life-giving has tried to drift to another ship and become something different than what it set out to be. Awards ceremonies are not about receiving awards anymore as they are about getting a person’s opinion out while they have the stage.
What I’m trying to say is that there’s deep purpose in arts, sports and entertainment that help lift and inspire people. This helps us get through the hard times and helps us have a reprieve from the heaviness. We need you back again. The ones who remember why they do what they do.
There’s a time and place for everything. We should speak. We should act. We should say what we need to say. In the right place. At the right time. For the right reasons.
If you are an artist, athlete or entertainer, remember your great mission. People need you. The world needs you. I need you.
So grab your pen and tell us a story that entertains and yet causes us to think. Do a surprise play on the football field that dazzles the masses and burns up the internet. Grab your pen and paint and let us see a piece of art that causes us to be amazed. Write a song that captures the world.
Help us.
We need you.