by carla griffin » Sat Mar 21, 2009 10:08 am
Some may say, "No big deal, so what's a few less plays? It is, after all, only entertainment." But it is a big deal and it's an especially big deal now that the nation's economic times are what they are. The need for the arts in our community- ANY community- may not be as obvious as the need for health care, fire/police protection, education, affordable housing, (all very real and essential) but it is every bit as important. The arts help keep us emotionally healthy so that we stand a chance of getting through this too damaged. During the previous great depression, movie theater attendance skyrocketed. People scrapped pennies together to see a film so that , even if just for an hour or so, they could escape the dire situation they were experiencing. They took an emotional 'breather' if you will.
As far back as Shakespeare the poorest wanted/needed some sort of entertainment if only to remind them of what could be for them. The arts in all its many forms are essential to our emotional health and well being. It helps us keep our hopes alive and offers , if for only a bit, a respite from a difficult situation. If this depression is to be beaten, we need to be reminded that we CAN beat it. Before leaving Berea, my daughter taught dramatic arts to grade school kids. Most all of them were impoverished, very poor. Discipline problems were rampant... except for the days just prior to and after her classes. Acting was an outlet for these children who otherwise had little or no control over their lives. I guess what I'm saying is that we currently live in times when many adults feel the same way. I'm not saying the arts are the solution, but the arts will certainly play a part in helping the nation get through this mess. Now more than ever the arts need our support. Not for the arts... for ourselves.
Time for me to step down from my soap box.
Carla
There is one thing more exasperating than a wife who can cook and won't, and that's a wife who can't cook and will. ~Robert Frost