Arts & International Affairs: Volume 2, Number 2 | Page 122

offers us this vantage point on Earth. It provides us microscopic views into
human relations, exposes structures of power, makes us realize the vastness
of nature and helps us realize the value and ephemerality of the human
existence.
The question before us today is whether arts will help us become more
empathetic? In such difficult times the arts is our sign of resilience. After
all, the art is the crystallization of human desire to communicate with each
other. The arts are not deemed a necessity for everyday life, so they have
the unique power to present multiple perspectives. While art can be used
for cultural aggression and sometimes far removed from reality, it is almost
impossible to silence the subversive potential of art. Our ability to listen
to the Other and caring for them is what sets us apart as a species. This
empathy for others beyond our immediate surroundings is our everyday
practice of humanity. Today the space for arts is shrinking at various levels
but we must remember without empathy it will be impossible for the arts to
survive; without the arts the humans would be no different from machines.
More importantly, our empathy towards fellow beings today determines the
multiple futures we imagine. Our precarious position at this moment of
history therefore is not a bleak descent to a dystopia, but rather a clarion
call to prove our humanity through empathy.
Reference
Sagan, Carl. (����) Pale Blue Dot: A Vision of the Human Future in Space. New
York: Ballantine Books.
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