¶ … Art of Being Human
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Why study Arts and Humanities? Benefits of the Arts and Humanities
I believe the study of humanities and arts is vital to offsetting usefulness and the more idealistic issues pertaining to quality of life (QOL). Hence, I wish to emphasize the "does-ness" as well as "is-ness" of this discipline, which actually represents a kind of Horatian appreciation and teaching doctrine. On the usefulness side (i.e., does-ness), I would emphasize the importance of acquiring critical and independent thinking skills, reading astutely and powerfully, talking eloquently, and writing accurately and logically. On the is-ness or QOL side, my emphasis would be on the fact that arts take one into the world of imagination conceived by diverse minds, allowing us to comprehend the way others lead their lives. A man is defined by the literature he reads, the performances he attends, and the places he visits. These elements are just as much a part of him, of his is-ness or memories, as his life experiences and cultures.
Besides the "pleasure for pleasure's sake" derived out of entering into the minds and worlds of fellow human beings through art, this activity provides one with a broader context to mull over how one must live as well as face and comprehend current and past personal problems (Schwarz, 2013).
Apollonian and Dionysian
While one can easily perceive Dionysian and Apollonian personalities as being different, I believe these are nothing but opposite sides of a coin, mainly due to the reason that, under most circumstances, one follows the other for the effective accomplishment of any given endeavor. Apollo signifies inspiration or thought. I'm a musician sitting idling at home and I'm struck with inspiration -- a melody that suddenly starts playing in my mind or the lyrics to a song that just begin flowing. This represents artistic idea. Meanwhile, Dionysus refers to the Greek God of ecstasy, signifying the 'feeling' component of humanity (Janaro & C, 2017). Therefore, as a musician, I utilize...
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