"The Most Sacred Art"

[Xivii]

This is a conversation I had with a member of another forum. It began with someone else declaring that anime is the most sacred art. Of Coarse no one agreed with that. What I want you to focus on in the debate is not on what the original statement was but rather the discussion between me and the other member “Ghost Machine.” His position is that “war” is “the most sacred art,” I however disagree.

The argument went as follows:

War is. War is the extreme of true humanity. War is the natural state for us as animals. It is the natural chaotic state of being. It is strength and stamina. It is cowardice and heroism. You don't hear quotes about Anime, or art. But "I regret that I have but one life to give to my country" and "I die with a clear conscience, I die fighting... not a coward." or
"We shall go on to the end, we shall fight in France, we shall fight on the seas and oceans, we shall fight with growing confidence and growing strength in the air, we shall defend our Island, whatever the cost may be, we shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender, and even if, which I do not for a moment believe, this Island or a large part of it were subjugated and starving, then our Empire beyond the seas, armed and guarded by the British Fleet, would carry on the struggle, until, in God's good time, the New World, with all its power and might, steps forth to the rescue and the liberation of the old."
were inspired by war. These great word basically were born of war.
And while War is the art of death, it is also the most noble art.

I strongly disagree with you Ghost Machine. War is not art itself, however it is An art, based on an individuals viewpoint. Everything in this world can been seen as an art, it all depends on the viewpoint. War is conflict. War is violence. War is liberation. War is history. War is the struggle between everyday man and the troubles we face in this imperfect world. War is a natural re occurrence within mans time line, ever going a continuous cycle of Conflict, Pain, Violence, Liberation, and Reconciliation. However man is slowly evolving, and the mid portion of the the cycle will prospectively decline. When I say "Natural" I refer to human nature. For war is man made, and has become instinct only to him. Before man war was not. There are some who would disagree with this however, for there are some to believe that our very universe was created through war, by the great battles of the gods. A dubious theory however, for even if life sprang from chaos and destruction, it could not be considered war but creation.

Art is what ever one finds to be appealing and beautiful. So it varies from individual to individual. In truth there is not a single thing which cannot be considered art because there is bound to be someone to find beauty in it, no matter what it may be. The most "Sacred Art" will always be in question, for each is entitled to their opinion.

That being said, my personal belief is that the universe, nature in itself, is the most sacred art. It is highly defensible to be considered so. Life, Death, Joy, Happiness, Sorrow, Fear, Earth, Heaven, The sky, The moon, The plants, The ocean, Animals, Thought, Man, Woman, Child, and The mysterious . These are all apart of nature. Even war falls under the category of nature. Man’s nature. The universe is complex, and has baffled man since our very creation and still we understand so very little...Only bits at a time does it reveal to us its magnificent creations and the beauty it possesses.

Agreed, but you will excuse me when I say that, since to humans, all arts are impacted and shaped by war. Life, Death, Joy, Happiness, Sorrow, Fear, Earth, Heaven, The skies, The moon, The planets, The ocean, The animals, The insects, Man, Woman, Child, and Birth are all affected. I would go so far as to list extensively how, but I assume that we here are all competent enough to draw out how with a few moments of thought.

One must be expert in war, for the experts of war not only are practiced butchers and surgeons, but must be eloquent, and conscious of what they do for risk of doing as Hitler did, and becoming maestro of war in the worst of traditions.

You'll also excuse the flavor of my voice and how I seem to cherish war, but it is the single most important thing in history. Did not Leonidas's death in Thermopylae pass, and the concurrent Athenian naval victory under Themistocles, created western culture and is the single best known last stand in military history, exemplifying Heroism, Dedication, Honor, Valor, and Shear bloody mindedness.

It is true that war does impact these arts in some ways; however it is the same in vise versa. That makes war no more sacred than any other of these few examples of nature. I too will refrain from going into great detail on “how.” These are only a few parts of what we know as Nature. There is an infinite number of things we can place under the art of nature. Infinite in mystery, it shall forever be. One must be an expert in war, however one must be a god to understand but even the smallest forms of nature… Without war, life would continue to exist, but without the universe, life would conjointly become non-existent.

Now I would like to hear your positions on the subject.
As you respond, keep the following questions in mind:

Do you agree or disagree with GhostMachine’s view point?
Do you agree or disagree with my view point?
How do you define Art? What determines something as art? And
What do you believe to be “The most Sacred Art?”

 

[Ryan Ludovic]

I personally feel the most sacred art is our imagination, and ability to visualize that of what is not.

Some would go as far to argue that it is even intertwined with our reality process.

Of course war would effect art. Everything effects art, because art is a vehicle for expression, which is steered by ones visions, imagination, and emotions. Visions and emotions can be warped or otherwise effected by war.