II  International  Dreams  in  Action  Unconference:  

                           “Living  in  the  Era  of  Art”  

“HUMANITY AND THE ERA OF ART”

Keynote Address by

Rosana Agudo

  2  

THE BUTTERFLY AS A SYMBOL OF THE II UNCONFERENCE “Scientific investigations have shown that the Butterfly is the only living creature capable of changing its genetic structure completely during its process of transformation: The DNA of the caterpillar that enters the cocoon is

different from the Butterfly that emerges from it. Thus, it is the symbol of total transformation. The Butterfly represents the need for change and increasing liberty as well as courage: we need courage to carry out the changes required by our growth process. According to ancestral tradition, its medicine is related to air and the power of the mind. It shows us how to find clarity in our mental processes, for organizing projects or discovering the next step in our inner growth, such that:

The egg is the beginning, the birth of an idea or project, The larva is the decision to manifest something in the physical world, The cocoon represents the need to “go inside”, be it for inner reflection or for the development of a

project. And the breaking open of the cocoon signifies sharing with the world the splendor of the new creation.”

  3  

It is said of the era we are entering now: “THIS ISN’T AN ERA OF CHANGE, BUT THE CHANGE OF AN ERA”

But who changes from one era to the next? How is this done? Who or what changes the era? How will we notice it? Why do we say this? What does it mean?

HUMANITY AND THE ERA OF ART

What is humanity? Humanity is a term that refers exclusively to the human sphere, that is, to people. When we refer to humanity in holistic terms, we are only talking about what concerns us, about what concerns the human species. We tend to forget the existence of other worlds and other creatures that share the planet with us, and that are evolving along with us. On this blessed planet matter evolves, life evolves, the mind evolves and the spirit evolves. But now let us talk about Humanity. We, humans, men and women, are creatures who are evolving by way of the kind of mind that we call “rational”. We are capable of thinking, and have developed a unique way of communicating, called language, and beyond that, writing. We are also capable of locating ourselves in time and space; we have developed a system called “history” that lets us place our eternal wanderings in a structure that allows us to situate ourselves and use our organism in a healthy fashion. In this respect, Ramesh Balsekar  tells us: “We need space so that things can unfold. And we need time so that we can perceive, recognize and measure, in terms of duration, the existence of each object and each occurrence”.

  4  

For a very long time now, especially since the era of industrialization, we have been functioning more and more intensely with the dyad TIME = MONEY. But for the “next octave”, so to speak, that we are now approaching

and that is so much more subtle to us human beings, the dyad is: TIME = ART. And now is the moment to understand Art in a new, surprising way and to live it intensely, not by putting our energy into fighting the status quo - that would only retain it and waste it - but rather, by supporting with all our means that which elevates it. In his novel “Momo”, Michael Ende tells us: “The more time you have inside you, the older you get.” Each one of us has the opportunity to decide whether to use the time we accumulate to grow old, or to convert it into art. And this art is not only within the person who creates it or executes it but also in the eyes that contemplate it. To awaken “the eye for beauty” is to convert time into art. Humanity advances; it evolves as a Totality Humanity is a being of interdependent cells. These cells need each other in order to configure the Totality they belong to and to show and to unfold themselves in infinite diversity. At the same time, these cells are inter-INdependent because each one represents, and at the same time, is the Totality to which it belongs. At increasing levels of consciousness these person-cells are becoming more and more aware of themselves and of their surroundings.

Time%%=%%Money%

Time%=%Art%

  5  

The Hindu philosopher, Sri Aurobindo, tells us, “There are three kinds of humans evolving simultaneously on the planet: the human animal, the human, and the human being.” These three types coexist within each one of us. We evolve from one to the other as we grow in consciousness and, of course, in our aspiration for beauty. To become conscious of ourselves means we realize that we belong to a Totality that embraces us, that exceeds us and that each cell, each one of us, each person, in our heart of hearts, aspires to find and towards which we are nudged along by a fundamental law of evolution: To know we are part of something greater and more all encompassing and to aspire to become one with That. Sri Aurobindo also tells us: “He or she who aspires to the Infinite, has been chosen by the Infinite.” Each one of us is, and at the same time forms part of Humanity. Humanity, in this moment of universal history, is experiencing, in its natural evolutionary process, a phase of maturity towards increasing sensibility and refinement. As does all creation, humanity aspires towards perfection for good and for evil. All humanity aspires towards Beauty, towards Harmony and towards Equilibrium. And as a consequence, all contraries manifest themselves. Some person-cells feel the impulse and the call of Humanity in various ways and at different levels as a personal aspiration and force. We participate in evolution in diverse fashions and in a myriad of social spheres and in the creation of the surroundings needed by this more refined and subtle creature, that we are and of which we form part. The decisive step forward for Humanity will take place when a critical mass of person-cells acquires this self-awareness and begins to participate voluntarily in the evolutionary process, following the impulse that, at the same time, along the way and by taking action, will make us more and more subtle and increasingly awakened to beauty.

  6  

"When&she&transformed&into&a&bu2erfly,&the&caterpillars&spoke&not&of&her&beauty,&but&of&her&weirdness.&&&They&wanted&her&to&change&back&into&what&she&always&had&been.&!&!But&she&had&wings."&&&Dean&Jackson!

“The value of education is not the learning of many facts but the training of the mind to think.” Albert Einstein (Remember that our species evolves through the mind.) One of the tasks at hand for education, and not just formal education, is to awaken the eye for beauty. Parents, adults, who are awakened to beauty, transmit the ability to comprehend, observe and enjoy beauty in all its forms to their children. To learn to learn, to comprehend life and the beauty of the “cosmic plan”, the interaction and fraternity among all life on the planet and with Mother Earth herself, nurturer of our experience and our evolution within her… This, the best legacy we can leave to future generations, will lead evolutionarily to an accelerated improvement of the species. It will lead to the destiny promised to humanity. The Objective of the Era of Art is to create beauty and harmony, and in the process, generate economy. When Art is seen only as a business, as is now the case in our society, it loses its transformative capability, its power to touch the soul of society.

  7  

We observe that because art has the capacity to touch the soul and generate transformation, the economic and financial system with its alienating values that rules society, in an effort to maintain its supremacy at any cost, undermines artistic expression, banishing art, culture, to an underworld where it is reduced to a superfluous hobby, a past time. Artists, for their part, people who care greatly about their work, who cultivate their passion, are made to be seen as rare specimens touched by a special grace that is inaccessible to the rest of us - that is, if they are not labeled as lazy, useless and a burden to society. In spite of all this, if we resist fighting against the system, we can use our energy to support, with all our strength and capabilities, that which elevates the soul of society, that which permits creativity. We can learn to be amazed by the new, to generate new projects in other directions, with other objectives, for which money is a tool, a means and a consequence of a job well done. The Era of Art, will bring wealth and prosperity to the world but no longer will money be made at Art’s expense. In the Era of Art, necessities will no longer be generated as the consumer society has been doing for so long. Instead, we will satisfy insufficiencies. Our attention will be directed at generating a healthier and more intelligent society, rather than one that becomes more and more needy, in the most ample sense of the word. Physical and emotional pain are inherent in the process of self-regeneration of our human condition but poverty, extreme need, and senseless violence are the consequence of the perversion of some of Humanity’s person-cells and these are destined to be cured or will become extinct in a natural fashion when the evolved person-cells take action once having achieved their critical mass. To live in the Era of Art is, therefore, the experience of learning to create wealth through all the manifestations of action. In this era, wealth is conceived to be a consequence of the aspiration towards harmony and beauty and will generate an economy that, in turn, promotes the genuine expression of each capability for the satisfaction of each of society’s needs. And this is Art.

  8  

Returning to the questions posed above: for us the era will change when a certain number of human beings have made a quantum leap in consciousness. We change the era in our aspiration to become one with that which embraces us, with that we form a part of and at the same time are. We change the era when we comprehend the power of the paradox that confronts the opposites, that generates pain and paralyzes the evolution of action. We change the era when we decisively support those aims we believe to be the highest and that will generate the most wealth in realms impoverished by lack of diversity. Finally, because the aspiration precedes the thought, the thought precedes the idea and the idea precedes the word, the Era of Art is manifesting and this II Unconference is its expression in this physical space with all of you here present and contributing your active and voluntary participation. Infinite thanks to all of you, Artlivingmakers, pioneers and promotors of the Era of Art.

THE ERA OF ART AND PERFECTION IN SERVICE

Rosana Agudo rosanaagudo@visiontoactionschool.com http://www.facebook.com/rosana.agudo