Life is wonderful because of Art
Art is powerful and I have been dabbling in art unknowingly.
Music is an art.
Listening to music is what drives me to work smoothly as a dentist. I always play instrumental or classical music in my clinic’s background and it has become indispensable. Somehow, my fingers became defter as I work on the teeth and I do identify myself with the artist though dentistry is a science. My work is art when I realized it!
Patients usually drift off to sleep too, with their mouth still open of course!
Writing is an art. It is also a cathartic action. It allows me to dive deep into my past and elicit all the emotions related to significant events. Even mundane ones could provide lessons from which I learn how to become a better person. I am glad to have discovered writing as a hobby.
I became aware of how my words should flow so that they are congruent with my thoughts and best expressed in a way that benefits those who read them. Words have power!
Speaking is an art. Some people have a way with words. I am currently interested in the rhetorical devices employed by famous speakers. I am enthralled by their communication skills which are so fluid and arresting. Their speaking is not only congruent with their body language and facial expressions but the choice of words and phrases is highly compatible with the issue as well. If what is said is backed by evidence, the speech is a winning one.
Speaking can move others into positive action. It can inspire, persuade, and inform. It is integral for personal and career success when one can communicate effectively
Cooking is an art. I see that in my domestic helper. How she would prepare all the ingredients with great patience and skill. It is a display of art, looking at the various colors evoked by the presence of Chili, turmeric, onions, garlic, spring onions, carrots, et cetera. As she indulged in her daily chores, she had shown great patience and love for the art of Cooking.
Over the years, she has morphed into such a good cook, I called her my Michelin star chef. She has elevated cooking to an art level and it has made eating out a non-event. She even inspired me to create two e-books online.
Living is an art. A life that is well-lived and successful is one that I define as appreciating life, taking on the challenges of each day with a calm mind and a positive attitude. It is about presenting our best in everything that we do and exceeding our expectations. It is living in harmony with others and interacting with each other to enrich mutually. Life has so many interesting facets. You can find art and soul in all your activities.
You use a Glass Mirror to see your face; you use works of art to see your soul — George Bernard Shaw
I am very glad to discover art in the sciences. As a science student and an introvert, my world was a parochial one. I speak for myself in this aspect. The options were narrow because my exposure was limited. But as I opened up to experiencing life, so did my appreciation of living each day increases.
What has helped me? Just three activities benefit me immensely.
1 Travelling is one of the most important growth factors in my life. Having traveled to many countries, I have a better understanding of their life-styles, cultures, food, people, and philosophies. It makes me a more tolerant person. One learns about mutual respect and how each culture has its strengths that we can adopt.
For example, in Japan which is my top destination, I discovered why they have hardly any litter bins and yet the streets are spotless. From young, they were instilled with the discipline to carry their trash with them to dispose of.
“Mochi-kaeri” means “Bring home”. Indeed, the Japanese are so particular about trash, they had long ago divided their trash into “burnable” and “non-burnable” and recyclable. In some places, it is divided into Singapore adopted this discipline just a few years ago.
In the subway, people do not speak out of respect for others to have a quiet traveling time. However, they are allowed to eat as many Japanese spent time commuting to work and may miss their breakfast. Their train cabins are never littered despite meals being allowed.
2 Social Interaction is another important activity. Being an introvert, I started to meet people and became involved in clubs like Toastmasters Club to widen my network of friends and also to improve my communication skills. I have been a member for over thirty years. I attribute my appreciation of life to this activity that has honed my art of speaking over the years.
Interacting with people can be challenging as each of us can be opinionated and has our unique characteristics, be they annoying or not. I believed that everyone has a talent we can learn from, a trait that we can emulate. Generally, I prefer friends who are honest, sincere, forgiving, and knowledgeable. There is much fun to be had with the right people and I no longer believe in being an introvert.
3 Reading and Writing is my current passion. I was never an avid reader but through a stroke of good luck and probably due to the need to write a speech for Toastmaster’s project, I stumbled upon Medium. My world opened up to all the gems of ideas from good authors and all the positive thoughts that I had derived from reading their works. It has led me to write articles that I never thought I could.
The world of reading, in particular, is a form of traveling.
To see the world through another person’s perspective as one is not able to cover so many destinations in our lifetime. To experience the joys and sorrows and understand the problems and solutions through reading is an enrichment to one’s life. To read about an artist’s accomplishments whether it is music, novels or painting is an important pause for our hurried lives.
In short, it makes a person smarter by becoming a prolific reader.
Lose yourself and find yourself at the same time in Art. It is undoubtedly the most important aspect of our lives that many overlook, in the pursuit of career success, money, and materialism.
Art is Life and Art is true Peace.
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