transcendence

Yesterday afternoon my husband and I took the 5-year-old to see an Oregon Ballet Theater production of "The Nutcracker." The kiddo loved it, watching with her trademark laser-eyed intensity throughout. I loved it, too, and I may have had a bit of a revelation about the power of artistic expression.

Much as I've blogged about my hopes to live in the moment this Christmas season and appreciate blessings as they come, a number of factors have conspired to make it a bit hard for me to feel truly "Christmas-y." Yesterday, however, as I watched the beautiful dances set to Tchaikovsky's familiar music for the first time, I found myself lost in the beauty and the wonder of the performance. I'd been convinced I'd enjoy the first part of the ballet, the part with the strongest narrative, the most, but in fact, it was the second act with its succession of music and dancing that was my favorite. It was a transcendent experience.

I've sometimes found it difficult to understand the principle behind philanthropic support for the arts at a time when so many people are suffering from hunger, disease and the effects of natural disasters. While I was an avid band kid in high school and I support things like music and art in the schools, it has been easy for me to create a distinction between "essential" and "luxury." "Essential" is the food bank; "luxury" is symphony patronage or a line on the list of OBT supporters.

Yesterday was a reminder that as paramount as it is to support basic human needs, humans are more than bread alone. I needed to experience the transcendent. Humans need beauty and wonder. There's a reason why we have been creating art since the days of the cave paintings in France. There is a reason why every cultural tradition includes music and dance, storytelling and other forms of expression. When we lose sight of this we lose connection to something that is essential in ourselves.

We are created as more than the sum of our animal natures -- a point made abundantly clear in the Bible, from David's psalms to Mary's musical reaction to news she would become a mother.

Merry Christmas to you all; I hope it is a time of wonder, of peace and of joy.