As Ukraine continues to fight off Russia's military invasion, we see more and more heartbreaking images of suffering and destruction from the war. Apartment buildings where people went about their lives less than three weeks ago devastated by bombs, rubble and missiles in streets and playgrounds where families walked and children played, hoards of people fleeing with what they could carry, leaving everything they've known behind.
The loss and waste and inhumanity of it all are unfathomable, as is the case in every war.
And yet, just like in every war, we see glimpses of beauty and connection, of the very things that make us human and provide hope that we as a species are not doomed by the worst of us. We see love, we see laughter, we see compassion—and we see music.
One of the most remarkable things about humans is how we make art, no matter what. You'd think when our basic survival is immediately threatened, we wouldn't bother with creating beauty or expressing ourselves artistically, but we do. Every time. Art is not an add-on to life; it's inextricably wrapped up in life itself.
Art is also a way for us to express solidarity, especially when we feel helpless to stop inhumanity from happening. It's a way for us to say, "I see you. I am with you. I acknowledge your suffering even if I can't make it stop. Let's let this beauty remind us of what humans are capable of on the other side of violence and conquest."
To read more of Annie Reneau's article and view the video, please click here.
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