Many artists and their work have tried to illustrate what is real. They’ve been inspired by the well-known philosophers, religions, their own set of values, and the issues of their day, to form a fictional representation of what “could” be real, or illustrate a truth about reality in the non-fictional world through their art. Examples of this are probably most familiar to us in the movies, second, literature, since it is harder to distinguish from a painting or piece of music (without lyrics). I thinking of movies like Stars Wars, The Matrix, Lord of the Rings… but it is not limited to fantasies. I think that films in general try to tap into “what is real,” everything from Casino Royale to Silence of the Lambs.

Unfortunately, there’s are many issues with portraying reality that get kinda sticky for the arts. First, artist like to think (in general) that by their art they’re doing the world some good. In the general, they may… or they may not. Ideas have consequences. Everybody knows that. What seems real to the individual will influence him most, and if what appears real really isn’t, it will probably be detrimental to the individual and likely thousands of others the individual effects in a lifetime.

Simply put, art itself cannot be taken for granted. It means so much to people. Art very well can be more important to the masses than the government that takes gobs of their money away through taxes. That money doesn’t mean much, so long as we have entertainment to distract me while I loose the money. Entertainment usually via some form of art. That art having it’s own view of reality, is absorbed by the entertained, and it will effect their worldview and decisions in life.

But artist who fear being held accountable to their art and how it impacts people like to use the cop-out that, in the end, it’s all in fun and doesn’t mean a thing. Or, that if you let it effect you, that’s your problem if you didn’t want it to. This perspective coming from corrupt thinking is flawed and ultimately wrong. If an artist is not responsible for the impact of his own work, then the president of the country isn’t responsible for the his own either. You can’t have it both ways: either what you do that impacts people matters, or it doesn’t in all situations. I’m going with the idea that it matters, because we see that it really does on so many occasions.

So what is real? I’m getting to that.

There is another popular idea to compartmentalize aspects of life. What is true for one situation is not true for another. It is true that there is a right time and wrong time to have a physical relationship with another human being, but I’m not talking about right and wrong here. I’m talking about what is true to all encompassing about every aspect of the universe. There is a lot to this world that is either true to reality or not. Not everyone gets how this impacts their life.

If I am one way with my boss, and another way with my wife, that is understandable. Their are rolls we carry in reality. But usually, man relates to these rolls thinking that reality has different rolls too. 

To be continued.