The Works of Tiny Hands...in Daegu

Often, and I mean very often, I look for signs of life...of hope. In this world that aches and moans and groans about so many things...I look for the signs of happy. It is strange that some people only think that art must be dark in order to hold meaning. Nothing could be further from the truth. I find that a dark mind who only produces dark images, well, it begins to look all of the same. People trying to shock, when the world in its present state is shocking enough. It is easy to be dark in times of darkness. Is it true art? Does art have to be hell in order to transcend heaven? What does it take to lift oneself out of hopelessness? I have many friends who are artists with varying levels of achievement. It frankly doesn't matter about who is deemed great, mediocre, or unknown. What I find is that the experts, do not know a damn thing about art. Art is an individual experience, rendered from a soul of a person. That person shares their medium with the world. The individual taking in the art, be it a viewer, a reader is trying to understand what they are looking at. If there is a message. If something about that item, book, movie, touches an experience they, themselves can relate to OR what type of emotion does it raise within a person. Real art...dark, light, though the eyes of a child is the most telling. They reflect back to the adults how they perceive their world. Some are crudely drawn, others have magic in their fingers, and still others tell stories with their pictures. I happened to find these picture on the side of the building and they made me smile.

The lives of a lot of artists right now, throughout the world are going through a lot of challenges, because of many things. Many are storing their art, some destroying their art, and still others are wondering if they should give up being an artist. Is there ever a good time to be an artist? If you look at the lives of artists throughout, the ones that are elevated, are often done so after they die. Why is that? Perhaps, it is because there is really the desire to not know the artist, just the creation. There are those who say to not write, to not be an artist, to not be a photographer, to not be......you fill in the blank. The reason is simple. People tie success with money. Many are eager to tell you what you shouldn't be. You have to know within yourself who you are.

My point is, BE. If it is within you to be whatever you have chosen to be, you must have the courage to live that life. Filmmaker, actors, writer, painter, photographer, etc....you have to find a way to continue to work and yes, a lot of people are struggling all over the place. So, it is about a new way of thinking for all of us, no matter what our passions are.
For the corporate set, teachers, leaders, followers....etc., etc., etc., so much fear about these changes have grounded a lot of people. People are told, "do what you love" and others are told "do what you can". It is not just words. The pain of growth is real. There are real growing pains. So many people are looking and there is panic, but the panic needs to stop. You can't grow in a state of fear. There are always things to be afraid of, the spiders and snakes of life. You can look at the spiders and snakes all you want. They will always be there. There will always be someone beating a drum that says, "Fear, Fear, Fear".

Whatever you have going on in your own life, I can bet most of you created your own path through your choices, and if the rug has been pulled up through life circumstances and you are crying for someone to fix it, and you take no action...well dear, this is a cash and carry world. Sometimes there is nobody to fix it...except you.

It sucks, but you roll up your sleeves because giving up on living is just not an option. Life IS wonderful. I would rather struggle than be planted in a cemetery. I would rather try to figure out how to make life better than to give up on it. We are a collection of excuses. I was reminded about that by looking at these pictures.
I saw the reflection I had been looking for...what HAPPY looks like. Too many people fill this world with dark formidable images...all of those seductive emotions, like an addiction to pain. When it comes down to it...it is crap. There is nothing wonderful about darkness. You can't see a damn thing, and usually the things you fear in the dark, you laugh about when the light switch is turned on.

Search for hope...

I didn't think about how significant this work of art by a group of elementary school children would be...this massive rendering by small hands as a huge display of what is at risk right now in Korea. The potential for the loss of innocence...but it also is a picture of hopes and dreams. Brightly coloured dreams of rainbows, flowers, and images of love.

I am reminded, once again, that I am in the colourful city of hope. Daegu. Right now there is a lot of hopes that are being challenged with a world situation that is becoming harder and harder to push to the back of my mind. In a way I understand when I follow the timeline of world events how the North has stood up to the rest of the world.

Having lived here since January, you just don't challenge a Korean's reputation or honor. They will die defending it. Being held accountable for one's actions is akin to being treated like a child. They will resent you for it. This culture is also dominated by men. Now many women will reach positions of leadership or true equality. The Koreas...are not the United States, they are not westernized in their culture or thought processes.

For diplomacy to work, you must understand the culture and give the North a way to save face. If the Western world does not, I am wondering, deeply, if I am documenting the final months of the South's existence.

I have resisted greatly the urge to comment on the situation . Not wanting to draw attention to it, but I feel compelled to make the following points. Being right is overrated. We know what the North is doing is akin to suicide. However, what the West needs to know is that suicide is very much a part of this cultures in the Koreas. Their pride and reputation is very important to them. Anything that would bring shame to them, well, as we saw with the suicide of the former president of South Korea, this nation responded with intense mourning and praise in the east. He died to save his family. He died to stop an investigation. It was viewed as a death of honor.

The North is under incredible economic strain. Recently the border towns that have North Korean workers are asking for wages to be increased for them to four times their present salaries. What people may not realize is that publicly North Korea will not care about economic sanctions, but privately it is an incredible struggle. With China being the source of most of their material resources. They are a nation under siege and backed into a corner. They don't know how to ask for help. So now, they do what they have been doing...lashing out and vowing to weaponize their resources.

There is still time to avert this holocaust. You have a leader that wants to save face. He is a paranoid leader, who has run his country under a cult of personality. Like Jim Jones, Kim Jong il will lead his followers to death. Only this time he is making one silver bullet looking for any reason to pull the trigger. With his health in question over the recent years, I don't think a potentially dying man is too concerned about how he gets what he wants.

We can some how hope that the right solution comes...and quickly.