Art, Science and the Truth The two disciplines that have been present in all civilizations have been Science and Art. You could call them the search for truth and the human manifestation of that truth. When you look at the Aztecs, the Egyptians, the Greeks, the Romans, the Renaissance, what did they leave behind? The Temples, the Pyramids, aqueducts, mathematical constructs, Music, Paintings, Sculpture, Literature, etc. All of them are expressions of great Science and great Art. These were those societies' expression of the truth, their search for understanding. They weren't created for money, they were created to enhance society, to make it a better place to exist in and the majority of them were created out of love. Today's society values historical Science and Art to such an extent that we build our own temples to them, sure we call them museums, but why do we value them so much? Because they are the last bastions of truth in our modern world and we are not creating enough of our own. So, why is that?
A system is born
Ask yourself why such a thing as Money exists? The actual physical representation of money, bank notes, why do we have them? You can't eat a dollar bill, you can't use a twenty to keep yourself warm, but you can use them to buy just about anything. When a person you know and trust stays with you, do you ask for money in return for feeding them and giving them a bed for the night? No, why not? Could be a number of reasons; perhaps you know that you can stay with them and they will provide for you, perhaps they are not in a position to provide for themselves and you do it out of love, or perhaps you have more than enough resources and you get a positive feeling from helping people. Whatever the reasons, in a dynamic where you interact with people you know and love, there is no need for money. In an environment where there are so many people, it is impossible to know about every individual. If you know nothing about a person, you don't know how they will behave and you won't be able to trust them.
Currency - Temporary trust
In order for society to develop, humanity required a temporary system that would allow it to obtain the essentials for existence, without actually knowing or trusting the person they obtained these items from. Every society developed its own form of currency, whether that was beads, feathers, pieces of gold, right up to today's bank note. However we still see today examples of trade where no currency transaction actually takes place. Once people have established a relationship and learnt about each other, they are happy to exchange products or services without the need for money.
The System Grows
The concept of having a system that allows the world to coexist, trade, etc., while we get on with the process of learning about ourselves, makes sense as a temporary measure. The problem now exists that money itself has become a product, and right now it is the most desirable product in the world. Its no surprise that over 95% of the money that is moved in the financial markets to day no longer reflects any physical industry, but reflects the money industry itself! Money has become its own entity and the millions of people who work in the money industry can't be wrong, can they? The thing is, money doesn't actually contribute anything to society, sure it facilitates, but what can you actually do with it? The only real use I can think of for money is to start a fire, but hell, you don't need to dye it green to achieve that! And anyway, money is no longer a physical thing, it's now no more than a digital concept. Digital trust for the Digital age!
The Truth Dilemma
The money system was devised to ensure that people in society could trust each other. Therefore in order to survive within society, you need money. Apart from Art and Science, every other Industry is geared around the requirement to make money. The transport industry gets you to your place of work, the Government sets the rules for how money will be made, the leisure Industry exists to give you something to do when you take a break from making money, (remembering of course that they will be making money in the process!). But if you are an artist or a scientist what you produce doesn't actually help people to make money. It's just the Truth! Funnily enough, the Truth is very similar to Money; nobody actually sleeps under a map of the human genome, you can't eat Van Gogh's "Sunflowers" and no-one ever rode to work on one of Rodin's sculptures! So, how does an artist or a scientist exist in today's modern society?
The System's solution to Truth
The "greatest" achievement of the modern world has been to make the truth a product that can be sold. In order for artists and scientists to be contributing members of a society that is focussed on Money, what they produce has to have a monetary value, otherwise it is of no use to that society. In order for artists and scientists to exist, they need money, and in today's society who is going to give them that? Take an example; Mapping the human genome. One Scientist unlocks a part of the code, this will enhance the work of another scientist, who in turn enhances the work of another and so on. With free flow of information we move forward at incredible speed. However, there is a problem. The Person who gives money to the first Scientist, no longer has any money, and they can't eat or sleep under a piece of genetic code. So what has happened? We create the concept of ownership. If you give money to a scientist, you now own the piece of Truth that was discovered it's yours. It doesn't belong to society, to the world pool of knowledge; it belongs solely to you. Now you know that every other Scientist would love to get their hands on the information, but right now you're out of pocket, so, you sell them the information for money and everybody's happy! Fairly simplistic, and funnily enough not that applicable to the example used, but the model is applied to every form of Science and Art in today's modern world.
The Problem with Truth as a commodity
Right now, there are thousands of Scientists who are looking for funding to start or complete research projects, and they can't get the money. This funding basically allows them to exist and pays for the physical hardware required. The results of those projects would grow the sum of Man's knowledge considerably. Why is this happening? It is absurd, but it is fact. Today's society is so concerned with making money; it's forgotten why Money was created in the first place. Private individuals hold more than enough money to fund every research project in the world, but what are they doing with that money? They're using it to make more money!
Music as a Commodity
To be a musician in the 21st Century is a fantastic advantage over previous centuries. The technology exists today to have the whole world hear your music if they wish to. However, Music is no longer Art, music is a commodity. Music is an Industry that generates $38 billion a year, employs hundreds of thousands of people, and is owned by 5 publicly owned Corporations who's sole reason for existence is to make money. In the current climate unless your music is going to make money it will not be heard. When an artist changes the creative process to reflect what is going to make money, what is produced is no longer the truth of what the artist fundamentally believes. At that point two things happen. First, Music starts to become homogeneous, people are presented with what they already know and like. As diversity diminishes there is less Music available and there are fewer artists to make it. Second, Music truly does stop being Art, it is no longer a true expression of emotion. If the current system continues, the modern world will have managed to remove one of the few forms of Truth that has been with Humanity from the beginning.
The Solution
The current system has to evolve if Human Beings are to move forward. The temporary system that was put in place to allow for the fact that people could not know about one another is now causing more damage than good. Instead of facilitating the search for truth it has suffocated the process and replaced it with itself as the new Godhead. Historically, the only way any Human system evolves is when the majority of those within the system become aware that it is not working, and agree to effect change. Two variables affect this process; the communication technology available at the time and the quality of the information presented. By raising the awareness of what is happening in the world right now, by stating facts, in effect, by stating the truth, the world population will naturally evolve the system.
What is the Key?
Information. Education is information, physical experience is information, every second you exist your body is taking on board more information. Information is everything, information changes the way we think, the way we act, what we choose and the way we behave within our societies. And in turn, as more information becomes available, our societies will change.
Why Now?
There are so many indicators as to why the system needs to evolve, apart from the ones previously discussed. However, the most compelling is that the technology to inform the world, with no subjective bias, already exists. To borrow a quote from Richard, "...For the first time in Humanity's existence, the sum of Human information is available to everybody on the planet". Sure we're not there yet, but it's being introduced to humanity at an exponential rate. If you're reading this on-line, you're already using it! The truth of the Internet is that no one person can take advantage of it, no one person can own it, it cannot be bought or sold, it just exists. All people need to do is ask the questions and look for the answers, because the answers are there.
So where are we going then?
History has demonstrated time and time again how Humans can accomplish great achievements when they work together. From the pyramids to a symphony orchestra, groups of people working together can achieve what is impossible for the individual. If the world population were able to work together practically anything would be possible. That is the direction that we as a race should be moving in.
Can we really achieve that?
Yes. Why not? We have got to where we are to date through lack of trust, lack of knowledge, lack of information about what is happening in our world. Ignorance has bred racism, sexism, religious wars, dictatorships, and huge inequities in compensation within societies. The thing is the world no longer has an excuse for ignorance. We all know communities where different creeds and colors all coexist peacefully. Due to economic necessity, they have had to learn about each other, they have lost their ignorance and have demonstrated that it is possible to live together. The most amusing thing is that these communities are already beginning to do without money! The neighborhood cliché of borrowing a cup of sugar is just an example of how a community that has trust has no need for an artificial system. The Internet is already informing millions of people about things they were previously unaware of, and as the information is read, the knowledge base grows.
Love, the prerequisite for success
For the world to truly work together it will have to make the transition from trust to love. The phenomenal works of art and science have all been achieved through love. How that is to be achieved, we can only wonder. However, by constantly acting with love, we raise the awareness of what a wonderful emotion it is.
Where are you in the system?
Stop for a second and ask yourself what you are doing with your life? Every Human Being in the world exists by using their skills to gain the ability to effect change through the accumulation of currency and/or power. This secures not only their own, but their offspring's current and future existence. Through power, people have the opportunity to shape the direction of the environment they exist in. Currency or Money is required to deliver food, shelter and all the myriad of different experiences that are available. Ask yourself whether you are truly in a position to effect change, and if you are, what will you do and why?
What are the choices?
The longer the current system continues, the harder it will be to secure the environment for future generations. Do we want our Grandchildren to exist in a world that has little or no music, where art is a commodity sold to the highest bidder? Where success is measured by accumulation of currency rather than the accumulation and promulgation of knowledge? Never before in Mankind's history has an individual had the opportunity to effect change on a truly global scale, change that benefits not only themselves, but the world population also.
Stirling Brig - The Evolution
Stirling Brig believes we need to start asking ourselves these questions. We are a group of musicians who express the qualities of truth and love through our Music. We are a vehicle that will be utilized to play to the world, not to preach, but to encourage the world to ask the questions and show them where the answers are.