Sexuality in the Arts

If you’re not a regular reader of this blog, you might likely assume this blog is primarily interested in questions like:

What is erotic?

This blog explores those kinds of questions, but more prominently, this blog is interested in the arts of creativity.  This blog is more interested in questions like:

What inspires humans to create artworks and to create other humans?  

Sexuality is often about creativity.  It is not always about procreation, but it is often about creating common interests and rewarding relationships.

Last night, “60 Minutes” featured a story about the doctor Paul Farmer, who runs medical programs in Haiti, and helped to found “Partner’s In Health”, a group of physicians who provide medical care for poor people around the world.

“Partner’s in Health” would not have come into creation without Paul Farmer and others.  But even more importantly, Paul and others have designed their health providing systems to run independent of the people who created the systems. 

He has created systems that have become self-recreating.  The people involved in the systems have profitable motivation and compensation to continue creating and caring for themselves and others.

To expand on the cliche of:  “If you give a man a fish, you feed him for a day.  If you teach him to fish, you feed him for a lifetime.” 

What Paul Farmer is doing might be better expressed this way:  “Teach a village to efficiently and sustainably fish, and they will not only feed themselves, they will feed others, they will feed their descendants, and they will profit from their fishing in many other ways.”

It is admirable for an artist to create what only that artist can create.  I don’t wish to suggest any ounce of value should be taken away from that kind of creative valuation.

Some of the great social artists of history have probably pursued these types of broader intents:

How do we create “artworks” and systems that will not only show our artistic ability, but will also improve the opportunity and equity for others to reveal their artistic abilities?

Consider creating things that might become self-sustaining and self-profiting for others, in addition to being profitable for yourself.  Attempt to create artworks and systems that create profitable motivation for others to continue to participate in.

When any one person dies, it is a tragedy.  A characteristic that makes us admirable as humans and as artists is helping to create and improve ideas and systems that might improve things for many others long after we are gone. 

Sometimes there is no consolation that can alleviate the grief of losing one single person or artist.  At the same time, there can be great joy on an individual basis and on cultural levels to see the fruits of an artist’s artwork or body of work continuing to do good things long after the artist is gone.

Paul Farmer has spent much of his life’s time, risk, intellect and work to show everyone that what “couldn’t be done” could be done to improve the real health, quality of life, and mental well-being of so many poor people around the world.

Paul Farmer is not some cowboy working autonomously to change a small village.  He’s not interested in only teaching people one at a time how to fish.  He’s using every technology and system he can coordinate so as many people can learn as possible.

Every single day, he re-chooses to take on a Sisyphean task, a never-ending and arguably impossible pursuit.  He uses the best technology and systems he can find.  He uses social alliances and political skills to effect real, positive changes.  

It is sometimes better to fail at achieving the greater good than it is to succeed at only taking good care of yourself.  It is essential to also take good care of yourself, but if you can, do so in coordination with and in pursuit of some greater good.

Partners In Health Official Website

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