Most
of us spend our waking hours with people who analyze, judge, and
manipulate our behavior.
Sometimes this arrangement makes us better coworkers, neighbors,
or parents. Other times, it leads to a life of “quiet desperation.”
We become one-dimensional organizational actors—overly
alert to cues, easily prompted, and totally immersed in our little
roles.
When we go-along-to-get-along, we are generally accepted by our
peers and fit into the world-as-it-is. And the roaring 1990s provided
an ideal time to just go with the cash flow.
When society adheres to its mainstream scripts, there are no
real surprises or rude awakenings. All the huffing and puffing
of the pundits and politicians are just canned “infotainment.”
Our media monsters are theatrical Calibans that do not morph into
real Talibans—until recently.
Post-9/11 America remains deeply shaken by the unexpected collapse
of the World Trade Center towers and the failure of several major
U.S. corporations. Perhaps it is time to put down our neat little
personal scripts and actually talk to each other face to face,
without an electronic interface.
If our collective actions can melt the polar ice caps, then surely
our collective thoughts can melt the frozen crust covering the
human heart.
As Americans, we are confronted with planetary issues like global
warming, environmental degradation and species loss, an inflamed
Third World, the uncontrollable proliferation of nuclear and biological
weapons of mass destruction, and a litany of other dilemmas.
How does a multicultural democracy effectively move from informed
debate to reasoned discussion, to authentic dialogue, to effective
action while waging war on international terrorism? Are the political
and economic elites that got us into this mess capable of getting
us out? What can an individual citizen do to help resolve these
seemingly intractable conflicts?
For increasingly wired and techno-savvy Americans, it is hard
for us to imagine that something as low-tech as simple conversation
could be a valuable first step in our national dialogue. It is
also difficult for most adults and young people in our society
to believe that the arts have anything to contribute to this forum
other than slick commercials, music videos, and comic relief.
But creative participation is ultimately at the heart of both
democracy and the arts. It is at this junction that we might find
more viable and humane improvisations for a rapidly changing
world stage.
