Looking Forward

It seems our modern culture has nearly eliminated all interest in the arts—literature, poetry, classical music, fine art. Through the ages, these disciplines were thought to draw out the finer qualities of humanity. They were expressions of a person’s search for a higher beauty, or a greater love, or an all-encompassing emotion to fill the soul. They frequently alluded to the ultimate search for the questions of life—why are we here, where are we going. Today it seems we never think beyond the latest Facebook post, the latest smartphone app, the latest celebrity sensation, the latest political scandal. We have forgotten how to dream. We go through life at breakneck speed, afraid to slow down, be silent, ask deep questions. It is quite possible during a person’s lifespan, to rush through a busy philanthropic, self-disciplined, upright moral life. However, at the point of death, if no relationship to the creator has been established, what is there to look forward to?