FRIDAY, APRIL 14, 2023
“When hope is spent and we feel loneliness in our hearts, inner weariness, the torment of sin, the fear of failure, let us return to Jesus. For He is the only one who always defeats death and always renews our life. Our wounds can be passages, openings that, in imitating the wounds of the Lord, allow God’s mercy to enter. His grace changes our lives and makes us artisans of peace and reconciliation.”
Pope Francis
Be Kind
by Michael Blumenthal Laney Margolis
To all those who are offended that the dancers aren’t wearing enough clothing, I would suggest that you just stay away from ballet sites. Professional ballet dancers are both artists and elite athletes. Studies have shown that they are among the strongest, if not the strongest, athletes in the world. We do not ask why elite swimmers wear small bathing suits and elite runners wear tiny shorts, so why would we ask why ballet dancers are wearing minimal clothing? In this particular picture, they are dancing in a ballet called “Caravaggio.” If you know anything about art, you know that Caravaggio was a revolutionary Italian painter in the 1600’s who pushed the boundaries of what was then acceptable as art with his use of light and realism in his paintings. At the time, some thought his work obscene, but art historians now believe he was one of the most important artists in history. His paintings were raw, realistic, shocking and incredibly beautiful. It is no wonder that a ballet inspired by him would include all of those elements. Ballet dancers use their bodies to create art and if there is anything more beautiful than the human bodies in this picture, I haven’t seen it. No need to moralize about art. If you see pornography, that’s in your mind, not in the ballet. Or the painting. Or the statue. The human body, especially when trained and honed, is incredibly beautiful. Religion, politics and cultural values are man-made things; if your beliefs make it impossible for you to enjoy what nature made, then just avoid looking at it. So sorry you’ll be missing out on all the wonderful things you can see
when you have an open mind.
The Vibrant Channeled Creator 