Do you believe this statement: “good art communicates truth”?
“The reason why great art keeps on compelling attention age after age is that it signifies something of truth.” (Gaebelien)
Have you interacted with good art lately? Has it communicated truth to you?
A few weeks ago my husband and I went and saw the musical “Billy Elliot”. Despite the crude language, it was awe-inspiring. Seeing a little boy dance with that level of skill and passion was breath-taking and spectacular. As a mother, my first thought was I am not supporting my children enough to become who God made them to be. There was so much more that struck me…
My list of 10 truths communicated in the musical “Billy Elliot”:
1) Life is difficult. People lose jobs. Loved ones die.
2) We have a choice on how we respond to tragedy in our lives.
3) Don’t keep doing something you don’t enjoy.
4) True joy comes through being who God made you to be.
5) Don’t let social rules dictate what you do. There will always be critics.
6) Having one person who believes in you makes a world of difference.
7) You can be that one person who inspires someone else.
8) The reaction we have to being told we can’t do something tells us how much we really want it.
10) Community is essential to survival and elevating one out of the pit.
(Again thank you to Jonathan Deatherage and Ryan Smothers for the inspiration for this post. Their course, “Engaging the Culture”, came from the work of Timothy Ralston at Dallas Theological Seminary.)
Excellent points! The only thing that I can add is to recommend that everyone who can, views Billy Elliot The Musical a second time. If your experience is like mine, you will learn more on the second viewing and be inspired to be that person who inspires others.
I would LOVE to see it again. thanks for checking in!
Great post! I’m a big fan of Billy Elliot The Musical (seen it many, many times), but I’ve never heard of any religious/spiritual take on the show until now. I’m a former Roman Catholic monk and though I don’t ascribe to any religion any more, my Christian morals and love of all things spiritual still guide my life very much. Billy Elliot is truly an inspiring (i.e. in-the-spirit) story and lifts my soul every time I see it! Thanks again for sharing your thoughts! –Sean