The Cave B Vision

Vincent Bryan II

Arts, Sciences, and the Environment

The environment is where we find ourselves now. It is what surrounds us from the nearest object to the perimeter of the universe and endlessly beyond. It is this moment in the continuum of time. It is the fabric of which we are made from our wholeness to the smallest constituent particle within and about us. It is our civilization as it now finds itself. It is what we now feel, now believe and what we now value. It is our present knowledge base.

The arts are our dreams, our imagination and our creativity. The arts are all of these things made manifest to the senses. The arts evoke emotional responses. They stimulate us to contemplate, to consider and to action. They give us both peace and unrest. They raise our awareness to the environment as it was, is and might be. They transform us beyond our present state. They speak in a universal language.

The sciences seek to understand, to explain, and to keep our dreams in tune with natural law. The sciences require validation. They bring order to chaos. The sciences are building blocks upon which our knowledge base is enlarged. The sciences bridge the gap between the environment and the arts. The sciences bring reality to art and in so doing move us to a new and different place and state of environment.

Our humanity is a reflection of how we incorporate and utilize the environment, the arts and the sciences, for better or worse. Humanity can be influenced and manipulated. It is both receptive and vulnerable. Humanity requires nurturing and thrives on peace, love and understanding. Humanity is lessened when the environment is abused, when arts are suppressed and when science is used for evil purposes.

Thus the environment, the arts and the sciences are in effect a process, each dependent on the other while at the same time providing a series of checks and balances, a process capable of advancing our humanity and together our civilization. This process can operate by the harmonious interaction and blending of its parts or in a manner which accentuates, alienates or altogether disregards a part of the process. When operated harmoniously, our humanity accepts change comfortably. When the process is operated without consideration and utilization of all of its parts, our humanity becomes unbalanced and reacts uncomfortably.

We find ourselves now at an opportune time, a time in which we have become aware of the process and its significance. We have also become aware that the process is presently operating without full utilization of all of its parts. We have become aware of the effects on our humanity and civilization which have resulted. We now are positioned to participate in the rebalancing of the process. This is the vision of Cave B.