"between one person and another... there is only light.
- Sibylla, Kingdom of Heaven
A while back, I wrote a short story about a painter. One of the themes I tried to get across was the grass roots connectivity of experience. The Painter remained humble despite the acclaim and prestige his ability or "gift" granted him; his focus and passion remained the people and what they had to share with him.
He expresses this concept through a series of paintings on hands and feet, those elements of ourselves which physically connect us with the earth and with each other. That which he gained from the people - understanding - he gave back through his art. The more he gave, the greater his reach, the more he received until, upon his death, his legacy touched his whole country and had planted the seeds of growth in his pupil.
This is not a novel theme; it's been explored countless times in countless variances. This is true of all themes, coincidentally enough.
This article and the focus on telling a broader story through individual experience made me think of The Painter and the universal need to connect, despite our innate fear of doing so.
It also reminded me of the principle of refraction; while we humans tend to focus on the challenges of diversity and the need to defend our family/community/national interests against those of others, we forget that it's the combination of the colours of the rainbow that produces light.
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