Attending cultural events enhances self-awareness
The view from my seat at Davies Symphony Hall, where the performance was held.
March 26, 2014
The society we are born into presents us with its culture and its set of values. By engaging in cultural events, we not only better understand our current culture, but we also better understand the varied cultures of the past. We have the ability to attend cultural events embodying a variety of time periods, whether it is a performance of a musical piece composed hundreds of years ago or an art museum featuring modern art of the last century.
By better understanding a multitude of cultures, we better understand ourselves. We can assess whether or not we want to accept the current culture’s values or whether we prefer values that flourished in societies of the past. By knowing our own values better, we also have a clearer idea on how we should interact with and possibly contribute to culture.
Cultural events are live events, such as a dance performance, a play, or a trip to an art museum. With the presence of technologies such as YouTube, there is the convenience of watching a performance online instead of physically going to a cultural event. However, the benefits of attending a live event are unparalleled.
Three distinguishing aspects set apart a live event: atmosphere, spontaneity, and the closeness. By atmosphere, I refer to everything from the red velvet seats in a theater to the hundreds or perhaps thousands of people sharing the same live experience with you. Spontaneity consists of the unpredictability. When seeing a musical performance happening live, I know that this is the first time that the musician has played a piece this way.
Atmosphere and spontaneity both bring viewers closer to the performer or creator. A work created hundreds of years ago suddenly comes alive as hundreds of attentive faces focus in on a performer. Even when the performer or creator of the work is not physically present during the cultural event, closeness still can be felt.
Closeness comes when seeing an art piece six inches away from my face. The rich hues and textures lure me into the artwork, as I form an immediate connection with the creator. Prints and recordings cannot capture the sacred sentiment that blossom only during a live cultural event.
Each cultural event I attend enhances my understanding of both past and present cultures, as well as my understanding of myself. Last Thursday, as I saw pianist Evgeny Kissin’s hands grace the keys at Davies Symphony Hall in San Francisco, I had a better understanding of where I will go to college, what I aspire to do for a career, and even something as simple as the first thoughts that ought to enter my mind in the morning.
All of our lives we strive to become better versions of ourselves, continuously refining our values. Attending cultural events will help us improve upon ourselves. We owe it to ourselves and the artists around us to go see cultural events—live, in action, with the brilliance yet to happen.
