Paper For English Class Literature & Language Essay

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How can the empathy sparked by the arts, in addition to our shared global economy, be used to encourage peace? In other words, how can common feelings inspired by the arts, as well as economic integration reduce the threat of war?
In the world today, the focus has been on the STEM subjects. Students are always asked and encouraged to work hard or even pursue majors in the STEM courses. From Asia to America, the focus is solely on STEM subjects. While this is not at all wrong, it does help to set certain precedence or influence the way the world acts and reacts to situations. Ma (258) notes that while this is indeed important, “it is short-sighted.” This plan is not bad at all but does it help the world and humanity at large to grow harmoniously while tapping onto each other’s strengths and covering each other’s weaknesses? The answer is a staunch No! With the STEM subjects, the world continues to focus solely on how to outdo each other and to become as independent as one can. However, with arts in place and being given the right kind of push, the world could tap into “the values behind arts integration – collaboration, flexible thinking, and disciplined imagination” (Ma, 258). These values coupled with the shared global economy can indeed help propel the world forward. This article thus seeks to support the notion that the common feelings inspired by the arts as well as economic integration could help reduce the threat of war around the world. The main points or issues of focus include the Silk Road Project and how it can be enlarged or expanded to include economic development. The other is the protection of a country’s position in the global economy which is made possible because of the spirit of collaboration a value only taught in arts. Finally, I will discuss the notion that aside from protecting their credibility, countries through flexible thinking do want to continue amassing gains from the global economy as members of the global community and not as independent entities.
Ma (260) notes that the Silk Road Project was founded to help “study the flow of ideas among the many cultures between the Mediterranean and the Pacific over several thousand years.” During their performances, Ma notes that they seek to bring the world together on stage which simply means they try their best to showcase the world to their audience. The members as he says are diverse and include “a peer group of virtuosos, masters of living traditions, whether European, Arabic, Azeri, Armenian, Persian, Russian, Central Asian, Indian, Mongolian, Chinese, Korean, or Japanese.” With such a diversified group, it is indeed easy to showcase the world in one stage. This helps to sell the cultures of the world and to make people aware of the existence of others around the world. While the focus of the Silk Road Project has only been on cultures and how they spread across the world, there is a possibility that it can be expanded to include economic development. The group Silk Road Ensemble performs with the goal of bringing the world together and provokes feelings of togetherness. On the economic front, the project can be used to showcase a wo...