At War with our Future - Arts Education as our Strongest Tool

"In public education budget cuts, the arts are the first to go." Why? "It's useless, not practical, and everyone struggles in the field of the arts." In this video essay, I explain why the arts are necessary, indeed practical (and political), and how people that don't possess access to the arts are the ones that struggle most. The arts has grown to be an unfortunate classist endeavor in the western world. Its aristocratic histories have prevailed to this day in a more subtle way. The real issue lies in the fact that if the arts completely disappear, due to people's lack of access to it, we lose. But where do we begin our plan for making the arts accessible to everyone? Our education systems, no matter how flawed they may be. My research conveys statistical and testimonial observations that prove to the world that the arts matter, they make a difference, and it soon could be our only tool for the advancement of empathy, compassion, and love - or, in more extreme and necessary circumstances, deterrence. Remember, knowledge is power. We all have an innate impulse to create. The arts are for everyone, and everyone should be heard.