Here is one of romantic poetry’s masterpieces: “Ode: Intimations of Immortality from Recollections Of Early Childhood”, by William Wordsworth. Through this poem he offers to us some insight into the nature of our inevitable growth as individual human beings. Not only are we forced to grow physically, but we cannot help but grow spiritually as well and this change inherently affects our relationship with the natural world and the kind of knowledge and pleasure that we have access to.

As we grow old, should we ponder those past days in quiet nostalgia, with implied regret? Or perhaps we should simply be grateful for those past experiences? Is it possible that such gratefulness can only be experienced once we recognize the gifts that time has granted us? There are so many ways for us to see our past, our present and their relationship: for some, it all leads to regret; for others, the fruits that our past has granted us are ignored. Wordsworth’s “Ode” tells us that it is possible to appreciate the unique beauty of a child’s perspective all while recognizing the value of human growth in forming our perspective on nature.

Through his poetry, he explored these matters for himself and shared with us the path through which his emotions progressed. It was not a linear path without impediments, but it lead him to accept the processes of aging, even death, and form a greater understanding of nature and our relationship with her.

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I’ve often heard people, with their nose held up high and the inside of their nostrils clearly visible, describe hip-hop with disgust and ignorance. Sometimes it is even blamed for violence and sexism, even though these claims seem to be never accompanied by any evidence (age of sexual encounter has mostly been stable while crime has been on the decrease; hip hop, on the other hand, has been on the rise). Sometimes it’s just said to be bad music (if these snobs deem it to be worthy of being called “music”).

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‘A string of thought’

A string of thought lead me to wonder how your film was doing. If I recall, when we first met about two years ago you were looking for funding. I read the voir.ca articles and ended up reading a letter of yours, found here, dealing with the infamous “coupures du gouvernment Harper”.

It is incredibly well-written. You present to us a defense of art, detailing its beauty, its value, its importance. Not only do you present art as something that is essential for us as humans – to escape the realities of a mundane life; to touch these emotions which can only last in an imagined, fabricated world; to test the psychology of the self, this human creature –, but as something that is essential for us as a people : the love of art is embedded in our culture, it is what allows us to distinguish ourselves from others, to carve our own identity as the Quebecois. Who would we be, what would we be were it not for this creative impulse and how we feel the need to share its products?

This appears to best sum up your letter and this is precisely the attitude that you, as an artist, must adopt. Is it, however, the attitude that you must adopt to see the world through as clear a lens as possible? Is it the attitude that you must adopt when speaking of politics? I do not think so. The arguments are passionate, but they are not reasonable.

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