Can you hear me? We all want to be heard. Still, we all wish our words to resonate long after we have passed from this world. What makes some essays stand out in meaning more than others? What makes one song bring more enjoyment than another? Surely, I am not the first to think of such a topic, nor will I be the last. Many discussions of the sort are found throughout scholarly catalogs and dialogues. The mere fact that there are such vast libraries of literature attests to the premise that we all wish to be heard. A better question might be; what do we think our individual voice has to offer?

Ars Longa, Vita Brevis. Loosely translated from Latin, the phrase purposes that art is long-lasting even though life is short. As its origin is subscribed to Hippocrates, the Greek physician, it is probably intended to lean toward scientific practices. If my understanding is correct, it would be truer to say that one’s studies may be short, yet achieving expertise is to be long-lived. Being that the expertise of a process is then taught in continuum, whereas the study supporting it would fade as mere tapestry. Yet isn’t it more soothing to the ear to hear that our art will live on as humanity’s voice echoing throughout time?

When it comes to our individual voices, we waver between fact and fiction in our stories. The melding of the two tends to add color to the form. Picasso’s paintings are a fine example of this thought. Stories, almost always, are heard better with embellishments. For myself; even the real Alamo couldn’t stand up to the framework of the narratives I was told. The conflict of the mere size and scale of the true place versus the magnitude and scope of the heroics. The story was huge in scope compared to the size of the place. Yet both lent a vision in my head that would last long after the events.

Isn’t the reason for the recorded word, in its essence, a reach for immortality? As humans, we know that our days are numbered. Even if our beliefs bend toward an immortal afterlife, we still hold on to a need to be heard even after we are gone. Is it an innate desire for immortality; simply a wish to leave a legacy of persona that drives the artist? I believe it is; however, there are things that live on stronger than the person’s probable intent. “I have a dream.” comes to mind. Was it a call to dream or a call for action? Fact versus fiction or outcome versus intent; only the dead truly know the transitory voice.