What is the Invisible Army?

To say that we live in a desolate age is a redundant & exhausting exercise in futility. Like chasing one’s tail. It is what it is & always has been. This world has been at war since it first opened its eyes. A civil war between diametrically opposed siblings. An ancient & mythic story retold & reinvented by civilization after civilization both real or imagined. Enacted over ephemeral battlefields.

These opposite forces have carried different names since the first two words shattered the silence. Though the names change the axiom holds true. One can’t survive without the other. The death of one signifies the extinction of all. Here lies the grandest of all hypocrisies. Though by nature the opposing forces are bred & encouraged to destroy one another they must deny their inherent impulses and make peace with their born enemy. They must find harmony. It is the equivalent of trying to turn a wolf into a sheep or lead into gold. At various stages these forces have benefited mutually from each other. They have fed off of & nurtured each other. But during every cease-fire or time of relative calm one thing remains. We are still at war.

This is not a war over the physical world; you can’t master what masters you. There is no land to raise the flag & claim victory. There is no castle wall to breach. This is not a war won by throwing rocks or dropping bombs. This is a war over an idea, an idea that is continually on the edge of extinction. An idea kept alive through the ages by souls impoverished with imperfections but rich with self-awareness & a common cause. The cause of preserving the idea.

The idea is that one can describe the indescribable. Decipher the indecipherable. Unlock the chains that bind us from who we really are & give those without the sight to see a glimpse into the true essence of what this is, while exposing what it is not. The idea that the infinite is as immense as it is infinitesimal. The idea that art is as life is as love is. The idea that we are all interconnected by a web of energy & imaginary lines of color & light. The idea that there is truth & that we can be free. The idea that there is more than meets the eye. This idea has been passed down like an heirloom by the select few who can & do answer the call to arms & the challenge of creating outside of corporeal realms. The artist is & has always been in possession of the keys that open the doors to understanding.

An artist is not defined by what tools nurture their creation nor bound to a means of expression. To limit the definition of an artist would ignore the service of those whose contributions were both necessary & invaluable. Not every reinvention of the idea was translated through paint or pen but by the actions & integrity of those who do not adhere to the drone & stampede of the masses racing mindlessly toward the edge of the cliff. An artist walks the edge like a tightrope & admires the view.

The invisible army is an idea that has been in place forever. There has always been an invisible army. The invisible army consists of poets & writers & painters & musicians & architects & physicists & psychologists & anyone who conveys the idea to the next generation. The responsibility of the invisible army is to defend the idea & fight when called upon. To push back when pushed. The sole purpose of an artist is to not only create but continue the species & keep the idea that what you see is not always what is there. Even though saying we live in a desolate age is redundant & exhausting it is also true. The invisible army is here; it’s waiting for you.