Artist’s Statement
I am not a scientist. I cannot prove and do
not profess to know the nature of the universe or why it exists. The very things
that make us human cannot be proven to exist like love & emotions, humor,
intelligence, talent. We can only get a quick glimpse of those immeasurable,
dimensionless qualities when we interact with others and share a mental space.
There is nothing about being a human that can be physically slapped onto a table
and dissected, other than the shell that holds our humanness. The things that
separate us from Jell-o are more than just the structure of our atoms, yet
cannot be measured. I am simply an observer that can clearly see that our lives
and paths as humans are intertwined and inseparable. The choices we make affect
the lives and cause the deaths of others on a daily basis. All of our actions
(and inaction) have direct and indirect consequences. We surf or die in the wake
of others, and sometimes we are left to ride the rough waters of our own wakes
when the consequences of our decisions come rippling back. It is delusional for
even one man to believe that he alone does not change the world by simply
existing. Our separateness is an illusion. We are one organism with one heart,
one lung, and one bloodstream. Cancer is a condition when one cell of this
organism stops functioning as if it was a part of the whole and convinces others
to behave likewise. Cancer does not know or care that by killing the host, it
will quickly be the death of itself. I am not religious, and I am not preaching
goodness. Depending on perspective, one man’s good is another man’s evil.
There is no absolute right or wrong. We must resign to the fact that the world
is perfectly imperfect. There is only cause and effect, choice and consequence.
The only thing one man can do is to be aware of the power he has to affect the
quality of life of those around him, and to decide how he wants to use that
power. Karma is a beautiful Bitch.
Sharon Hardie
February 1, 2001