Art, Religion, Philosophy—and Everything Else.

My assignment for this speech is to help you get to know me better by telling you about my beliefs. AND…

Of course, what would one of my speeches be without a homework assignment for you?

The truth is important to me. I show you two paintings. (Hold up paintings.) Think about which one is more true to life, more realistic. Maybe I’ll give you my answer, later. Maybe I’ll just let you think about it.

Anyway, back to ME!

Although I am currently employed as a marketing/business writer, I think of myself as an artist. (That wasn’t a joke.) So, here is what I believe…

I believe the role of artists is to use the “Grace,” or “Talent” —whatever your favorite word for your particular gift from God happens to be—to present their soul to their audience.

Musicians use sound. Painters use paint. Writers use words. Public speakers use language.

I also believe Art, Religion, and Philosophy is all connected—not like a lamp connected to an electrical outlet. But more like the way strands of pasta are connected in a bowl of cold spaghetti.

Art, Religion, and Philosophy (ARP) At my age, this usually means American Association of Retired People. However, given the current state of my IRA, I don’t have to worry about retiring until I’m 97.

It is actually not a bad thing. I figure if I work at Wal-Mart from age 67 to 97, I’ll have my 30 years. So I have almost nine years to do whatever I want before I have to start greeting customers with a smile and handing out shopping carts. BUT my motivation is that those days COULD BE coming.

It seems to me as if I was born painting. I don’t even know if I can explain it any better than that, no matter how much time I had. I think I remember the first time I went to kindergarten and they handed out the crayons.

It was as if someone handed me the keys to Heaven.

What can that mean? That I was born to do this? That this is my destiny? That the “Force” is with me?

It is going out of style, you know. Art. God never changes but Art ALWAYS changes. Each generation adds, subtracts, and multiplies the standards, the rules, the medium, and the message.

I wonder how it will all end. Not just this speech, but all this, this earth, this life, this universe—everything else.

I can tell you this much. Here is what I pray will happen. Maybe God will let me paint in Heaven. I pray for that.

But this is what I think might happen.

It turns out that Christians are correct. (What a break for me! I AM one.) There is a God. And there will be an accounting.

Mine goes like this:

God: “Let’s see. Mark Luczak? (Am I saying that right?) Remember all those people who told you that your life was a gift from God? They were right.”

I really only have one question for you. Your life. What did you think? Pretty amazing, huh?”

Me: "Well, 97 years. It was plenty. I liked the painting part. Stars. Sunsets. Almost all the people. I could’ve done without the wars, hunger, poverty and disease. You know, the tough parts."

God says, “No, you couldn’t. Mark, the way you handle the tough times helps Me decide whether or not I want you here with Me.”

It might not be hilarious, might not even be funny. But what if it were true? I know just thinking about it now brings a smile to my face.