The meaning of art in a time of suffering, a time of war, is

In the darkness of suffering and the fury of war, when the world trembles beneath the weight of destruction, art becomes not just a luxury, but a lifeline. Haris Pasovic, a wise observer of the human spirit, understands this truth when he says, "The meaning of art in a time of suffering, a time of war, is much more intense. People are more focused." These words speak to the extraordinary power that art holds in moments of extreme hardship, when the soul, battered and broken, seeks meaning in the midst of chaos. It is in times of turmoil that art transcends its role as mere expression and becomes a vessel of survival, a means through which humanity clings to its essence.

Consider, if you will, the Greek tragedies that were written during the days of war and plague. Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides did not write their great works in times of peace and prosperity, but in the midst of conflict, death, and societal upheaval. Their plays, filled with the agony of human suffering, were not just stories; they were catharsis. In the face of war and loss, these artists gave the people a way to confront their deepest fears and most painful realities. Through art, they found a way to understand the suffering that threatened to consume them. It is said that the great Athenian theater was not only a place for entertainment but a place of healing, where the people could come together, focus their collective pain, and find hope in their shared humanity.

In more recent times, the Bosnian War, a brutal conflict in the 1990s, saw Pasovic himself use theater as a tool of resistance and survival. His work, including the famous play "The Sarajevo Red Line", was born in the crucible of war. During the siege of Sarajevo, when the city was cut off from the world and daily life seemed to hang by a thread, Pasovic and his fellow artists took to the stage, knowing that their work might be the only way to keep the human spirit alive amidst the devastation. The intensity of their expression, the urgency with which they turned to art, was not just a response to the tragedy surrounding them; it was a profound act of resilience, a reminder that even in the worst of times, art has the power to focus the soul, to bring clarity in the midst of confusion, and to provide a sense of meaning when all else seems lost.

The people of Sarajevo, trapped by war, sought refuge in this art, for it spoke to their suffering in a way that mere words or military strategies could not. Art became the lens through which they could view their pain, and through which they could understand the larger forces that were shaping their world. This is what Pasovic means by the intensity of art in times of suffering: when life is stripped to its barest essentials, when survival itself is in question, people look to art not for escape, but for understanding. It becomes an act of courage, a means of holding on to what makes us human, even when the world around us seeks to dehumanize us.

History has shown that it is in the darkest hours that the greatest works of art often emerge. During the Second World War, when the world was engulfed in chaos, artists, writers, and musicians like Pablo Picasso, Anne Frank, and Dmitri Shostakovich created works that spoke to the depths of human suffering. Picasso's "Guernica" captured the terror and destruction of war in a way that transcended language. Anne Frank’s diary, written while she hid from the Nazi regime, became a testament to the strength of the human spirit in the face of horror. Shostakovich’s symphonies, filled with both despair and hope, resonated with the people of the Soviet Union, who lived under the constant shadow of war and tyranny. These works, created in the crucible of war, are timeless because they captured not just the suffering of their creators but the universal pain and hope of all humanity.

From Pasovic’s words, we learn that art, in its most powerful form, is born not in times of ease, but in times of great distress. It is in these moments that the artist’s voice is most needed, for it provides not only a reflection of the world as it is, but also a glimpse of what it could be. Art calls us to look deeper, to focus our attention not on the surface chaos of the world but on the emotions and truths that lie beneath. It gives us a way to process the unthinkable and to find meaning in a time when meaning seems elusive. In this sense, art becomes more than just creation—it becomes survival, a way to endure the cruelty of life and come out the other side with our souls intact.

So, the lesson of Pasovic’s words is clear: in our own lives, when we face suffering—whether personal, societal, or global—we must remember that in the deepest pain, there lies the potential for profound creativity. Whether through art, writing, music, or any form of expression, we must focus our energies on creating, on transforming our suffering into something that can help us understand ourselves and the world around us. The power of art in times of war and pain is not in its ability to change the world overnight, but in its power to change the hearts of those who experience it. Let us then embrace art not as a luxury, but as a necessity—a way to endure, to reflect, and to transform even the darkest times into opportunities for growth and understanding.