Art is long, life is transitory

The literal meaning of this proverb is that; Art is vast and human life is short. This is quite true as the whole life of a person is short enough to learn any art to its perfection. It is foolish, if a person thinks that he can master various arts in his life time. As art is eternal, it requires skill and practice. An honest artist only can make his art immortal if he is perfect. None can be perfect as it is said that perfection thy name is God.

The most essential aspect in this world is acquiring knowledge. Most people acquire partial knowledge but pretend as if they are very learned and knowledgeable. They pretend to know everything after knowing a little bit. These pretensions cause a lot of trouble not only to the person but also to people surrounding them. A classic example is illustrated in Mahabharata where Arjun’s son Abimanyu enters the Chakravyu without knowing how to come out of it and this led to his death. 

The great celebrities of the world, who reached the peak of glory were never satisfied. They felt that till then they were not perfect. They said that they could not understand the infinite nature of art fully. Newton, a great scientist, who made many discoveries, said in the end that he was only a child gathering pebbles on the shining sands of the vast ocean of knowledge.

It is very strange that there is a certainty of the life of creation but there is no certainty of the life of its creator. The life of human being is transitory and fleeting. But his art keeps him alive for centuries to come. However, the work of art is not sufficient there are numerous beautiful expressions that make it eternal and everlasting. True and honest artists never think that they are perfect. Throughout their life they try their best to attain perfection, even then they say that life is short and art is long. They say that hundreds of years are less to attain perfection as the sphere of art is very long and vast.

We should strive with our best efforts to deepen our knowledge in the area of our interest. With very little and shallow knowledge, our journey will never be complete. We will be caught in the problems of mediocrity. This proverb has always been relevant and will always be a guiding proverb for generations to come.