Janie B. Cheaney
Janie B. Cheaney is the author of the Wordsmith creative writing series. In addition to magazine articles, she writes novels for young adults, including "The Playmaker," "The True Prince," "My Friend the Enemy," and "In the Middle of Somewhere." Click here to visit her blog, The Uncommon Place.

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Art in the heart

Why do we find joy in things that serve no practical function? | by Janie B. Cheaney

A little before 6 a.m., the horizontally striped sky in the east rolls out a news flash. Up next: spectacular sunrise. Regular early-risers will know to pause for a few minutes; it'll be worth it. If they missed the advance notice, a flaming sky slaps them in the face when passing a window. It always comes with a command: Look! LOOK!

We learned in junior high that certain atmospheric conditions produce the lighting effects, but the phenomenon itself sidesteps science and produces an answering cry in the soul. The heavens declare the glory of God at every hour, but sometimes, in these cracks between day and night, they shout. The sight is so intense it threatens to spill over to ears, nose, fingertips—what we see is a blast, a ringing chord that hangs in the air for a glorious moment and begins to fade so imperceptibly we don't notice at first.

A beautiful sunrise can be explained scientifically, but what explains the leap of our hearts when we see it? That's the real phenomenon: not that the sight can be glorious, but that we recognize it as glorious. Why do we feel compelled to look; why the tug of transcendence? Why exclaim over beauty, a response that seems so primal, yet serves no practical function?

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