This is one way to deal with that ignorance. If we can eliminate prejudicial thought at that level, then we've made a major accomplishment. Art opens people's imaginations to a wider world. And creative thinking, risk-taking, and openness to the new are qualities that are valued in many fields besides the arts. You won't have peace and agreement in the world unless we're connected by culture and art.
Art transcends borders.
It would be a very empty existence without art in our lives, either the art that we ourselves produce, or that which we enjoy through the labour of others. At the simplest level, they bring a purely aesthetic pleasure and a gaiety to life that often isn't there without them. We must never forget that essence of absolute joy, unjustified by any other reason than its existence, that the arts bring. They have other, less evident functions. By reflecting aspects of life and society they help to explain who we are, to make our identity visible.