Art has the power to inspire, to provoke, to move people. Over the years, I've noticed that when things are censored, everyone loses.

Art is a powerful form of self-expression and cultural direction. When art is censored, society suffers as people are discouraged from creating and expressing what inspires them. Because of that, those that use art can be discouraged as well.

1. Censorship actively discourages creativity

Creativity requires freedom of speech and expression. When all that is necessary for creativity is a hint, people tend to take the hint and move on. When they don't, everyone is the loser.

Imagine a world without creativity. 

Creativity seeps into every industry and propels innovation. When creativity is stifled, so is industry. 

2. Censorship takes away your ability to deal with reality and face your problems.

By creating an imaginary problem in your head that will never be a real problem to confront, you never address the real problems in your life. And that makes you miserable.

When you are seeking relief from the heartache and pain of life, art, books and music are your first place to look. When these resources are censored, access is no longer possible.

3. Censorship imprisons

Even the most successful artists in history, like Pablo Picasso, have had to deal with various forms of censorship.

Every year, paintings and drawings and sculptures which show the brutal violence against animals are sold to be hung in public places.The object is to shock and to provoke. But the shock does not always come.

As a matter of fact, that would not be very shocking.

In the developed countries, more people die from being crushed under the wheels of lorries and trains than from the wounds of a sword.

As Dr. David Hume pointed out, speculation is useless. The greatest lie of all is that it can lead to truth. Instead, it leads to anger and frustration.

4. Censorship doesn't leave room for questioning

The truth is that you are in a constant state of questioning. You ask yourself questions constantly, about life, about your behavior, about the circumstances of the world.

You shouldn't let the fear of thinking stop you from making observations. And you shouldn't let the fear of thinking ruin your imagination. Censorship can cause you to fear free-thinking and discourages questioning those who created the censorship.

People need a certain amount of time to think and to wonder. Without that time and space to be with our inner thoughts, we are condemned to a numb, analytical, co-dependent existence.

5. Censorship denies people the chance to experience pleasure

Without an opportunity to engage in the human experience, we get nothing but pain.

In the book The Wheel of Time, the characters engage in things like homosexual and interracial relationships. Allowing these things to be depicted in a fictional series is not censorship, it's the free exchange of ideas and ideals.

Free-thinking and self-identification themes are extremely important and representation really matters. Some censorship can have detrimental effects on those who identify with that which is censored.

You can't argue that any of the characters in the novel are being un-Godly. They aren't. They are simply expressing their opinions, which are opinions others have as well.

6. Censorship is a relic of the past

The very idea of censoring or prohibiting anything is inherently reactionary. It is based on fear and anger.

In an age where information is available at the touch of a button, where anyone with an internet connection can see a video of an injustice happening, we should all take the opportunity to see these things and confront them- whether good or bad.

The solution is not to censor it, but to confront it. Identify what is incorrect and how to correct it. 

7. Censorship doesn't work in a free society

Firstly, censorship is the reversal of the 'open' and 'closed' society. It is the opposite of 'free' and 'freedom'. Censorship closes a society to free thoughts and ideals.

It is just another tool that the ruling class can use to suppress the masses. Think about it, the most powerful people in society are those in high positions of power and large amounts of wealth, so they have the pull to censor things.

If censorship cannot be exercised directly, then there will always be a regulator that controls what is released into the public domain. Either way, the public will suffer.

8. Art should be free

Art is one of the greatest weapons we have. Art can change ideas, encourage change, inspire revelations. 

In a world where there is such a small amount of freedom, where most of us live in poverty and helplessness, and where people are oppressed in a variety of ways, art provides a way out of the condition into which most of us are trapped.

There have been attempts to censor art in history. But what people should understand is that there has never been a single attempt to censor art that was not instantly reversed. When art is stifled, people are upset.

Every single attempt to censor has been reversed. And those attempts were always outrageous because the media loves censorship.

9. Censorship can still happen in a free-market but it is less powerful

Another example, which has also been used to control art, is the action of the Gallery Owner. The Gallery Owner in question has the right to deny the public entrance to an exhibition, because he is afraid that the exhibition might be offensive.

He is afraid that someone might go to an exhibition and see something offensive. Or the person might go to a meeting, and see something offensive. Or the person might just feel offended or disturbed by it.

There are many different situations in which the Gallery Owner can try to prevent the public from seeing a work of art. In the end, the decision is up to him because he owns the gallery.

He can, however, have a secret policy of never allowing anyone to view a work of art. That means that he is censoring the work of art.

The crucial point however, is that there will always be another gallery owner (or nowadays the internet) where we can see all the previously censored pieces of art.

We are now in a situation where complete freedom of information dissemination is possible. The only way this could change is if the government mandates so, which as art connesuirs, we should oppose.