Nothing worth doing can be achieved in a lifetime (?)

Do we have the patience for long-term transformation?

That's the primary question in a good screed by Erik Lokkesmoe regarding cultural change through the arts. He defines a decent standard for transformational art:

Our standard should be this: great art, entertainment, and media leaves the audience a little better off than when they first entered the theater, turned on the I-Pod, or opened the book. Art doesn’t have to be happy or easy; it should, however, be a vehicle for recreation and re-creation, an echo of grace that reminds us what it means to be human and more than human.