Musicians, Poets, and Actors

Around here, it’s ‘that’ time of year. All of the hard work done by those in school bands, choir, and drama is on full display in competitive arenas every weekend. Yes, sometimes long days result - but these days are filled with positive vibes.

I see the dedication. I feel the excitement. I experience the manifestation of hope for a world gone crazy. All of this is soul-soothing for me.

At the same time, I notice the willingness of these performers to take on the ills of society in a direct, emotional, and even confrontational manner. This generation wants to make a difference. Kudos!

The Musicians sing to us.

Disney's “Let It Go” (Frozen) was performed by a duet. This selection makes sense as personal identity is foremost during this time of our lives. But thoughts of another performer crept silently into my consciousness: this one found on YouTube. 

A Young Ukrainian Girl Singing "Let it Go" in a Shelter (2 years ago).

In the darkened theatre, the roller coaster of life took me upward through the thrills and excitement of a life-supporting performance of soulful hope but then pulled thoughts downward into a tunnel of soulful darkness at the speed of light.

• I wondered if this Ukrainian voice was still reaching for peace or maybe her sound had been silenced by fear, anguish, exhaustion, and perhaps profound loss. I even wondered if this child was still alive.
• I questioned whether my life's delusion had been revealed once and for all.
• I considered that this country I call home no longer cares about providing aid and protection for allies in other nations.
• I examined the possibility that this country I call home has stopped caring about aid and protection for the vulnerable and marginalized individuals right here in my land. My questioning mind plunges into despair as it considers the possibility that we never truly did. 

The Poets speak to us.

"Let America be the dream the dreamers dreamed—
Let it be that great strong land of love
Where never kings connive nor tyrants scheme
That any man be crushed by one above.

"(It never was America to me.)

"O, let my land be a land where Liberty
Is crowned with no false patriotic wreath,
But opportunity is real, and life is free,
Equality is in the air we breathe.

"(There’s never been equality for me,
Nor freedom in this “homeland of the free.”)"

Esquire Magazine published Langston Hughes's 1935 poem, "Let America Be America Again" in July 1936. I think it should be promoted vigorously again today. It appears that there are significant parallels between that time in history and our experiences today.

I wonder if this country I call home now specifically appoints financially beneficial transactions as the sole condition for pursuit - no matter what partners. Seeking this primary goal requires embracing our enemies while summarily dismissing commitments to friends. Perhaps that could easily change if our return on investment (ROI) opportunity changes. The term for this used to be called, "fickle." At the very least, it makes us undependable and disloyal.

Perhaps, this is what we want. Perhaps, this is what we voted for. We want our country to be managed as a for-profit business. We reject responsibility for individual citizens here and abroad.

We no longer care about aid and protection for allies. We care only about the expense of funds in search of profitable results. We are now a balance sheet business rather than a country-neighbor to our country-friends. Aid to protect the freedom of an invaded country is now to be purchased with the future value of what lies underneath the feet of its countrymen. And of course, they better be damned thankful while we attack their integrity, and yes even their right to exist.

The Actors show us.

• It takes courage and hutzpah to memorize and perform Bradley Walton's 368 Friends (Sample) in front of family, friends, and classmates.  
• It takes compassion and empathy to entice an audience to consider what makes up our idea of social media 'friendships'.
•  It takes the mastery of composure to walk an audience through something like depression and suicide. 

As this audience leans in, we are asked if we truly pay attention to each other in our social media heyday. The attendees will be emotionally moved by a commitment to a compassionate love for all people or they will reject empathy toward the troubles others experience with a conscious decision.

In either case, the 'others' must be all-inclusive.

"That night, I posted that I was depressed. No responses. Nothing the next day. Hadn't anybody seen my post? Didn't anyone notice how I was acting at school? The way I was slouching? The way I avoided eye contact? How I barely touch my lunch? Didn't anyone care?

"Last night I posted that I was thinking of killing myself. Nothing. Someone new from Art class added me as a friend. I was up to 369, and nothing."

I accept the guidance of this actor while I question - everything. I become weary of the frequent internal battles as I recognize my failures. I desperately try to avoid keeping a tally.

But I know that I cannot be a better version of myself unless I listen. And if I listen, I need to evaluate. And if I evaluate, I need to act on the results of my test scores. These battles cannot be won without a fight.  

And of course, all of this is true as a nation as well. 

Is it possible? Do we no longer care about little girls forced to live in shelters as we align ourselves with those who destroyed her home – her country? 

Is it possible? Do we truly reject any responsibility for the oppression of our own?

Is it possible? Can we find a way to follow the Jesus that I read about?

And so, I pray.

"This is what the Lord says: Do what is just and right. Rescue from the hand of the oppressor the one who has been robbed. Do no wrong or violence to the foreigner, the fatherless, or the widow, and do not shed innocent blood in this place." Jeremiah 22:3

"Learn to do right; seek justice.
    Defend the oppressed.
Take up the cause of the fatherless;
    plead the case of the widow." Isaiah 1:17

"The Lord works righteousness and justice for all the oppressed." Psalm 103:6

"You, Lord, hear the desire of the afflicted;
    you encourage them, and you listen to their cry,
defending the fatherless and the oppressed,
    so that mere earthly mortals
    will never again strike terror." Psalm 10:18

"If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person?"  1 John 3:17-18

"Give justice to the weak and the fatherless; maintain the right of the afflicted and the destitute" Matthew 18"10

I Didn’t Know, a Confession, and a Way Forward

I have been around the block a few times and I spent much of my life thinking, “Things are getting better. People are getting better.” But I didn’t know.

I Didn't Know

Maritime Law

Spencer Dutton. "I am in your debt." 
Ship's Captain. "You're in no such thing. I think perhaps the sea is the last place where men do the right thing for that reason alone." 
Spencer Dutton. "Maybe the whole world should be put to sea.
Ship's Captain. "The whole world would drown."
        The Rule of 500, The Television Series, 1923

Running Late

We were cutting it close, too close. But we made the stop anyway. I could say that the car needed gas. But the truth is, we needed gas – coffee!

So, we found an unknown. It was the only shop Google found for us. We even needed to backtrack a little bit. 

NO! It would not be open for another 6 minutes. But an eagle-eyed passenger noted that others were walking by our parking spot and entering, (what’s this?), another coffee shop! 

Hope From Those in School

In the first January article, I noted that my 2025 word-of-the-year challenge is to be a warmer person. 

I knew that would be a difficult goal but that’s the point of this annual exercise – to improve in areas where one needs improvement.

But today, I’m not feeling warm. All I can think about is the windchill of minus 30 degrees. I’ll take a break from that warm person thing since there’s less chance than a cold day in hell that I’ll see anybody today. I’m off the hook while shivering in place. Sounds fair.

I will take this time to wrap up in a blanket and read a book. Before picking up the novel, I will spend a little time reinforcing the I-never-want-to-forget memories from yesterday. 

Always Learning

"War may sometimes be a necessary evil. But no matter how necessary, it is always an evil, never a good. We will not learn how to live together in peace by killing each other's children." (Carter’s speech accepting the Democratic presidential nomination in 1976.)

Given the circumstances of this past week, many Jimmy Carter quotes have been published. When reading this one, I thought of the Sermon on the Mount. I imagined Jesus responding, “But I say to you, until you love and care for every child, there can be no peace in the world nor your heart.”

A Warm Challenge

I fear I have “bitten off more than I can chew”. That common metaphor has never been truer than today.

You might be aware that ‘it’s that time of year’, I recently waged a small internal battle to determine my 2025 Word of the Year. I won’t know about the results of this ‘war’ until “it’s that time of year”, next year. I know - you can hardly wait.

This is the 12th year I have taken part in this annual discipline. Looking over the words and phrases from the past, one might lean toward discouragement – one like me, for instance. You’d think by now, after spending a year with each of these words/phrases, I might be extensively improved. But I think, well OK, I’ll be honest, I know I am not the new and improved version I seek to be.