I wrote this song four years ago when Chump faced impeachment twice. Now he faces a guilty verdict for a felony offense. Will he skirt this charge just like he did the impeachment charges? Will his followers rally to strike fear in the heart of the jury and judge? Will his sycophantic followers find ways to get him off? Just substitute Felony for Impeachable and sing along with me. No big difference.
A Vote for Donald Trump is a Vote for Hatred, Bigotry and Fear
17 Jun 2024 1 Comment
I wrote this blog in 2016 before Trump was elected. It is just as true now as it was then and it is just as relevant. Please feel free to repost this blog, share it with your neighbors or share it with anyone dumb enough to plan to vote for Trump.
My Final Will and Testament – Achievements – Reflection #12
13 Jun 2024 4 Comments
in Uncategorized Tags: accomplishments, achievements, education, effort, math, success, teaching, worksheets
Last year at my 40th Demontreville Retreat, one of the exercises that we were given by the Retreat Master included a very challenging set of thoughts. The worksheet for the activity was labeled as “A Testament.” I took the worksheet and instructions home with me. It had fourteen tasks or reflections to complete. I did not desire to complete them during the retreat. It is now almost a year since my retreat, and I have decided to make the mental and emotional effort necessary to complete this “Testament.”
The worksheet started with these instructions:
Imagine that this is the last day of your life on earth. In the time that you have left, you want to leave a “Testament” for your family and friends. Each of the following could serve as chapter headings for your “Testament.” This is Reflection Number 12 on the worksheet.
12. These are my life’s achievements.
Since this is number 12 on my worksheet, I am simply going to list 12 things that I think I have accomplished. Mind you, I do not believe that I am done or that I finished any of the following tasks. I think they are all works in process, and I will continue working on them until my last breath. Here are my 12 Life Achievements:
- I have made some people happy
- I have helped many people lead more successful lives
- I have had two great wives and a wonderful daughter
- I have had many good friends over the years
- I have tried to live a life of honesty and integrity
- I have never kissed anyone’s butt for a promotion or other benefits
- I have helped promote good will between unions and corporate management
- I have left thoughts and ideas which will serve as a reminder of how people could live more productive lives
- I have taken risks where it would have been more prudent to play it safe
- I have supported many charities and funds for people that need help regardless of what country they are from
- I have been open minded about exploring new ideas, new music, new travels, new food, new friends, and new work
- I have tried my best to be a good friend, a good father, a good husband and a good person
I again reiterate the fact that most of my above activities or achievements are not finished. I will deign not to give myself a report card on any of them. I will leave it to others and to the people that come after me to describe my life in more clinical terms. For now, I am proud that these are the things that I have tried to achieve and that I have valued in my life.
“We cannot seek achievement for ourselves and forget about progress and prosperity for our community… Our ambitions must be broad enough to include the aspirations and needs of others, for their sakes and for our own.” — Cesar Chavez
“Wisdom, compassion, and courage are the three universally recognized moral qualities of men.” — Confucious
“The only limit to the height of your achievements is the reach of your dreams and your willingness to work hard for them.” — Michelle Obama
“The difference between what we do and what we are capable of doing would suffice to solve most of the world’s problems.” — Mahatma Gandhi
Next Reflections: I am listing the final two. I will return to the task of completing my Final Will and Testament in September.
- These are the people who are enshrined in my heart
- These are my unfilled desires
I will be gone for the summer, but you can continue to read my blogs. I have scheduled some blogs to be posted from several years past that I doubt many of you have read. I hope you will read and comment on them. I look forward to visiting my site and seeing what you think. Do my “old” musings stand the test of time?
My Final Will and Testament – Regrets – Reflection #11
11 Jun 2024 2 Comments
in Uncategorized Tags: compassion, depression, empathy, feelings, kindness, life, loneliness, love, mental health, mercy, patience, regrets, relationships
Last year at my 40th Demontreville Retreat, one of the exercises that we were given by the Retreat Master included a very challenging set of thoughts. The worksheet for the activity was labeled as “A Testament.” I took the worksheet and instructions home with me. It had fourteen tasks or reflections to complete. I did not desire to complete them during the retreat. It is now almost a year since my retreat, and I have decided to make the mental and emotional effort necessary to complete this “Testament.”
The worksheet started with these instructions:
Imagine that this is the last day of your life on earth. In the time that you have left, you want to leave a “Testament” for your family and friends. Each of the following could serve as chapter headings for your “Testament.” This is Reflection Number 11 on the worksheet.
- These are the things that I Regret about my life.
I would rather not write this section, but I am going to anyway. I have thought about it for several weeks now. I dreaded when I would reach this reflection. I had one friend who said he had “No regrets” before he died. How I envy that perspective. I still wonder whether he was telling the truth or whether there was something wrong with him. Perhaps, if he is telling the truth, he may someday be canonized as a Saint.
There will be no sainthood for me. I have more regrets than I can count. Some days, I feel like my entire life is one big series of regrets. Instead of being a serial killer, I am a serial regreter. If I could go back into the past and try to undo some of the things I did, I would not know where to start. I have decided to lump my Regrets into three categories. Each category has some common traits. The first is Regrets due to a lack of patience. The second is Regrets due to a lack of compassion. The third and final category is Regrets due to a lack of kindness.
Let us get started on this task of sorrowful confessions. In my defense, I hope I have learned over the years many things to mitigate making the same mistakes that I did when I was younger. I would like to think that I am a very different person now than I was forty years ago. Many of my Regrets are in the past. My biggest Regret is that I cannot go back and rewind the past.
Regrets Due to a Lack of Patience:
A lack of patience may just be one of the most destructive traits that anyone can have. You can defend it if you want to, but I have too often been impatient to see much virtue in it. Most good things come to those who, if not willing to wait, at least have the patience to persevere in a task or mission that could take years. We keep reminding ourselves that Rome was not built in a day but neither did it fall overnight. History is replete of antecedents to subsequent events proving that most of the problems of today actually started many years if not decades or centuries earlier.
There are certain calculations I should like to make with you,
To be sure that your deductions will be logical and true;
And remember, ‘Patience, Patience,’ is the watchword of a sage,
Not to-day nor yet to-morrow can complete a perfect age.
— From Sarah Williams, Twilight Hours: A Legacy of Verse
I was not a patient person. I had a great many talents but foolishly I thought that these talents gave me the right and ability to circumvent practice, dedication, training and experience. I wanted everything today or at least by next week. I expected that my brains and intellect gave me the privilege to neglect what all the great writers, artists, musicians, athletes and other talented people know. There is no greatness without hard work and discipline.
Regrets Due to a Lack of Compassion:
I grew up believing that emotions were somehow evil. Thinking and brains and knowledge and intellect were everything. Emotions led us astray. Somewhere in life, I learned that unless you suffer the same emotions as other people do, you cannot empathize with them. Until you experience what pain and heartbreak and sorrow and Regret, and joy and love feel like you cannot understand what other people are going through in their lives. Without empathy, there is no compassion. Without compassion there is no forgiveness or mercy. You end up becoming hard like a rock but with about as many feelings. You protect yourself by eliminating feelings, but that process creates an unscalable wall between you and other human beings.
You eventually are doomed from this lack of feelings to acquiring perhaps the most horrible feeling of all. That is the feeling of absolute loneliness. You are no longer part of the human race or anything else. You exist in a vacuum. You neither care about anyone nor does anyone care about you. Loneliness kills. There is evidence that dying early is linked to loneliness and social isolation. Suicides due to loneliness are well known to be one of the major causes of death in the USA.
“A meta-analysis of 90 studies examined the links between loneliness, social isolation and early death among more than 2 million adult. They were followed for anywhere from six months to 25 years. Participants who reported feeling lonely were 14% more likely to die early than those who did not. People who experienced social isolation had a 32% higher risk of dying early.” — Kristen Rogers CNN, December 24, 2023
“Men who often experienced loneliness, or those who were lonely and living alone, or with a non-partner, were found to have three times higher risk for death by suicide compared to those who were cohabiting.” — How living alone, loneliness and lack of emotional support link to suicide and self-harm
Loneliness has been found to be different by the generation we are born with as well as by race and gender.
Generation Z (ages 18-22) is the loneliest generation, with 79% reporting feelings of loneliness according to a study by Cigna.
Millennials (ages 23-37) also report high levels of loneliness, with 71% saying they feel lonely at times in a survey by YouGov.
According to a study by YouGov, women are more likely to report feeling lonely than men, with 72% of women saying they feel lonely at times compared to 60% of men.
According to a study by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, Black Americans report feeling lonely more often than white Americans, with 44% of Black adults reporting feelings of loneliness compared to 37% of white adults.
Looking back on my life, I see many people who I pushed away because I would not let my feelings show. Over the years, I have lost friends and relatives because I did not care enough about maintaining the relationships to reach out and “touch someone.” It was often easier for me to just ignore my feelings and assume others would do likewise. I have written several blogs where I say, “Don’t wait.” “Tell them you love them now.” “Tell them you admire them.” “Tell them how important they are to you.”
Do it now. Don’t wait until you are full of Regrets.
Regrets Due to a Lack of Kindness:
Kindness is not the same as compassion. Though I think without compassion there can probably be no kindness. I might be wrong here but I think kindness (at least physical kindness) like opening doors for people or letting another person sit down first can simply be good manners. A robotic reaction taught by habit and custom and enforced by upbringing that might have little or nothing to do with compassion. Kindness of whatever stripe involves action. You must demonstrate kindness by your behavior towards others.
I do not think that emotional kindness can exist without empathy and compassion. Emotional kindness is a nurturing of the spirit whereas physical kindness is a nurturing of the body. I think I have always been good at the latter but seldom good at the former. As I think more about the matter, my regrets come from the emotional and spiritual harm I have done to others by ignoring their emotional and spiritual needs.
For instance, when my daughter was growing up, I took her skiing, bicycling, swimming and camping. All activities where I spent time in physical empathy with what I assumed were fun and enjoyable needs of my daughter. As for her emotional needs, I cannot say that I ever really recognized any. Mores the pity, because that is where I did the damage. Like a bull in China shop, I treated her in ways that I can reflect back on now and realize led to a suicide attempt and two failed marriages for her. On the few times in the past years that we have been together, I can see that she is a hard person. The kind of person I thought it was great to be. A person who could (to paraphrase Hamlet) “suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune and take up arms against a sea of troubles, and by opposing end them.”
I did not realize that sometimes a person needs a shoulder to cry on more than they need arms and arrows. Could I go back and be a different dad, I would do so in a heartbeat. Alas, I have not found the time machine to take me back to undo the many hurts I caused by trying to ignore feelings. I wish I could say that I never do so anymore, but that would make everything in my final will and testament “One Big Lie.” If nothing else, I want to tell the truth. Perhaps the truth that I tell can set someone else free.
Next Reflection:
- These are my life’s Achievements
A Simple Man Meets Faust:
10 Jun 2024 21 Comments
in Uncategorized Tags: academic, country boy, country living, Devil, faust, intellectual, learned, mephistopholes, satan, simple man, soft bed, study, warm woman
In this world of juxtaposition and dialectical opposites, there does not seem to be any two individuals who could be further apart than Ricky Van Shelton’s Simple Man and Goethe’s Faust. However, looks and paradigms can often be deceiving.
A Simple Man (since we don’t know his actual name he will remain a “Simple Man”) is a good old country boy. We presume he is a blue collar worker, never went to college and probably does some hard manual labor. He loves to hunt, fish and drink with Bubba, Billy Joe and the other guys. He is everyman’s down to earth guy. He does not worry about the future but takes one day at a time. His thoughts are more likely to meander around his next fishing hole than to try to plumb the meaning of the universe.
Faust for all apparent purposes has not a thing in common with a Simple Man. Faust is complex, morose, introverted, elderly and a true intellectual. No doubt Faust went to Oxford or some high class German Academy. He ranked not only first in his class but first in every academic endeavor he ever undertook. He went on to become the most esteemed Doctor of Philosophy in German and European history. He loves to read, write, compose and publish esoteric treatises on the nature of the universe and the meaning of reality. Faust is first among thinkers and intellectuals.
Well, there you have it. Two diametrically opposed male personalities. A Simple Man and his mirror image Faust. But beware! Appearances can be deceiving. Things may not always be as they seem. Could it be that Faust and a Simple Man have more in common than you would think? Follow me as we examine a dialogue between a Simple Man and his wife and a dialogue between Faust and Mephistopheles. Note similarities. Note differences. A Simple Man wants to find peace of mind and his “baby” does not seem to understand his real needs. Mephistopheles finds Faust also distraught and agitated. Despite Faust’s soaring intellect, he is unhappy with his life and the success he has achieved. He responds to Mephistopheles, the devil, who purports to be able to give Faust the happiness he desires.
A Simple Man: (Lyrics and Music by Ricky Van Shelton)
I don’t know why you wanna start with me
I ain’t done nothin’ far as I can see
And I’m worn out from working too hard
Why don’t you give me a break.
Faust: (Music by Gounod, Lyrics by Goethe)
All to know, all in earth and heaven.
No light illumines the visions, ever
thronging my brain ; no peace is given,
And I linger, thus sad and weary,
Without power to sunder the chain
Binding my soul to life always dreary.
Nought do I see! Nought do I know
- Both men are worn down and worn out. Both are feeling hopeless.
A Simple Man:
I know that lately things ain’t been so good
I’ll make it up just like I told you I would
But I’m tired and I wanna sit down
To ease a sore backache
Faust:
Again the light of a new day !
O death ! when will thy dusky wings
Above me hover and give me rest?
- Both men want peace and rest
A Simple Man:
You say you’re having trouble figuring me
I don’t believe I’m such a mystery
Baby what you get is what you see
I am a simple man
I wanna a job and a piece of land
Three squares in my frying pan
Don’t seem so hard to me to understand
Faust:
Cursed be all of man’s vile race !
Cursed be the chains which bind him in his place!
Cursed be visions false, deceiving!
Cursed the folly of believing!
Cursed be dreams of love or hate !
Cursed be souls with joy elate.
Cursed be science, prayer, and faith!
Cursed my fate in life and death!
Infernal king, arise!
- Science, prayer and faith cannot provide the peace each man requires. Faust has given up on intellectual solutions while a Simple Man still believes in the joys of work, land and food.
A Simple Man:
You say you got some things to talk about
A lot of problems that we need to work out
But we just end up fighting
Why don’t you give it a rest
I don’t know what else I can say to you
I’m doing everything I know to do
And I can’t give you anything more
When I’m giving my best
Faust:
I sigh for thy kisses,
Its love I demand!
With ardor unwonted
I long now to burn ;
I sigh for the rapture
Of heart and of sense.
- What both Faust and a Simple Man really want is love.
A Simple Man:
You say you’re having trouble figuring me
I don’t believe I’m such a mystery
Baby what you get is what you see
I am a simple man
I wanna place I can lay my head
Soft woman and a warm bed
A little time off before I’m dead
I’m just a simple man
Faust:
But implore in vain.
Let me thy hand take, and clasp it,
And behold but thy face once again,
Illum’d by that pale light,
From yonder moon that shines,
O’er thy beauteous features shedding
Its faint but golden ray.
- Faust is more eloquent but a Simple Man hits the nail on the head. I just want a soft woman and a warm bed.
A Simple Man:
You say you’re having trouble figuring me
I don’t believe I’m such a mystery
Baby what you get is what you see
I am a simple man
Faust:
Again the light of a new day !
O death ! when will thy dusky wings
Above me hover and give me rest?
- Both the opera and the song leave you with the impression that neither Faust nor a Simple Man obtains the life they want to live. Something is out of kilter that cannot be set right. Tragic expectations on the part of both a Simple Man and Faust are never fulfilled in the real world. Neither books nor hunting, nor ideas nor actions enable either man to find what they are looking for.
A Zen Master happens to be walking by and overhears the laments of both Faust and a Simple Man. He notes the apparent remorse and confusion of their musings. He is struck by their sadness and attempts to offer some wisdom which he feels might be consoling.
Zen Master:
Life cannot be lived through others. The secret of happiness is to let go of your expectations for happiness and to realize that happiness is only obtained through inner wisdom and not through external ideas or things or people.
You Faust thought that ideas and your intellect could bring you happiness. When this mode failed, you gave your soul up for the immediate pleasures of the world. You failed in both efforts.
You Simple Man thought that you could escape responsibility for your happiness. You thought your wife would provide you the succor and tranquility which your lifestyle necessitated. You thought she would be the warm pillow and soft bed who would take care of your weary bones. You have also failed to find the peace you desired.
Faust: I am half a man.
Simple Man: And I the other half!
Zen Master: Perhaps two halves make a whole.
Time for Questions:
What similarities between a Simple Man and Faust did you find? What differences did you find? What if anything surprised you about their thoughts and needs? Do we think focus more on the differences between people than the similarities? Would it make a difference in how we view the world if we saw more similarities between people? Do you think you are very different from most people or very similar? Why? How have your differences and similarities affected your life?
Life is Just Beginning.
My Final Will and Testament – Scriptures – Reflection #10
07 Jun 2024 Leave a comment
in Uncategorized Tags: bible, charity, christianity, faith, God, greed, Jesus, peace
Last year at my 40th Demontreville Retreat, one of the exercises that we were given by the Retreat Master included a very challenging set of thoughts. The worksheet for the activity was labeled as “A Testament.” I took the worksheet and instructions home with me. It had fourteen tasks or reflections to complete. I did not desire to complete them during the retreat. It is now almost a year since my retreat, and I have decided to make the mental and emotional effort necessary to complete this “Testament.”
The worksheet started with these instructions:
Imagine that this is the last day of your life on earth. In the time that you have left, you want to leave a “Testament” for your family and friends. Each of the following could serve as chapter headings for your “Testament.” This is Reflection Number 10 on the worksheet.
- These are the Scripture Texts that have touched and helped me.
My being an Atheist some people might think that I would have a hard time with finding Scriptures that have touched me. In truth, it is one of the easiest reflections for me to think about. I have so many wonderful parables from the New Testament and many proverbs and wisdom from the Old Testament that I use to guide my life and decisions. I see the Bible as another source of great wisdom that has been compiled over the ages. It is a combination of history, storytelling and profound thoughts compiled into one large book. I do not view the Bible as infallible or “The Word of God” unless I use that interpretation very loosely. If there is a God, perhaps he does reside in all of us and all of us are “Children of God.”
In 1775, Thomas Paine wrote a short essay criticizing slavery and reflecting on “Pretended” Christians who could support such a practice. His words were:
“to catch inoffensive people, like wild beasts, for slaves, is a height of outrage against humanity and justice, that seems left by heathen nations to be practiced by ‘pretended’ Christians.” — African Slavery in America, 1775
Today we have a system that seems somewhat analogous to the system of “Pretended Christians” that Thomas Paine described 250 years ago. “Pretended Christians” who can support a man and party that attacks, insults, abuses, and maligns minorities, immigrants, women, disabled people, and veterans. A man who swears vengeance against the people who disagree with his policies. A man who pays no attention to Scripture which says:
“Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord. Therefore, if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing, thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head. Be not overcome of evil but overcome evil with good.” — Romans 12:19-21 King James Version
Many of the people insulted by this man continue to feel that he is some sort of Christian Savior. A man who will restore Christianity as the Mother Religion of America. A position for religion that not one of the 56 signers of the Declaration of Independence, our Founding Fathers either desired or supported. We have a country full of people who want to call America a Christian nation but who neither practice nor believe in one iota of what Jesus of Nazareth taught and died for. We have a nation full of “Pretended Christians.” I do not pretend to be a Christian or a Saint or a Holy Man. God (If he/she exists) save me from these “Pretended Hypocritical Christians.”
The following are four of the scripture quotes that have had the most influence on my life. I will briefly describe the impact that each has had on my thoughts and behaviors.
- What doth it profit a man if he gain the whole world but suffer the loss of his own soul? — Matthew 16:26
The first Jesuit retreat that I did at Demontreville in 1984, upon entering the grounds I saw the larger-than-life sized statue of Saint Ignatius Loyola, the founder of the Jesuit Order. He stands on a large concrete pedestal. I was forty years old at the time and just finishing my Ph.D. degree. I was hungry for fame and fortune and success. During the retreat, I walked up to the statue and discovered the words “What doth it profit a man if he gain the whole world but suffer the loss of his own soul?’ written on the base of the pedestal. These words are perhaps the most profound words I have ever heard in my life. I went back several times during the retreat to read and reflect on these words. Over the past forty years or so, despite these words being etched in my brain, I always go to see the statue of St. Ignatius and silently repeat these words to myself several times.
My first visit to these words did not stop me from chasing what some call the elusive gods of fame and fortune. Over the years, my chasing has become less vigorous, but the goal posts still exist in my mind. Part of me longs to carry the football over the goal line and to hear the roar of the crowd and bask in shouts of “hurrah” and “you’re the greatest.” The fortune part has never really mattered as much to me as the adulation and recognition that I still thirst for. Thus, every year that I go back to Demontreville, (this will be my 41st retreat), I will make my pilgrimage to the statue to restore my commitment to the fact that fame and fortune are no substitute for the real nutrients that nurture the soul. No amount of fame and fortune can substitute for integrity, compassion, kindness and charity towards others.
- Therefore, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble. — Matthew 6:34
Another phrase from the teachings of Jesus as marked down by Matthew. Throughout history, this same thought has been voiced by most of the great prophets, thinkers and philosophers. “Live each day one moment at a time.” “Live in the now.” “Be mindful of today.” Doing so is akin to walking a tightrope. It requires a sense of balance. We must plan for the future, but we must also live one day at a time. How to find that balance is a Herculean task. A second Herculean task is maintaining our balance. These two tasks are by far more difficult in the modern world than slaying the Nemean lion or capturing the Cretan bull. Hercules managed to complete 12 very difficult tasks. I have yet to manage completing even one of my two challenges. I suppose I will be working on “Living in the Now” for the rest of my days.
- Vanity of vanities, says the Preacher, vanity of vanities! All is vanity. — Ecclesiastes 1
The Book of Ecclesiastes is reported to have been written by King Solomon. Solomon as you know was one of the wisest men in history. He was granted wisdom by God because Solomon did not ask for fame or fortune.
“And God said to Solomon: Because this was in your heart, and you have not asked for riches or wealth or honor or the life of your enemies, nor have you asked for long life; but you have asked for wisdom and knowledge for yourself, that you may judge My people over whom I have made you king.” — (2 Chronicles 1:11-12 NKJV)
Buddhism, Advaita, Zen and other religions talk about the major problem that leads to all of humanities other problems being what psychologists call our Ego. Solomon called it vanity. Some might call it self-conceit, narcissism, self-centeredness, self-absorption, me-ism or egotism. Its all the same. People become the center of the universe. I saw a sign the other day that read “When I am not the center of the universe, people become human.” This is another difficult battle to overcome. We can focus only on our own needs or desires, or we can expand our awareness to notice the needs and desires of other people.
The Eight Beatitudes given by Jesus in his famous Sermon on the Mount are the greatest exposition of our responsibility to other people that has ever been written. Jesus elucidated what are called the Eight Beatitudes. I will not list them all as they are easy to find on Google. These eight thoughts clearly define how we should treat other people. I often wonder why so many “Pretended Christians” want to put up the 10 Commandments from the Old Testament, when their Jesus gave them the 8 Beatitudes to obey. I have actually read that many “Evangelicals” believe that the 8 Beatitudes are wimpy. The lack of respect for the man that founded Christianity is beyond belief.
I try ever day to remember that I am not the center of the universe. The world does not revolve around me. For every one of my rights, there is a responsibility. I need to look out for others and to help those in need, be they gay, women, immigrants, minorities or even right-wing bigots. They are all part of the human race. To paraphrase Ben Franklin, “Either we all work together for a better world, or we shall surely all perish together in ways that none of us desire.”
- It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to go to heaven. — Mark 10:25
My friend Kwame says that we should be grateful that we are not rich. Money is a corrupting influence. It is somewhat like a drug. It is addictive. The more you get the more you want. The more you have the more you need. Another friend of mine whom I met in China told me before we left Shanghai in 1989 that we were rich. I explained that we were not rich, but very middle class. In fact, we were definitely not even upper middle class. Xibo said, “you are rich to us in China. You have nice house, and you can afford to travel to distant countries.” Xibo’s comments were very accurate, and they had the effect of making me realize just how selfish I often am. I am bemoaning my mundane middle-class status when to most of the rest of the world, I am regarded as rich. Never mind regarded. I am rich to possibly 90 percent of the world.
I am told by biblical interpreters that Jesus never said “rich people were bad” or that rich people could not go to heaven. What Jesus did say and used many parables to illustrate the fact was that it would be hard for rich people to get to heaven. Money is a heavy load to carry, and it corrupts. Lord Acton said that “Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.” The same can be said of money, “Money corrupts, and excessive money corrupts excessively.”
Regard the quest for money in the USA today. Everyone wants more than they have. We worry about Inflation, about immigrants stealing our jobs, about the Chinese sending too many products to us. On the other hand, billions of dollars are now spent on people trying to get rich quick through pull-tabs, lotteries, online gambling and now sports betting. The mania for money is fueled by the incessant celebrities, media influencers and TV shows touting the “Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous.” The airwaves, newspapers, Internet and all of our media are full of non-stop advertising. “Shop till you drop” should be the title of a song or at least put on the US dollar bill right under George Washington’s picture.
To be mindful of what I have I keep repeating this thought in my head. ‘It is easier for the camel than the rich man to get to heaven.” By the way, I do not believe in heaven or hell but I take it metaphorically that it is better for the human race if I try to be the camel and not rich and greedy.
Next Reflection:
- These are things that I Regret about my life.
My Final Will and Testament – Influences – Reflection #9 — Part 3 Music
05 Jun 2024 Leave a comment
in Uncategorized Tags: history, interviews, music, news, rock
Since this blog is about music, there is no better way to read it than by listening to an Andre Rieu concert. The first number is “Conquest of Paradise” by Vangelis. The second number is the “Soldiers Chorus” from Gounod’s Faust. Click on the link above. I think the background will enhance your reading pleasure.
Imagine that this is the last day of your life on earth. In the time that you have left, you want to leave a “Testament” for your family and friends.
- These are the Influences (people, literature, and Music) that have shaped me.
Music
“Music soothes the savage beast” — William Congreve
“Music is a moral law. It gives soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination, and charm and gaiety to life and to everything.” — Plato
“Next to the Word of God, music deserves the highest praise. The gift of language combined with the gift of song was given to man that he should proclaim the Word of God through Music.” — Martin Luther
“Music was my refuge. I could crawl into the space between the notes and curl my back to loneliness.” — Maya Angelou
I love music. I love all music and all genres of music. Yes, there are songs, composers, and performers that I do not like within every genre. However, I have never found a genre of music from any culture in history or anywhere in the world that did not have something to feed my desires. Music is food for the soul and a variety of music provides an abundance of nutrition. The more variety I find in music, the more variety I can bring to my musical dining experience.
I love listening to Opera, Classical Music, Blues, Pop, Rock, Gospel, Country, Fado, Enka, Irish, African, Indian, Chinese and Rap. Depending on what I am hungry for I might listen to Calypso or Reggae, or I might listen to Celtic and Madrigals. I might be in the mood for country and cowboy songs, or I might feel like listening to “Golden Oldies.” My musical tastes are as varied as my food tastes.
I grew up with an Italian father who loved Opera. My mother was a southerner who gave me a love of Hank Williams, Patsy Cline, Homer and Jethro and Elvis Presley. My fathers tastes were more for Caruso, Callas, Pavarotti, and Domingo. My favorite Operas are Carmen, Madam Butterfly, The Pearl Fishers, Il Trovatore, Rigoletto, and Manon Lescaut.
I love Broadway musicals like Cats, 1776, Phantom of the Opera, Man of La Mancha, Fiddler on the Roof, Camelot, Chorus Line, and Les Misérables. I love movie musicals like Paint Your Wagon, Grease, Tommy, Hair, Oklahoma, and the Wizard of Oz. Of course, sometimes a musical goes from Broadway to Hollywood but there are often differences which make both genres interesting and tasty.
Some of my favorite composers include Tchaikovsky, Andrew Lloyd Webber, Lerner and Lowe , Rogers and Hammerstein, Beethoven, Verdi, Puccini, Mozart, and Bizet. Some of my favorite singers include Harry Belafonte, Dolly Parton, Shakira, Nina Simone, Marvin Gaye, Bob Dylan, Pete Seegar, Paul Robeson, Little Richard, Arlo Guthrie, the Beetles, Elvis Presley, and Ronnie Milsap. I have listened to and love most of the great operatic tenors and sopranos from Caruso to Fatma Said. The list of these great singers would take up two pages at least.
I want to conclude these reflections on the Music that has made a difference in my life with a simple explanation of why so much of the music from the above sources has made a difference and what differences they have made.
When I was young, I did not listen to much music. My parents were never very musical and if it was not on the radio, we never had any music around the house. Sometime, around my middle school years (5th and 6th grades, I discovered rock and roll. This would have been during the birth or at least White birth of Rock and Roll (1954 was when the genre got its name). Black people had been listening to similar music long before Elvis Presley came on the Ed Sullivan show in 1956. Later, when I went to high school, I took a course in Classical music which I found boring. I hated the class. I mostly enjoyed listening to Rock and Roll. Country was not really an option on the East Coast in the fifties. I cannot say to have had any deep or serious appreciation of music.
I think the big change in my musical tastes occurred after my first wife and I split. I realized that I had been so focused on work that I had little time for anything else. I wanted to start trying new things out and doing some things that I had never done before. Being alone, I rediscovered my joy for libraries and just sitting around reading a good book. The library in Eau Claire had the typical reading rooms as well as a few music rooms. You could select some albums from the library collection and listen to them in the room with a headset. I decided to explore several of the genres that I had avoided when younger. I selected a large amount of classical music, folk music, and world music to explore.
You know how when you first taste something, you may not like it. However, the more you eat it the more it grows on you. That was how music went with me. The more I tasted of Beethoven, Bach, Brahms, and other types of music from different parts of the globe, the more I began to love music. My music menu soon extended to well beyond Rock and Roll to many of the genres that I have already mentioned. My diet for music became insatiable. Karen and I try to go to at least one musical performance a month.
This Saturday Karen and I are going to the 2024 Race Amity Day: Unity Through Music program at the Baha’i Faith Community Center in Scottsdale. We are not members of the Baha’i faith and are going with some friends who invited us. Karen plays piano and several other instruments very well. She often does some solo performances as well as group performances. Over the years I have declined Karen’s encouragement to become a player. I prefer to be a listener. Too much dedication and focus required to become a good player is not in my age-appropriate activity group. I am happy to go to interesting performances and enjoy someone else who plays or sings or composes better than I ever could.
So, what do I get from the great deal of variety in my musical diet? What are the nutritional benefits from this smorgasbord of music? This is difficult to describe. It seems that music mellows and tempers my moods. Sometimes music is like a stimulant and it lifts my spirit and energizes me. Spanish bullfight music does that for me. Sometimes music is like a sedative, and it helps to calm and relax my mood. “Love Me Tender” by Elvis has a very mellowing impact on my moods. Sometimes music motivates me to do more and try harder. The “Toreador Song” from Carmen has that effect on me. Sometimes music reminds me that the world is much larger than the one I live in. Pete Seegar’s “Where Have All the Flowers Gone” reminds me of this fact.
Perhaps the most impactful use of music in terms of influence is the music that teaches. For example, Paul Robeson sang a song called the “Peat Bog Soldiers.” It was written, composed, and first performed in a Nazi concentration camp (by political prisoners) in 1933. By referencing the title, I found out that it was a famous protest song against Nazi Germany sung by the men and women in these concentration camps. It is a well-known protest song in Europe. The song from Madame Butterfly “Un bel dì, vedremo” always brings tears to my eyes. This song taught me what happens when commitment and honesty are ignored.
Well that concludes as much as I can say about my musical influences. I hope you have enjoyed your sojourn through my musical buffet. May your musical diet be bountiful and nutritious and may you live your life with the sounds of music that you enjoy.
PS: Some of the songs I liked are hyperlinked to YouTube music so you can listen to them.
Next Reflection:
10. These are the Scripture texts that have touched and helped me.
My Final Will and Testament – Influences – Reflection #9 — Part 2 Literature
03 Jun 2024 2 Comments
in Uncategorized Tags: book-review, book-reviews, books, literature, reading
If you have gone this far with My Final Will and Testament, you will not need the introduction that I have used for the past 9 Reflections. If this is your first visit to my series of fourteen reflections than I suggest that you go back to number one and start there. This link will take you to the first reflection in my series: “Things that I Have Loved in Life.” You will get the background to my thoughts and desires concerning this series of Reflections in this first blog.
Imagine that this is the last day of your life on earth. In the time that you have left, you want to leave a “Testament” for your family and friends.
- These are the Influences (people, literature, and Music) that have shaped me.
There are many categories of things which I could describe that have shaped my life. However, for reasons of expediency I have limited them to three: People, music, and literature. I will briefly discuss some of the major formative experiences in each category. On any given day, I could add or subtract several of these experiences and swap them out with others. The things that have made a difference in my life are like the desert sands. They shift and take various shapes depending on how the winds of my mind are blowing. Because the elements of this reflection are so numerous, I am going to break them down into three parts. In Part 1, I will reflect on the People who have made the greatest contributions to my life. In Part 2, I will reflect on the Literature that has most influenced my ideas and thoughts. In Part 3, I will describe the Music and Composers that have moved my feelings, my emotions, and my soul.
Part 2, Literature
Many of my “Best” friends have been the books in my life. I wrote an old blog about my love affair with books. The title was, (What else?, “Books, Books, Books, Books, Books”). If I have ever loved anything at first sight, it was a book. Perhaps something in a title grabbed me and would not let me go or it might have been learning about the book from someone else who had read it. Hearing about the book, I immediately knew that I wanted to meet the book and when I did I fell in love with it.
I have read so many books, I am not sure where to start. I have had love affairs with genres that have lasted for many years but ultimately have died. I am not sure what caused us to break up but somehow I lost interest and moved on to other genres. Some of my past affairs include the following: Science Fiction, Business Management, Feminist Literature, Native American Literature, Black Studies, Sword and Sorcery, Satire and Black Humor, Marxism, Adventure Fiction, Biographies and Autobiographies, Classic Literature, Religions and Philosophy, Worlds Greatest Books, Self-Help books and Self-Improvement books, Exercise and Diet, and Spy novels.
My current love affairs are with two different, but I think intimately related genres. These include History and Political books. Like Santayana, I do not think you can really understand what is happening in the present if you do not understand the past. History informs and shapes everything we say and do today though most people hardly realize it.
Politics seem overwhelming to many of us. The more I study about politics and the people who shape politics, the less I understand the world. It is like stepping into a pit of quicksand. The more I struggle to make sense of what is happening, the deeper I sink into the pit. Sometimes, I feel like I am about to lose my mind. Other times, I feel that my current passions are starting to drive my friends away. Many of my friends do not share my passions. Some believe that I am deluded in thinking that they will love me back. Philosophers are seldom on the night time talk shows.
I keep trying to determine if I need to somehow escape from the Zeitgeist or Weltanschauung which envelopes me. I once heard a noted speaker say, “Why bother about something, if you can not do something about it.” I like to think that maybe my writings are making a difference, but that stretches my credibility further than even I can admit to myself. Perhaps politics is simply an addictive drug and not a love affair. In any case, here are the books and authors that I most want to note as having had a major influence on my life. The following authors have each had too many writings or books that I have enjoyed for me to list each one, so I am lumping their writings under their names.
Influential Authors
Fyodor Dostoevsky:
Perhaps the first writer that I fell in love with was the great Russian author Dostoevsky. How he could describe the life and soul of another human being is beyond my ability to fathom. I still marvel at his use of language and metaphors. Even more, I admire his journeys into the souls of human beings. The innermost dynamics and emotions that make people what they are. His writings are never easy to travel through as each page requires thought and reflection. Once through one of his novels, it is hard to believe that you will not think differently about life and yourself. Read: The Brothers Karamazov, Crime and Punishment, or Demons.
Edgar Allen Poe:
To me the greatest horror and mystery writer who ever lived. “Murders in the Rue Morgue” set the stage for future murder mysteries. The “Pit and the Pendulum” was the most diabolical story I have ever read. The “Cask of Amontillado” and the “Tale Tell Heart” had me looking under my bed at night. For me anyway, Poe was the “Father of the Horror Genre.” Later writers like Arthur Conan Doyle, Rod Serling and Afred Hitchcock did not entertain the horror that Poe could evoke but were just as adept at evoking the suspense that Poe wedded to the horror of his stories. I do not read my horror or mysteries these days. The horror genre has become quite cliched and predictable. I still enjoy a good mystery and rely on the infrequent recommendation. Books by Umberto Eco, E. L. Doctorow and Dan Brown will all provide you with some good escape reading.
Mark Twain:
Twain managed to write funny stories that had morals bigger than life. He wrote many great stories and books that could be read by children as well as adults. His writings have been criticized of late for not being PC by fools who want to forget the past. Huckleberry Finn was an adventure story and a story about friendship and racism. To change the language in the story is an insult to the history of literature as well as the author. Twain skewered people and social conventions, but he did so in a way that left people laughing rather than angry. Read: Letters to the Earth, The War Prayer, or A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthurs Court.
Kurt Vonnegut:
On the way to my basic training, I picked up two books in the Newark Airport which had profound influences on my life. One was by Lenny Bruce and was called “How to Talk Dirty and Influence People.” It was not at all what I thought it would be like. It was sacrilegious, blasphemous, and full of great insights into the hypocrisy around religion. The other book was by Vonnegut. It was titled “Cats Cradle.” This book which some call “Black Humor” led me into a plethora of similar books by authors like, Anatole France, Joseph Heller, Terry Southern, Evelyn Waugh and Hunter Thompson. I went on to read almost all of Vonnegut’s books until my love affair with sarcasm and social criticism ended.
Influential Books:
I will give you the “abridged” version of several books which influenced my life.
“Out of the Crisis” by W. E. Deming: Taught me that most of what I learned in business school was wrong. Taught me how business should really be conducted.
“The Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings Trilogy” by Tolkien. Perhaps the greatest fantasy adventure that has ever been written. I wished I had been with them.
“Judgement under Uncertainty” by Kahneman and Tversky. They would latter go on to win a Nobel Prize for their insights and research into human cognitive limitations. Reading this book was like taking a Ph.D. in how to think more rationally and avoid biases.
“The Autobiography of Malcolm X:” My foray into Black Studies began with this book. I began to see the systemic racism that Black people in America still face and the efforts by many White people to discount this racism and pretend it does not still exist. The story of a courageous man who was not afraid to speak out for a better world for Black people. Malcolm gave his life to the cause.
“The Story of Philosophy: The Lives and Opinions of the Greater Philosophers.” by Will Durant. A journey into the greatest philosophers of history. There can be no better education than studying what the wise men and women of history including, Socrates, Plato, Rousseau, and many others have argued, written down and sometimes gave their lives for. Durant takes on a difficult task to summarize and provide us with an overview of the core teachings of some of the world’s greatest philosophers. It is an effort which should lead the reader to regard this book as a simple introduction to the great thoughts of history. There are many other great philosophers some women and some from Eastern cultures who are not included in this book. Read “The Trial of Socrates” by I.F. Stone.
“Against Our Will” by Susan Brownmiller. Many of the feminist authors that I read or attended conferences with taught me that the world I see is not the same world that many women see. I thought of myself as a fairly enlightened (if recovering sexist) male, but this book showed me that I still had a way to go. I had thought rape was a crime of passion and I started out disagreeing with much of what Brownmiller was writing. Halfway through the book, what she was saying started to make sense. Rape was a crime of control. Passion, short skirts, nice breasts had nothing to do with it. It simply involved men wanting to either hurt or dominate women. I would advise anyone interested in feminist studies to read this book.
“In a Grove” is a short Japanese story by Ryūnosuke Akutagawa. It was first published in 1922 and has been given awards as one of the ten greatest Asian stories ever written. The story had a major impact on the way I view truth and fact. The story involves a fight and murder as described from four different perspectives. The truth should be based on the facts given by the eyewitnesses, but the facts differ so much that it is impossible to declare what the truth is. Anyone reading this story will understand that the metaphor of truth and facts applies to our lives. Perspectives and opinions will vary greatly from person to person and even by the same person as time always influences memories. I have used the premise of this story for many of my own stories and teachings.
I have probably long exceeded your tolerance for my ruminations. I am grateful for any who have made it this far. I swear I have left out many other books and stories that had some degree of impact on my life. It is not easy sitting at a keyboard and trying to resurrect books that I read more than fifty or so years ago. The big problem was that once I started putting my mind to this effort, the number of books grew exponentially. With a concern for your patience and butt muscles, I have limited this list. I must also apologize for some of the too succinct and perhaps inaccurate reflections on the books and authors noted above. I hope if you are a devotee of any of them, you will forgive me for any abuses that I have done to their literary credentials.
Next blog, I will publish Part 3 of my reflections on the Influences that have shaped my life. More specifically, Part 3 will deal with the “Music and Composers” that have shaped my thoughts and behaviors.
Aging Capriciously 