It rained all night the day I left, the weather it was dry
The sun so hot I froze to death, Susannah don't you cry
Stephen Foster’s classic lyrics from
Oh! Susannah made use of dichotomy pairs, but they are everywhere in our world. Our political world is rife with them, and they give us cues, in many cases, about where we find ourselves on the ideological spectrum.
black - white
east - west
hot - cold
happy - sad
wet - dry
young - old
rich - poor
liberal - conservative
male - female
human - inhuman
we - they
us - them
gay - straight
left - right
top - bottom
in - out
dead - alive
(There are many more, of course. These are just a few.)
More below the fleur de kos!
There are "in-groups" and "out-groups" throughout human society, as well, in every culture I know of. Sometimes we are members of an in-group, in other circles we are in an out-group. The groups merge and overlap all the time, depending on who is there and what the criteria are, but there are few political discussions or transactions that don’t revolve around one or more dichotomy pairs.
The dichotomy pair I planned to write about for KTK is like war and peace. War, quite terribly, seems so much more ‘on the table’ than it did for a period of time after the Cold War ended. Now, not a day goes by that there isn’t coverage of an existing war that we’re involved in, usually accompanied by discussion of yet other PROSPECTIVE wars, like against ISIS.
I know there are millions of people who care about peace, who oppose war with great passion, who campaign for peace, protest for peace, vote for peace, argue for peace. And yet war still comes. Why doesn't it work?
I do not know the answer. I suspect part of it has to do with the fact that it takes many fewer people to start a war than to prevent or end one. I've seen estimates that the planning for the 9/11 attacks cost about half a million dollars, with 19 people actively involved on that day. How many billions of dollars has it cost us? I don't think anyone cal calculate it. How many thousands of lives?
But perhaps another reason that peace is so hard to achieve is that it may not be the true dichotomy pair for war. Jonathan Larson, in his great musical, RENT, said: the opposite of war isn't peace, it's creation. I have admired the perspective from the moment I first heard it, when I first saw RENT, here on tour, about 15 years ago. Perhaps investment in creation - in the exploration and utilization of human creativity - might yield better results than peace efforts alone.
In ways, the insight Larson had wasn't unique - I have no idea who may have inspired it in him. But I think a foretaste of it may be found in the old aphorism: an idle mind is the devil's playground. It is hard to imagine much worse consequences than war for an idle mind, nor something that a hypothetical 'devil' might like more.
Perhaps Larson felt that peace was more the absence of war than a dynamic, active counter, like creation. The argument resonates for me because people seem much happier and more fulfilled when creatively engaged. I know I am that way. When I feel stagnant, unproductive, blocked - then my frustration levels are highest, then I am most easily aggravated. Then my patience is lowest.
I had much of this diary in mind after speaking to remembrance about writing it, but we attended an event Tuesday evening that turned me in a different direction. I have been a fan of the marvelous blues artist known as ‘Keb Mo’ for a very long time, so seeing him here in town was an uncommon thrill!
Seeing Keb Mo alive is quite different from music or YouTube appreciation. wikipedia says he is 62 years old, but that is clearly wrong. That may be his chronological age, but his energy describes a much younger man! He simply radiated health and vitality, youth and joy. He shared the joy he felt in his music, his love of playing, of giving to his audience. He carried the entire auditorium along, as if he was really a pied piper, and not a guitarist/singer/songwriter/creator.
Some of you may know that my hearing was substantially damaged in a bad bicycle crash I had over two years ago. Though hearing technology has restored some of it, I have never regretted damage to my hearing more than I did Tuesday. I missed some of his fine repartee with the audience, I missed elements of his incredible music. But there were compensations, as well.
My compromised hearing allowed me to focus on the faces of those in the audience with me. I could focus on the smiles, the state others showed of being 'lost in the music,' transported to a finer place, a more exquisite circumstance, feeling Keb Mo's incredible creative gift, accepting it, making it their own. His creation - his creativity - displaced all thoughts of war, all thoughts of violence and hostility (even toward Democrats! You could tell!), with joy and peace and sharing. We witnessed a human being doing what he was meant to do in accordance with his gifts. He touched and inspired us. Some of us he touches still.
I wrote about my Jonathan Larson quote in a diary in 2010, and it remains true to me today, thanks to human beings like Keb Mo. Here is what I wrote then:
Larson wrote: The opposite of war isn't peace, it's creation. For me it is one of the most profound truths I have ever encountered because it offers a real key to peace (and an always available one!), both in insight and in inspiration and challenge. During the time we spend appreciating Alegria (note: the Cirque du Soleil show, replaced this week by Keb Mo’s great concert), I feel the peace within, and not just from myself, but from everyone there. From the artists and performers. From the spectators, young and old, female and male, black and white, short or tall. The same joy may be read in every face, Democrat or Republican, conservative or liberal, Israeli or Arab. It just doesn't matter, there, because creativity has no hidden agenda, just a special power to unite and inspire, empower and provide hope. Isn't that the key to peace on earth? Can't it be?
Here is Keb Mo performing one of his special songs, talking about what we have in common, at least some of the things. May you enjoy it as much as I do!
Thanks for reading tonight!
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Kitchen Table Kibitzing is a community series for those who wish to share part of the evening around a virtual kitchen table with kossacks who are caring and supportive of one another. So bring your stories, jokes, photos, funny pics, music, and interesting videos, as well as links—including quotations—to diaries, news stories, and books that you think this community would appreciate. Readers may notice that most who post diaries and comments in this series already know one another to some degree, but newcomers should not feel excluded. We welcome guests at our kitchen table, and hope to make some new friends as well.
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