Month: May 2023

Ryuichi Sakamoto has died. In late March he succumbed to cancer. It is a great loss for the world. If you have not heard of Ryuichi Sakamoto, you have surely heard his music. It is some of the most beautiful ever composed. 

Sakamoto has captured emotions and elevated movies to Oscar worthy level with compositions that weave a tapestry of colors and artistry. While there is a hint of Asian influence in his themes, his works are universal. You may remember the haunting coda of Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence or the epic tones of The Last Emperor. In Wuthering Heights Sakamoto captured the possessive love of Heathcliff for Catherine with dramatic crescendos of piano and cello. The darkness of the music underpinning The Revenant heightens the pain and struggles of the hero. In fact, all of Sakamoto’s music is elemental, experimental and moving. 

Music is one of the inventions that seems to raise humanity to a place higher than the animal world. While birds sing and other creatures croon, It is humankind that that creates new sounds with instruments outside of their own voices. Sakamoto was a master at that. In fact he was one of the first composers to experiment with electronic sounds and different cadences in music. 

I sometimes hear people advocating for educations that only include practical majors. They poke fun at the arts, insisting that they are of little value to either the student or society. How ironic that during the Renaissance wealthy patrons supported painters, sculptors, writers and musicians. We herald that time as one of awakening and a leap forward in human progress and yet many today undervalue the very things that were encouraged during that time. 

I can’t imagine why we place higher values on some talents than others. We certainly need engineers, but it would be silly to have an overabundance of them and besides so many people are not the least bit interested in the kind of jobs that they do. Business is important as is medicine, but where would we be without music, plays, movies, books, paintings? Those are beautiful representations that humans have created from the most ancient times. It seems to be in our DNA to leave our imprint on the world with works of art. 

I have often found that the kind of people who complain about so called “useless” majors have never really attempted to become proficient in them or anything else for that matter. They droned away at jobs they disliked and dreamed of what they might have been. Studying any field is difficult and everyone of them serves purposes that we may not see unless we pay careful attention. For example a friend’s son majored in geography and was often taunted for choosing a subject that would only lead to a job teaching. In truth he found work with NASA because of his skills in understanding the impact of differing environments. His knowledge is essential in the future explorations of the universe and in the study of the impact of climate change. He has had no trouble finding a rewarding and meaningful career.

I was an English major with a mathematics minor. I ended up teaching mathematics for all of my time as an educator because schools had a shortage of people certified to teach math. I’ve had individuals tell me how smart I was to get a decent minor because an English major is worthless. I can think of nothing farther from the truth. Not only did I learn how to communicate in both formal writing and speech, but I realized the grandeur of the human mind as expressed in the words of plays, stories, books. I saw that linguistically words have a kind of mathematical logic. I have always believed that I was a better math teacher because of my English major than I would have been without it. 

We need everyone and we should not be on a rampage to eliminate the kind of learning that we rate as being less important than others. How dreary the world would be without is great variety! How wonderful that each of us has so many choices for living our lives? Inside every human there is a singular talent waiting to be free. Somewhere the next Ryuichi Sakamoto is banging on a toy piano and making beautiful sounds. A child with a great imagination and ability with words is already creating stories for his friends. The fingerpainting of a baby may lead to the work of a future Picasso. That child who soothes someone wounded by a bully may one day be a brilliant counselor. We should be encouraging them all to use their talents, not telling them that they are wasting their time.

Let’s be the patrons of this era. Let’s help all young people find and cultivate their passions. By inhibiting their enthusiasm we will most likely end up with a frustrated adult working at a joyless job. Let our young dream and strive for what makes them excited. Don’t suggest careers, instead ask them what they love. Therein is the key to a successful life. Nurture each person just as he or she wants to be.  

Behind every strong person is a story that gave them no choice.

Each of us is called upon to demonstrate our toughness at one time or another. It is the rare person who can honestly claim to never have encountered daunting moments that almost crushed them. Most of us have found times when we were beaten down and exhausted from the tragedies that we have endured. We have found ways to keep moving forward even as we feel as though we cannot take another step. The human spirit is rather remarkable in its determination to overcome the challenges that we must so often face. 

What is the grit that keeps people going when they have been enslaved? How do people find the will to continue when they seek refuge only to be shunned? How is it possible to endure wars, poverty, uncertainty day after day? How do the everyday heroes among us keep their optimism and energy when life becomes almost unbearable? Even Mother Teresa had her limits and admitted that sometimes she became so saddened by the misery she witnessed that she almost lost her faith. Somehow she nonetheless dug deep inside of herself and managed to continue serving the sick and forgotten. How did she find the will and the energy to keep performing her miracles for some of the most ignored people on earth?

I suspect that there are people right now trudging to work, putting on happy faces, doing their best to be productive when their hearts are broken. We pass by people who are carrying great burdens and we may not even notice them. The weight of the all the world’s troubles are too much for one person. Trying to do so will burn most of us out. Instead we might consider the power of tackling problems together.

A few Saturdays ago I watched a crew of young people from the neighborhood Mormon temple descend on my cul-de-sac to weed and mulch people’s yards. They came like a swarm of worker bees and literally transformed yards within minutes. A task that might have taken all day for a single individual became easy to complete with the group effort. It was a wonder to watch them in action. It made me realize how much we can do as an army of goodwill.

I saw the same kind of thing happen in Houston after hurricane Harvey decimated people’s homes. Groups from churches, clubs, fraternities, athletic teams, families worked together to clean out the mud and muck that had invaded houses. Tasks that at first seemed impossible to complete were done in a single day. With teamwork and determination the groups saved people’s abodes from being destroyed by mold and rot. Organized and determined groups of good people stepped up to the challenge and with their sacrifices of time and compassion the city was pieced back together. 

In ordinary times it is often difficult to know who is suffering among us. People put on stoic faces and carry on as though they have no worries even as they feel fragile and ready to fall apart. How often have we been stunned by news of the suicide of someone who appeared to be fine? How many times have we learned that someone we know has been quietly dealing with enormous difficulties without complaint? It is all too often true that many of the seemingly strong people that we see are slowly breaking apart inside. 

The wise among us know when their burdens are too much to bear. They admit to their moments of uncertainty and ask for help. They are unafraid to tell us that they are tired. They do not feign strength when what they are enduring is too much to face alone. We must be ready to listen to them, to allow them to reveal their truths without judgement or even unsolicited advice. Just knowing that someone understands and cares may be all they need to push through their darkest moments. 

I see evidence all of the time of the kind of support that people need when life is overwhelming them. There always seems to be that observant and wise soul who notices someone who is hurting and holds out a lifesaving hand. Giving encouragement and support allows the wounded to find the strength they need to take baby steps forward. Kindness abounds in the smallest gestures of care. 

There is far more good than bad in the world and yet we focus more often on the ugliest aspects of our humanity. Little wonder that some souls lose faith and feel desperate and alone. Our society and media stokes their fears and judges them rather than working to understand and help them. We should be asking ourselves why we spend millions of dollars and hours fighting amongst our fellow humans when we would do better to admit that each of us is carrying burdens no matter who we seem to be. Our stories have formed our choices and either weakened us or made us strong. Maybe it’s time that we listened to those stories and just loved the people telling them.