"Resurrection"
Reflection of Our World

If you live long enough the parallels with other time periods are astounding. As tragic as mass killings, racial and sexual inequality, and the overall lack of understanding of the issues/choices we have today there is always a new horizon. A new day will dawn that offers us the opportunity to resurrect choices and realign principles that fit our values and beliefs.

I used to have a Life magazine subscription that allowed me to follow the historical and tragic developments of the 1960’s. There is not a single aspect of my life, my choices, and my outlook that cannot be traced to this volatile period in history. Imagine John Lewis’ life. It must be beyond his imagination to think that he must still stand up and sit down for justice.

This morning on the beach, I kept thinking back to the music that was played for John Kennedy after his assassination. Most would have selected a typical Requiem like the customary Funeral March from “Eroica,” but the brilliant Leonard Bernstein thought otherwise.

Visionaries know that in times of great despair like the killings in Orlando or the economic plight the people of Britain will soon face are calls to action and much needed hope.

Mr. Bernstein chose “Mahler’s Second Symphony” because it is “a visionary concept of hope and triumph over worldly pain.”

The music became a call to action, “a gathering together of strength and hope,” because collectively we must carry on the message of our leader and we must be worthy.

I am sad today that our world and our country have become so cynical. But I know that we will rise, as the sun, to resurrect the transgressions of the past. I know, too, that we must push back on the easy claim that what we have is broken beyond repair and fix what is in place and has worked. The legacy of America for me is that it can be amended and reshaped to work for ALL of us. I have always seen the Bernie’s and the Donald’s as claiming in broad strokes our short falls without sufficient vision for the long haul. Instead of resurrection, they want to abort America and re - impregnate her as if the offspring of our original Founding Fathers do not matter.

I reject this because our history – in totality - matters. And so does a clear understanding of the forces that have come to fear this continual evolution toward Unity. I reject the tired Funeral Marches and crave the Resurrection Symphonies that recognize darkness is only driven out by the light of hope. My hope is that we can truly come to co-mingle in the promise of our collective dreams.

Written in 2016 | Published April 28, 2017