I received a message from Scott Atkinson today mentioning the Gospel According to Shakespeare classes. Scott mentioned that he had just finished Greenblatt's biography Will in the World. This bio was a NY Times bestseller last year – Paul Ragan recommended it to me as well – so, I read it earlier this year.
What a wonderful book. It apparently sparked some controversy for taking imaginative liberties with Shakespeare’s life. Most likely, Greenblatt did take excessive liberty – I’m not sure I agree with the portrait that he paints of Shakespeare, save for one chapter (see next paragraph) – Greenblatt’s mastery is in painting the landscape of the time – the religious uncertainty, the beginnings of modern urbanism, the pastoral fantasy of country living, the political intrigue and paranoia around Elizabeth’s court, the freewheeling and indeed decadent atmosphere of the early Elizabethan theatre. All of it Greenblatt sketches out for us in colorful and captivating detail.
But he ultimately paints Shakespeare as a cautious, brilliant, but ultimately somewhat petty figure. Shakespeare is almost the ultimate Walter Mitty who is able to live out his fantasises and desires for revenge through his plays. His brilliance at absorbing language wherever he heard it (so comically depicted in the film Shakespeare in Love) was what made him a star – apparently he lived a humble life, not carousing with fellow playwrights. He was estraganged from his wife, and if his last will and testament is any indication, there was no reconciliation.
But the chapter that captures my heart is the one called “The dream of restoration”. Greenblatt tells us that Shakespeare’s father was a prominent citizen of Stratford and a successful businessman – he had even applied for a coat of arms, which would propel the family into a new social status. But then suddenly, the fortunes turned – John Shakespeare lost his prominence and his positions. He slipped into debt, and the hopes of being granted a coat of arms were lost. Greenblatt believes alcoholism contributed to the fall.
But years later, Young William, now a successful playwright and part owner of a company, reapplies for the coat of arms and it is granted – he adds the motto “Not without right”, a seeming jab to say “I do come from a good family”. Greenblatt shows how often in Shakespeare’s plays (particularly the comedies), the noble hero loses everything and must endure the wild world seeking a way to attain restoration – this is the story in twelfth night, comedy of errors, merchant of Venice. In the later romances, this loss of position and then later restoration is darkened by pain – the winer’s tale and the tempest being examples where there is a happy restoration, but with a melancholy twinge – a loss of innocence, as it were. The early comedies return to innocence, the later romances move to transcendence beyond the pain.
And this is what fascinates me – Shakespeare always presents the dream of wholeness – the dream of bringing order out of chaos – the dream of the good society. And the dream is usually attainable (save in Troilus and Cressida – perhaps the darkest Shakespeare play yet – where there are no sympathetic characters – it is an ironic lampooning of the Trojan war). Is this dream not reflective of our desire for the edenic state. Is it not reflecting something deeper within – a longing for the “real countries” beyond these shadow lands.
This is the longing that is reflected in Isaiah:
“The wolf will live with the lamb, the leopard will lie down with the goat, the calf and the lion and the yearling together: and a little child will lead them. The cow will feed with the bear, their young will lie down together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox The infant will play near the hole of the cobra, and the young child put his hand into the viper’s nest. They will neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain, for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea.” (Is 11:6-9)
There is the longing for order out of chaos – the longing for all to be put right – for the forces of destruction to be put at bay – for our own destructive impulses to be transformed (the lion will eat straw like the ox – no longer a carnivore). It is a picture of society – not an individual paradise, but a society. And it is a picture of a society focused not upon ourselves, but upon knowing God. When we get our minds off ourselves, we find ourselves able to extend the graciousness of spirit and generosity. While we live in the present, the Holy Spirit gives us a foretaste, a hint and shadow, of the ultimate dream of restoration.
What do you think? Where do you see the dream of restoration played out? Have you seen this in Shakespeare? What are your thoughts about Greenblatt’s book. Just make a comment and join the conversation.
Thursday, April 28, 2005
Wednesday, April 27, 2005
The True, The Good .... and the Force
The Cincinnati Enquirer just published an article on our church's Gospel According to Star Wars class.
Here's the link to the story
Then at 6:30 this morning, the Jim Scott show on WLW called and did a brief interview. As of this writing, we have had 40 hits on our website today (about 4-5 times what we normally have in a whole day!).
See our Website
Needless to say, I'm jazzed. Not just for the free publicity (though that is quite nice) but also for the opportunities we have here. For four years I've been talking about the True, the Good, and the Beautiful. My understanding of Christian doctrine tells me about general revelation -- the idea that all creation tells of God's glory, His character, His goodness. Check out Psalm 19 "The heavens declare the glory of God, the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge. There is no speech or language where their voice is not heard." or perhaps Romans 1 "...what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities -- his eternal power and divine nature -- have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse." Simply put, God leaves his thumbprints all over creation, even in the imaginations of creative human beings like George Lucas.
Then when they tell their stories -- even if they don't know that they're talking about God, they wind up talking about Him. Paul demonstrates this on Mars Hill in Athens in Acts 17 "men of Athens, I see that you are religious people" and he goes on to reaveal the God of truth behind their shadowy shrines and their poets -- indeed the God who created within them their instinct for worship and their instinct for beauty.
And this is what we've been trying to do for the past 4 years with the Gospel according to the Simpsons, the Art Museum Devotional projects, The Gospel According to Shakespeare, countless film references in sermons -- and now the Gospel According to Star Wars -- we're trying to reveal the redemptive truth behind the shadowy pictures of truth, beauty, and goodness that surround us in the stories we hear and read.
What really stokes my fire is that I didn't even author this study -- Brook authored it, Andy teaches it. You don't have to be a religious professional to learn to view every element of the world through a Christian worldview -- indeed it probably helps if you're not a religious professional.
Hope you get a chance to check out the study -- let me know what you think!
Russell
Then at 6:30 this morning, the Jim Scott show on WLW called and did a brief interview. As of this writing, we have had 40 hits on our website today (about 4-5 times what we normally have in a whole day!).
Needless to say, I'm jazzed. Not just for the free publicity (though that is quite nice) but also for the opportunities we have here. For four years I've been talking about the True, the Good, and the Beautiful. My understanding of Christian doctrine tells me about general revelation -- the idea that all creation tells of God's glory, His character, His goodness. Check out Psalm 19 "The heavens declare the glory of God, the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge. There is no speech or language where their voice is not heard." or perhaps Romans 1 "...what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities -- his eternal power and divine nature -- have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse." Simply put, God leaves his thumbprints all over creation, even in the imaginations of creative human beings like George Lucas.
Then when they tell their stories -- even if they don't know that they're talking about God, they wind up talking about Him. Paul demonstrates this on Mars Hill in Athens in Acts 17 "men of Athens, I see that you are religious people" and he goes on to reaveal the God of truth behind their shadowy shrines and their poets -- indeed the God who created within them their instinct for worship and their instinct for beauty.
And this is what we've been trying to do for the past 4 years with the Gospel according to the Simpsons, the Art Museum Devotional projects, The Gospel According to Shakespeare, countless film references in sermons -- and now the Gospel According to Star Wars -- we're trying to reveal the redemptive truth behind the shadowy pictures of truth, beauty, and goodness that surround us in the stories we hear and read.
What really stokes my fire is that I didn't even author this study -- Brook authored it, Andy teaches it. You don't have to be a religious professional to learn to view every element of the world through a Christian worldview -- indeed it probably helps if you're not a religious professional.
Hope you get a chance to check out the study -- let me know what you think!
Russell
Tuesday, April 26, 2005
Strictly Ballroom
So I'm starting to use this blog as a means for processing all the cultural input I receive - books, film, stories, websites, experiences. Part of the job of the preacher is to be the epic poet of his/her generation. I believe that I have to pay close attention to all that is around and filter it through a christian worldview, in hope that some of it may be used for building up the saints. i invite you to join me by giving your own thoughts/feedback/ideas. And thus, we begin.
This weekend, I picked up the film Strictly Ballroom for our usual Sunday Night viewing. This was a treasure of a film from 1992 that somehow I missed for the past decade. It's the charming story of competitive ballroom dancer Scott Hastings who wants to break out of the stale traditional steps that the Australian ballroom dancing federation requires of its participants. He loses his partner, but finds Fran, a seemingly clumsy wallflower who turns out to be a dance partner with soul and spirit.
I really liked this film, and for several reasons. First, it is mostly clean. A little innuendo and a few choice expletives -- but overall clean. It avoids having a titillating, but pointless, sex scene between Scott and Fran (unlike just about every other romantic comedy of the 80s 90s and 00s) -- and the movie is stronger for it -- it enables us to focus upon the story.
The film lampoon people who give themselves over to a subculture, but lose the sense of their first love. The "established" dance teachers and rulers of the ballroom dance federation are much more interested in control -- in having the next generation carry on their steps. Meanwhile, Scott simply wants to feel the music and abandon himself to dance. There is a wonderful scene where Frans father and grandmother teach scott the latin way to dance -- not just focusing on form, but also on feeling.
And therein lies the rub -- finding the artful balance of form and feeling. It would be a mistake to say that the film says that feeling is all important and form is pointless -- rather it says that form will only carry so far. All the technique in the world will not enable you to viscerally feel the music and abandon yourself to the dance. And that is what Scott must learn.
A good lesson for discipleship as well -- all the theology and self-discipline in the world will only take you so far -- it is only in an encounter with the Holy Spirit that we begin to dance in life. This does not mean that we abandon theology and self-discipline -- only that we don't make an idol out of it.
The other charming piece of the story is the ongoing refrain "A life lived in fear is a life half lived." If you've not seen it, I won't blow how this works out in the climax of the film -- but it is very true -- and again a powerful maxim for discipleship.
Key verse: "It was for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery." Galatians 5:1 (read in context -- dealing with the struggle of do Christians have to adopt all the jewish customs, or can they express Christianity in their own ethnic heritage -- this is not an anything goes statement)
This weekend, I picked up the film Strictly Ballroom for our usual Sunday Night viewing. This was a treasure of a film from 1992 that somehow I missed for the past decade. It's the charming story of competitive ballroom dancer Scott Hastings who wants to break out of the stale traditional steps that the Australian ballroom dancing federation requires of its participants. He loses his partner, but finds Fran, a seemingly clumsy wallflower who turns out to be a dance partner with soul and spirit.
I really liked this film, and for several reasons. First, it is mostly clean. A little innuendo and a few choice expletives -- but overall clean. It avoids having a titillating, but pointless, sex scene between Scott and Fran (unlike just about every other romantic comedy of the 80s 90s and 00s) -- and the movie is stronger for it -- it enables us to focus upon the story.
The film lampoon people who give themselves over to a subculture, but lose the sense of their first love. The "established" dance teachers and rulers of the ballroom dance federation are much more interested in control -- in having the next generation carry on their steps. Meanwhile, Scott simply wants to feel the music and abandon himself to dance. There is a wonderful scene where Frans father and grandmother teach scott the latin way to dance -- not just focusing on form, but also on feeling.
And therein lies the rub -- finding the artful balance of form and feeling. It would be a mistake to say that the film says that feeling is all important and form is pointless -- rather it says that form will only carry so far. All the technique in the world will not enable you to viscerally feel the music and abandon yourself to the dance. And that is what Scott must learn.
A good lesson for discipleship as well -- all the theology and self-discipline in the world will only take you so far -- it is only in an encounter with the Holy Spirit that we begin to dance in life. This does not mean that we abandon theology and self-discipline -- only that we don't make an idol out of it.
The other charming piece of the story is the ongoing refrain "A life lived in fear is a life half lived." If you've not seen it, I won't blow how this works out in the climax of the film -- but it is very true -- and again a powerful maxim for discipleship.
Key verse: "It was for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery." Galatians 5:1 (read in context -- dealing with the struggle of do Christians have to adopt all the jewish customs, or can they express Christianity in their own ethnic heritage -- this is not an anything goes statement)
Wednesday, March 30, 2005
Reflections on Lent, 2005
There is a way to be good again. Thus the sweep of the story of The Kite Runner begins. Written by Khaled Hosseini, the story of betrayal and restoration is told through the eyes of an Afghan refugee. Though the setting is exotic and the culture unfamiliar, the great human struggles are all a part of the story: longing for parental love, rootedness in culture, struggling against violence and chaos, and of course, wrestling with our own wrongdoing and seeking redemption.
Chosen by the Cincinnati Public Library for the 2005 On the Same Page project, this book is peculiarly apt for the Lenten season. Like the narrator, each of us have to face our personal ghosts of past wrongdoings: times we didn’t stand up for a weak person being abused, times we wounded someone we care about, times when we destroyed simply for the joy of destruction, times when we used other people as a means to an end, and then tossed them aside. The ghosts are all very personal, and they come back to us in the quiet hours as we drift off to sleep or in the morning when we pray for the alarm clock to hold off for just a while longer. They haunt us when we catch a fragment of a long forgotten tune or a whiff of an old familiar perfume. And as the ghosts swirl about in our heads, we long for a way to be good again.
Some view spiritual disciplines, such as Lenten fasts and worship services, as the way to recover that lost goodness. “If I work really hard at this,” so the thinking goes, “then God will have to recognize what I’ve done – and I’ll feel clean.” And after weeks, months, and years of agonizing effort, the end result is either frustration and despair (for they learn they can’t work their way to cleanliness), or legalism and self-righteousness (for if they can do it, everyone else should do it too).
The truth is that God doesn’t work that way. God doesn’t need our effort. Scripture teaches “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God – not by works, so that no one can boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9). We don’t work our way to God, but God graciously extends kindness to us through Jesus Christ. The season of Lent inevitably culminates in Good Friday and Easter. On good Friday, we commemorate Christ’s death that makes us clean – as the prophet says: “…he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed.” (Isaiah 53:5). There is a way to be good again.
Lent is not the season in which we engage in discipline to make God like us. It is the season in which God engages us in discipline to make us more like Him. After we learn about God’s grace in Ephesians 2:8-9 (quoted above), we read: “For we God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” God loves us just the way we are, but God doesn’t leave us the way we are. God’s grace is transformational.
And that’s what the Lenten disciplines are about – not so much about being good again (for that is the point of Good Friday and Easter), but about being transformed into the image of the Creator of all truth, goodness, and beauty. The Lenten disciplines are about surrendering our lives to the God who is there, the God who is not silent. Lent is about learning to trust in the grace extended to us through Jesus Christ.
Chosen by the Cincinnati Public Library for the 2005 On the Same Page project, this book is peculiarly apt for the Lenten season. Like the narrator, each of us have to face our personal ghosts of past wrongdoings: times we didn’t stand up for a weak person being abused, times we wounded someone we care about, times when we destroyed simply for the joy of destruction, times when we used other people as a means to an end, and then tossed them aside. The ghosts are all very personal, and they come back to us in the quiet hours as we drift off to sleep or in the morning when we pray for the alarm clock to hold off for just a while longer. They haunt us when we catch a fragment of a long forgotten tune or a whiff of an old familiar perfume. And as the ghosts swirl about in our heads, we long for a way to be good again.
Some view spiritual disciplines, such as Lenten fasts and worship services, as the way to recover that lost goodness. “If I work really hard at this,” so the thinking goes, “then God will have to recognize what I’ve done – and I’ll feel clean.” And after weeks, months, and years of agonizing effort, the end result is either frustration and despair (for they learn they can’t work their way to cleanliness), or legalism and self-righteousness (for if they can do it, everyone else should do it too).
The truth is that God doesn’t work that way. God doesn’t need our effort. Scripture teaches “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God – not by works, so that no one can boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9). We don’t work our way to God, but God graciously extends kindness to us through Jesus Christ. The season of Lent inevitably culminates in Good Friday and Easter. On good Friday, we commemorate Christ’s death that makes us clean – as the prophet says: “…he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed.” (Isaiah 53:5). There is a way to be good again.
Lent is not the season in which we engage in discipline to make God like us. It is the season in which God engages us in discipline to make us more like Him. After we learn about God’s grace in Ephesians 2:8-9 (quoted above), we read: “For we God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” God loves us just the way we are, but God doesn’t leave us the way we are. God’s grace is transformational.
And that’s what the Lenten disciplines are about – not so much about being good again (for that is the point of Good Friday and Easter), but about being transformed into the image of the Creator of all truth, goodness, and beauty. The Lenten disciplines are about surrendering our lives to the God who is there, the God who is not silent. Lent is about learning to trust in the grace extended to us through Jesus Christ.
Saturday, November 20, 2004
Index: Squidoo Lenses
What be Squidoo, you say? It is a new way of accessing information on the Web. Consider when you do a search on google -- you'll return millions of hits that you have to filter through.
Squidoo is an easy platform that lets experts take you to the most helpful resources quickly. All you have to do is find the right lens, and you've got an instant key to lots of good information.
I've been making lenses for my own benefit and I'm glad to share them with readers of the Eagle and Child:
Christian Worldview Thinking
C.S. Lewis - His Life and Writings
The DaVinci Code -answered
Shakespeare and Christian Themes
Squidoo is an easy platform that lets experts take you to the most helpful resources quickly. All you have to do is find the right lens, and you've got an instant key to lots of good information.
I've been making lenses for my own benefit and I'm glad to share them with readers of the Eagle and Child:
Christian Worldview Thinking
C.S. Lewis - His Life and Writings
The DaVinci Code -answered
Shakespeare and Christian Themes
Wednesday, November 10, 2004
Index: Book Reviews
For a great site with lots of reviews from lots of real readers, check out Library Thing
Good to Great and the Social Sectors
Will in the World
Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince part 2
Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince part 1
If I Were God I'd End All the Pain
No Holds Barred
Whose Religion is Christianity?
Titus Andronicus part 1
Titus Andronicus part 2
Farenheit 451
Darknet
Good to Great and the Social Sectors
Will in the World
Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince part 2
Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince part 1
If I Were God I'd End All the Pain
No Holds Barred
Whose Religion is Christianity?
Titus Andronicus part 1
Titus Andronicus part 2
Farenheit 451
Darknet
Friday, November 05, 2004
Index: Movies
Amazing Grace
The Aristocrats
Borat
Cars
Charlotte's Web
Cromwell
Drumline
Eragon
Garden State
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
High School Musical
The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe
Love Actually
One Night With the King
Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End
Stage Beauty
Strictly Ballroom
The Village
Whale Rider
The Aristocrats
Borat
Cars
Charlotte's Web
Cromwell
Drumline
Eragon
Garden State
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
High School Musical
The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe
Love Actually
One Night With the King
Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End
Stage Beauty
Strictly Ballroom
The Village
Whale Rider
Wednesday, September 22, 2004
Kitty Carlisle sings a song of myself
We had a special program at rotary this week. Kitty Carlisle Hart came to perform and tell us stories from her life. For most people of my generation, Mrs. Hart is an unknown. At age 93, she is a relic from the bygone era of the Marx Brothers, Bing Crosby, and the golden age of Musical Theatre (she was married to Moss Hart, the famed playwright and director – author of “The man who came to dinner” and “you can’t take it with you”).
However, for older generations (Boomers and Builders), she is an icon of entertainment. She received a warm welcome from a loving audience. She flashed her dazzling smile and radiated charm as she began her program of songs and anecdotes. At 93, she still can hold an audience in the palm of her hand – she was humorous and positive and charming. Her voice is still strong and grips you with the heart of a song right away. An outstanding example was her closing number, “Here’s to life”, a wistful and poignant remembrance of lifes up and downs that for me has been defined by the energetic baritone of Joe Williams. And yet, here, Mrs. Hart pulled us in and tugged at our hearts.
But something tugged at the back of my mind – and this happens almost every time I hear a celebrity start spinning anecdotes. Invariably, the show becomes “I’ve lived a rich life – and here are all the interesting people that I’ve met.” No doubt, Mrs. Hart has accomplished much in her distinguished career; and I certainly believe that we of a younger generation have much to benefit from the stories of older generations. However, what I heard were more amusing tales – it was a famous person talking about how nice other famous people were. Who was fun to work with and who was charming and who was funny.
What I missed was wisdom. Where were the life lessons. Where were the challenges to the audience. Where was the deep reflection. You may say “come on, Russ, it was just a performance – just a show. Have fun and live a little.” I understand.
But we were not at the theatre, we were at a Rotary meeting – this is a civic organization devoted to service above self. The programs are supposed to be meaty and thought inspiring. Confection has a place in entertainment and society, but surely a Rotary meeting is supposed to offer something a little meatier. Also, there was the sense of adoration that disturbs me about the celebrity culture – must we always speak in breathless tones about every entertainer we enjoy. Must we credit them with the status of being royalty in our midst?
Here’s an example of what I’m talking about – in the question and answer, one audience member asked in gushing tones “How do you do what you do? How do you keep performing and stay young and still look beautiful at your age?” the answer “If I knew, I’d be the richest woman in the world. I don’t know. I’m lucky. And I work very hard.” I wanted to hear “I’ve been blessed.” I wanted to hear gratitude for something beyond herself for her God-given talents. Yes, hard work is important for developing your skills, but I wanted to hear gratitude for what had come her way.
I guess the semi-cavalier attitude to life that the celebrity culture promulgates is best summed up in her closing song: “Here’s to Life”
No complaints and no regrets.
I still believe in chasing dreams and placing bets.
But I have learned that all you give is all you get so you give it all you got.
I had my share. I drank my fill, and even though I’m satisfied I’m hungry still
to see what’s down another road, beyond a hill and do it all again.
So here’s to life and all the joy it brings.
Here’s to life the dreamers and their dreams.
Funny how the time just flies.
How love can turn from warm hellos to sad goodbyes
and leave you with the memories you’ve memorized to keep your winters warm.
There’s no yes in yesterday.
And who knows what tomorrow brings or takes away.
As long as I’m still in the game I want to play
for laughs, for life, for love.
So here’s to life and all the joy it brings.
Here’s to life.
The dreamers and their dreams.
May all your storms be weathered.
And all that’s good get better.
Here’s to life.
Here’s to love.
And here’s to you.
Kind of like Sinatra’s “My Way”, this song celebrate the “Me” of life – rather than the wonder of life given from a divine Creator. It celebrates the self, rather than marvels at that which is beyond the self. And it packages it with a kind of warm “here’s to you” to make you feel good too. Perhaps I’m a young curmudgeon, but can we not get beyond the celebration of celebrities. Doesn’t art at its best point to the eternal and transcendent?
However, for older generations (Boomers and Builders), she is an icon of entertainment. She received a warm welcome from a loving audience. She flashed her dazzling smile and radiated charm as she began her program of songs and anecdotes. At 93, she still can hold an audience in the palm of her hand – she was humorous and positive and charming. Her voice is still strong and grips you with the heart of a song right away. An outstanding example was her closing number, “Here’s to life”, a wistful and poignant remembrance of lifes up and downs that for me has been defined by the energetic baritone of Joe Williams. And yet, here, Mrs. Hart pulled us in and tugged at our hearts.
But something tugged at the back of my mind – and this happens almost every time I hear a celebrity start spinning anecdotes. Invariably, the show becomes “I’ve lived a rich life – and here are all the interesting people that I’ve met.” No doubt, Mrs. Hart has accomplished much in her distinguished career; and I certainly believe that we of a younger generation have much to benefit from the stories of older generations. However, what I heard were more amusing tales – it was a famous person talking about how nice other famous people were. Who was fun to work with and who was charming and who was funny.
What I missed was wisdom. Where were the life lessons. Where were the challenges to the audience. Where was the deep reflection. You may say “come on, Russ, it was just a performance – just a show. Have fun and live a little.” I understand.
But we were not at the theatre, we were at a Rotary meeting – this is a civic organization devoted to service above self. The programs are supposed to be meaty and thought inspiring. Confection has a place in entertainment and society, but surely a Rotary meeting is supposed to offer something a little meatier. Also, there was the sense of adoration that disturbs me about the celebrity culture – must we always speak in breathless tones about every entertainer we enjoy. Must we credit them with the status of being royalty in our midst?
Here’s an example of what I’m talking about – in the question and answer, one audience member asked in gushing tones “How do you do what you do? How do you keep performing and stay young and still look beautiful at your age?” the answer “If I knew, I’d be the richest woman in the world. I don’t know. I’m lucky. And I work very hard.” I wanted to hear “I’ve been blessed.” I wanted to hear gratitude for something beyond herself for her God-given talents. Yes, hard work is important for developing your skills, but I wanted to hear gratitude for what had come her way.
I guess the semi-cavalier attitude to life that the celebrity culture promulgates is best summed up in her closing song: “Here’s to Life”
No complaints and no regrets.
I still believe in chasing dreams and placing bets.
But I have learned that all you give is all you get so you give it all you got.
I had my share. I drank my fill, and even though I’m satisfied I’m hungry still
to see what’s down another road, beyond a hill and do it all again.
So here’s to life and all the joy it brings.
Here’s to life the dreamers and their dreams.
Funny how the time just flies.
How love can turn from warm hellos to sad goodbyes
and leave you with the memories you’ve memorized to keep your winters warm.
There’s no yes in yesterday.
And who knows what tomorrow brings or takes away.
As long as I’m still in the game I want to play
for laughs, for life, for love.
So here’s to life and all the joy it brings.
Here’s to life.
The dreamers and their dreams.
May all your storms be weathered.
And all that’s good get better.
Here’s to life.
Here’s to love.
And here’s to you.
Kind of like Sinatra’s “My Way”, this song celebrate the “Me” of life – rather than the wonder of life given from a divine Creator. It celebrates the self, rather than marvels at that which is beyond the self. And it packages it with a kind of warm “here’s to you” to make you feel good too. Perhaps I’m a young curmudgeon, but can we not get beyond the celebration of celebrities. Doesn’t art at its best point to the eternal and transcendent?
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