Parish: 'the thought' - July 2, 2019

July 2, 2019

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Carissimi:

Lawrence Monsanto Ferlinghetti, a poet, painter, and social activist born in 1919, wrote this poem (Pity the Nation) in 2007. As we celebrate the 4 ^th of July now in 2019, it bears reflection:

Pity the nation whose people are sheep,

and whose shepherds mislead them.

Pity the nation whose leaders are liars, whose sages are silenced,

and whose bigots haunt the airwaves.

Pity the nation that raises not its voice,

except to praise conquerors and acclaim the bully as hero

and aims to rule the world with force and by torture.

Pity the nation that knows no other language but its own

And no other culture but its own.

Pity the nation whose breath is money

And sleeps the sleep of the too well fed.

Pity the nation—oh, pity the people who allow their rights to erode

And their freedoms to be washed away.

My country, tears of thee, sweet land of liberty.

From the Archives...

Two Video Thoughts re: July 4, 2019

The Mindless Menace of Violence...

I was digging through the Parish: ‘the thought’ archives last week, thinking about our "July Fourth" edition. What did I want to bring to focus for this holiday issue as I scramble to get away on vacation with my family? I came upon a reflection that I posted in July 2016 as we approached our nation’s celebration then. It had been a year of tragic killings in Baltimore, Charleston, San Bernardino, Paris, Orlando. They were days fraught with fear, distrust, anguish and grief - of great political polarization surrounding immigration and refugees - about who should be allowed to enter or remain in our country, and who should not be. We were moving toward a presidential election then, in which there was little unity, but rather vitriolic attacks on candidates and political parties. And wow, here we are three years later gearing up for another presidential election - with each side once again prophesying the demise of our great nation if the other party's candidate is elected. America’s birthday celebration seems to me to be another opportunity to do what the Psalmist calls "Selah" - which means: "stop and think about that for a moment." And that's just what I've done.

I'd like to share the two videos I shared then - because they seem to me as relevant as ever. The first is from another time of national turmoil - the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., not so long after the assassination of President Kennedy, and less than a year before the killing of Malcolm X. The video is Robert Kennedy's famous speech, The Mindless Menace of Violence , given the day after King's killing, and in my mind one of history's greatest speeches. I believe it is just as pertinent this 4th of July week as it was when it was first given on April 5, 1968.

Three years ago I said that the images of Freddie Gray and the shootings in the nightclubs and church in Charleston could easily replace the images of the fallen MLK and the civil rights atrocities of the mid to late 60's. How many dozens of images of violence inflicted upon humanity have passed across our minds since I posted this three summers ago? I hope RFK's speech this 4th of July week softens our hearts that we may consciously stand against the mindless menace of violence which was spotlighted by last week's border crossing image - a drowned migrant father and 23-month-old daughter lying face down in murky waters. Some disdainfully uttered: "That's on them!" May the RFK speech once again call us to live better.

Video: Robert Kennedy - “Mindless Menace of Violence” Speech

Stand By Me...

The second video is certainly less somber. It's the classic Ben E. King hit from 1961, and it has been reproduced by the organization "Playing for Change." Playing for Change is a movement created to inspire and connect the world through music. The idea for this project came from a common belief that music has the power to break down boundaries and overcome distances between people. With this past year's tragedies and uprisings, I thought perhaps we could all use a little uplifting and rallying towards unity.

Playing for Change was born in 2002 with a vision to hit the streets of America with a mobile recording studio and cameras in search of inspiration and the heartbeat of the people. This musical journey resulted in the award-winning documentary, A Cinematic Discovery of Street Musicians . The effort spread globally and now features street musicians from around the world - all of them pouring out their hearts and talents towards a common message. Here's hoping that this classic sets your soul a rocking and inspires you to embrace the differences of others in a time of great division and separatism. I hope you enjoy both videos, and that you have a terrific and safe 4th!

Yours,