Of Music and History

On the weekend of November 19-20, 2010, the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra presented the epic cantata Alexander Nevsky, by Sergei Prokofiev. Originally conceived as a film score to accompany the great director Sergei Eisenstein's 1938 movie of the same title, the music and the story it tells were designed to inspire and encourage the already war-weary Russian people as their greatest threat, World War II, loomed ahead, in which 22,000,000 Russians would lose their lives. Alexander Nevsky was the 13th century prince, warrior and, eventually, saint who guided Russia in its struggle against invading Swedes and Germans, sanctioned by the papacy. The Russian victory at that time demonstrated that victory is possible even in the direst of circumstances.

It is difficult to imagine an emotion not conveyed in Prokofiev's music: fear, bravery, grief, the rush of battle, the thirst for freedom, the stirrings of love, the thrill of victory, and, ultimately, happiness--all are present. SLSO Music Director led the orchestra and chorus through the visceral and fiery passages heavy with the thunder and fireworks of percussion, brass, bells, massed strings and woodwinds. With such a feast for the ears and eyes, the visual imagery of the the film, magnificent as it is, seemed almost unnecessary. Russian mezzo soprano Elena Manistina, marking her debut with the SLSO, added yet another layer of sensuality with her earthy and heartfelt outpouring of emotion for the fallen.

Who wouldn't want to experience a concert as magnificent as this? And yet the hall was far from filled. Could it be our present economic situation? (Symphony concerts don't come cheap.) Or have we been dumbed down to the point where we remain unmoved by poetry, history and musical skill?

How many students today know something of the events of the 13th century--or of any century other than the present one and the closing years of the 20th? It was only last year that a Ph.D. "educator", acting in an official position for the state of North Carolina, recommended that American history in public high schools in the state focus only on events from 1877 to the present. Yet the people of Russia reach as far back as the 1200's and earlier to study the exploits of their people and heroes.

Our school officials constantly tell us that they could deliver a quality education if we would only give them more money. Yet just recently we learned that the public schools of Newark, New Jersey, to cite but one example, are already spending in excess of $23,000.00 per student per year. (See my earlier post on this matter.)

There are still a lot of excellent teachers and schools in the US, but we must be ever-vigilant about what is being taught, what is not taught, and how it is delivered. Should we be demanding more? At this point, we simply cannot rely on "experts" to guide us.

Thanks,
Gary

What Do Superintendents Do?

Nearly all public school systems in the US employ an uber-administrator usually known as the "superintendent", occasionally known as the "chancellor". These jobs are generally demanding, but offer excellent benefits and perks, sometimes including automobiles, expense accounts and early retirement packages that often outdo the actual salaries. Compensation is almost always at least $100,000.00 in a district of any size, and sometimes rises as high as $250,000.00 or even higher. That's nothing compared with what CEO's of sizable companies earn, but still not bad. The superintendent normally works in a separate office not connected with a school building, and usually is attended by a large staff of underlings, which would include secretaries, social workers, tiers of assistant administrators, service workers, grant writers, and, in the district where I live, a PR person. The assistant administrators usually likewise earn a six-figure salary. Meanwhile, each individual school, particularly high schools, will be staffed with its own small army of head principal, assistant principals (up to eight in some large schools), social workers, counselors, etc. If would behoove each of us to find out just how many non-teaching personnel are employed in the school districts in which we live. Sometimes you have to make repeated phone calls and dig for the information. The number of individuals thus employed, and their salaries, might amaze you.

And yet, with this vast army of administrative persons on duty throughout our nation, why do test scores keep falling? Why are the superintendents unable to effect the improvements necessary? If these administrators were able to produce the results, they would be worth their present salaries and much more, but by now we have all borne witness to the decline in literacy and general knowledge all about us.

It is easy to point fingers; teachers blame parents and administrators, parents blame the high taxes that force both parents to work too hard to have sufficient time for their children, administrators blame teachers and parents, and politicians add spice to the mix. Meanwhile, we all have to deal with the problems caused by illiteracy. Is it possible we have too many chiefs trying to running our schools and knocking into each other as they do so?

Generally a superintendent is hired by a school board, who review his or her background and philosophy. Superintendents are generally expected to implement a new set of policies and methodologies--which, after all, is what leaders normally do. The trend across the country increasingly seems to be that superintendents do not hold their positions very long. They are an itinerant group for the most part. Their contracts are often terminated early by disgruntled school boards, but usually a lucrative golden parachute is awarded, and the dismissed superintendent is free to seek a new job somewhere else.

So why aren't our schools doing better? And what can we do to produce real improvement?

Thanks,
Gary

Education at What Price?

Recently Mark Zuckerberg, the founder of the internet social networking site FaceBook, announced that he would be making a donation of $100,000,000.00 to the public school system of Newark, New Jersey. According to figures obtained from the groups School Watch and Excellent Education for Everyone, the Newark public schools spent an unbelievable $23,141.00 per student in the academic year 2007-08. In spite of that expenditure, student achievement remained abysmally low. Students who were unable to meet eighth grade standards were still allowed to receive diplomas through a flawed and controversial "Special Review Assessment" process. Mr. Zuckerberg evidently feels that throwing yet more money to the Newark public schools will somehow succeed where previous efforts have failed.

Many questions immediately come to mind: How will the hundred million dollars be spent? Will it hire more administrators, more consultants, more administrative assistants? Will it be spent on meaningless programs that obfuscate the real issues and mask failure? How will the effectiveness of such a large donation be assessed? In short, we need to know just how this money will impact students.

Today vast segments of our population (and not solely the young) struggle with illiteracy, have limited awareness of geography, are unable to perform simple mathematical computations, have little or no awareness of foreign languages other than what they grew up speaking, and, sadly, repeat the mistakes of history, having not learned its lessons. It was just a short time ago that a Ph.D. educational supervisor in North Carolina advocated sweeping changes in the teaching of American history at the high school level that would omit systematic study of events prior to 1877. What can we do to change this?

Yes, we still have many fine schools, but we must guard them carefully and keep a careful watch on them to make sure they are not targeted by "reforms" that would eviscerate the education they offer. We should also study not only what makes a good school, but, more importantly, what makes a good teacher. More on that soon!

What do you think?

Thanks,
Gary

Satori in the Heartland

The Zen master D. T. Suzuki once wrote: "In Zen there is nothing to explain by means of words....Do not remain silent; nor be discursive." Performance artist Tom Brady, in his new work Emozioni Ricordati (Recalled Emotions), presented by ANNONYarts, has constructed a collage of forms without form that evoke primeval memories and glimpses of what we once were, are and are becoming.

Brady's three-movement work spreads itself--and him--throughout the aptly-named studio and performance space he has created in St. Louis' Grand Center Arts District, Satori: An Artist's Space. He utilizes basic shapes common to our three-dimensional reality--an oblong box, ascending stairs, pegs on a wall--as a backdrop for his lithe movements that jab at our neglected awareness of ourselves and our environment and remind us that we are physical beings mired in physicality, yet blessed with a spirit that embodies seeking, yearning, exploration and evolution. As we pause to reflect, the flash of insight is akin, perhaps, to the renewed and clarified vision we experience when we achieve satori, the initial step to enlightenment.

As a performance artist, Brady's creativity in this one-man show embraces movement, sound, poetry, structure and visual effect. Like opera, performance art is comprehensive, and involves all art forms. Brady created the atonal music that creates a wall of sonority that frames each movement of his work, assisted by percussionist Rich O'Donnell in the first work. The music is flowing, organic and electronically fortified, yet rhythmic, and seems to ooze like seeping water into the performance space. The costumes run from a close-fitting amphibious body-suit to a red-turbaned gymnast to a white-plumed creature flirting with flight. Mark Raeber's lighting is sparse and sufficient throughout.

The opening section of Emozioni Ricordati is entitled "Man in the Box", and begins with Brady emerging from a coffin-like oblong box, replete with a dark spirit underneath played by assistant Laura Murphy, who performs double duty as stage manager. Like a nascent life form rising out of primordial substance, Brady's nebulous spirit begins to explore its environment and take account of itself, ultimately re-alighting on the box from which it came. In the second segment, "Crescent", Brady winds his body about a black staircase, ascending to wherever the viewer's imagination would see it go, accompanied by Brady's narration constituting a reflection on the meaning of being present and being not-present, perhaps somewhat like a meditation on the impact of our beings on ourselves and others. In the concluding movement, "Sore/Soar", a nameless anthropomorphic creature, swaddled in stoles made of white plastic ties, strives to free itself from the earth.

In the discussion which followed the performance, Brady was asked if there was a unifying theme to the three movements of the total work. Brady, in true Zen spirit, did not dictate what the theme or themes might be, but felt that a theme could emerge after considering the work in its entirety. Although it is probably best to allow each viewer to make up his or her own mind, some of the words and descriptors that come to mind would include "evolution", "exploration", "effort", "reflection", "desire"--just to name a few.

A review of a work such as this should not focus on whether the performance was "good" or "bad". Rather, it should ask the question, "Did the performance make the viewer think?" I would say the answer is a definite yes. The meaning that we draw from this work is personal to each of us, and should not be dictated. Perhaps the best compliment we can pay to Tom Brady is that he allows his audience to become co-creators as they discover his work and develop their own meanings.

For more information about Annonyarts and its consortium of artists, call 314-652-3003, or visit their website at www.satori3003.net.

Russians in the Heartland

Recently the St. Louis Symphony kicked off its 2010-2011 season with an all-Russian program, marking the inauguration of its season-long Russian Festival. The selections consisted of the rarely-heard Symphony No. 1 in G minor by Vasily Kalinnikov (1894-95), the Lieutenant Kije Symphonic Suite by Sergei Prokofiev (1934) and the Violin Concerto of Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1878), with Joshua Bell as soloist. Music Director David Robertson conducted.

This concert was not only a pleasure to the ears, but was educational as well. Although I had studied a bit of the Russian language in school (amazingly, it's not nearly as difficult as you might think), had read several novels and stories by Russian authors, and had waded through a bit of Russian history, hearing so much Russian music all at once made me stop and reflect on what this people has endured across the centuries. Invasions, repressive monarchical regimes, disease, revolution, excesses of the communist era--all are part of what this people has borne. How many people realize that the Russian death toll in World War II was as high as 22,000,000? Yet through it all their musicians have performed brilliantly, and their composers have produced beautiful music that breathes melody in and out, right to the present day.

Perhaps what struck me most of all as I listened was the sheer melodic quality of the music. Every piece we heard, although rhythmic and often gymnastic, still sported singable, haunting melodies that we all carried home resonating in our ears.

Even now I find myself recalling the opening themes of the symphony by Kalinnikov. His short life of less than thirty-five years (1866-1901) was a constant struggle with poverty and poor health, but his music is heroic, ebullient and free. His work is a reminder that greatness can overcome all obstacles.

The suite from Lieutenant Kije, based upon a comic movie about soldiers creating an imaginary officer, reminds us that people everywhere have faced the challenges of bureaucracy, boredom and feelings of powerlessness. Prokofiev's imaginative and sparkling score, however, transforms the mundane world into something much more magical.

The Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto needs no introduction to aficionadoes. It is filled with dizzying leaps and bounds, peaks as high as Everest, careening slides on the violin strings--but also with introspection and pathos. Joshua Bell is a supreme virtuoso. We often speak of a musical instrument working almost as an extension of a master performer's body, but Bell took this image to a new height; it was virtually impossible to tell where his arms and hands stopped and the wood and strings of the violin began. Watching a great musician is like watching the greatest of athletes.

The physical location of Russia is thousands of miles from the American Midwest. Yet on this September night Russia seemed to have opened its heart and soul in St. Louis.

Thanks for reading.
Gary

Who Is a Teacher?

Recently in an article I was preparing for publication I referenced a music education professor of mine who once observed that "the real music educator in our society is the DJ". His words made me realize anew that degrees and "certificates" are not the sole pathways to becoming an educator.

In the 60's and 70's it was fashionable to proclaim "We are all students; we are all teachers." Too much repetition trivialized the phrase, but its basic truth remains intact. Throughout our lives, in all situations, we will both instruct others and learn from them. Sometimes we will teach non-verbally, simply by sharing a work of visual art or a piece of music. Sometimes we will catch a ray of insight from someone else, perhaps unintendedly so. And there may be times when we teach or learn negatively--that is, by giving or receiving an example of how not to do something. But learning and teaching will take place at all times, passively or consciously.

Another professor in college also advised us not to worry about finding the right school, but to worry about finding the right teachers. This is some of the best advice a student can receive. When we direct ourselves to focus on receiving and imparting the best instruction available, we will all benefit.

Teachers come in all shapes and sizes, and all ages. A classroom teacher trained at Columbia Teachers College once pointed out that there had been times when her second grade students had shown her a better way to organize or present information. We would probably not have our present system of aviation had the early pioneers not learned from the flight of birds and insects. A DJ has the power to esthetically influence potentially millions of listeners simply by exposing them to a new work or a new style. Even the Bible admonishes us to consider the ways of the lowly ant.

We should never devalue ourselves as teachers as long as we strive to be accurate and sincere in what we share with others. Probably the best road to being a good teacher is to always remain a good and eager student. Of course there may be others who can teach better than we can, or who hold more knowledge in their brains to impart, but each of us still has our own contribution to make. In other words, the existence of a Shakespeare does not mean that a lesser writer has nothing to offer.

I have always pointed out the tragic fact that Mozart, Beethoven, Shakespeare, Einstein, Homer, Rembrandt and Michelangelo, just to name a few, would not have been allowed to teach in an American high school, even though their contributions transformed the world. Why? Because they weren't "certified". Mercifully, our schools are slowly coming to realize that the certification process, however well-intended, had the effect of depriving generations of students from contact with brilliant minds. But we all need to take up our mantles and realize that the gift and art of teaching is far too important to bottle up as a commodity. Teaching and learning is our birthright and our responsibility.

Thanks,
Gary

Animals All Around

Recently our home has been invaded by a pair of raccoons intent on welshing the dry cat food normally reserved for Sylvia, the beautiful stray cat who adopted us a couple of years ago. The raccoons began making their forays in the wee hours of the morning, gaining entrance through a back window left open for Sylvia to pursue her nocturnal haunts, but lately they have begun attempting earlier visits--almost as though they realized I was now closing the window before heading off to bed. This means that Sylvia will have to ask for assistance if she needs to go out in the night. Just what I needed.

A more harrowing experience with a creature of nature took place recently on a trip to Florida. I had gone out early in the morning to swim in the ocean, one of my favorite activities. There were several people in the water, including a number of children. Lazily, out of the corner of my eye I saw a man running onto the shore. I instantly realized it could only mean one thing: a shark was in the water. I snapped to attention and turned my head to see a dreaded dorsal fin heading my way. Judging from the size of the fin, I would estimate the shark to be no more than five feet long--certainly large enough to cause some damage. I prayed HARD to God asking for help, and somehow made it out of the water. I was subdued the rest of the day. Perhaps for the first time in my life I realized what it must feel like to live as potential prey.

These two experiences, plus the abundance of wildlife that seems to investigate my inner-suburban backyard every day, have made me reflect more than ever on the majesty, beauty and mystery of the animal kingdom. The diversity of animals is so overwhelming that we often grow numb to it. Even in our cities there is an incredible range of life-forms, all earnestly endeavoring to survive (ourselves included). When we behold our own bodies, we see that we are mammals, with organs, skin, hair and appendages. For this we should feel honored and exalted. Our creator, however we conceive of him, her or it, has seen fit to bless us with spiritual and physical attributes. We are truly amazingly made.

Even the ants that have plagued the kitchen this year are evidence of the diversity of life, as are the countless birds that fly overhead, the earthworms that make our soil viable, and even the denizens who crawl and slither in the night. Makes you wonder just what we will find someday on other planets.

Thanks,
Gary

Transfiguration in the Heartland

Recently I had the privilege of attending the opening of a new play premiering in St. Louis by a local playwright, The Healing of Joey Padowaski, by Mario Harwell, produced by First Run Theatre. My review of the play will soon appear on the station website of KDHX radio (kdhx.org), but the play elicited much to think about, so I decided to share some reflections with readers of this blog.

The protagonist of the play, Joey Padowaski, the offspring of a Polish-American father and an African-American mother, acquires the gift of healing by laying on of hands following a childhood accident. However, he comes to realize that he is an unhealed healer, with a tragic secret locked inside himself, and struggles to understand the meaning and purpose of his gift. As his introspection deepens, he comes to understand that true healing must be total healing: the heart, soul and mind must be healed and transformed along with the body. Through much of the play he spurns his gift, perhaps because he spurns himself and the things he has done.

The cast includes a motley assortment of seeming misfits, such as a drag queen, a doltish and abusive lughead from Brooklyn and his co-dependent girlfriend, the spirit of Joey's best friend, trapped in limbo, Joey's scheming boss and his mother, who questions whether it is even appropriate to possess and utilize a mystical healing power in the first place. This oddball crew achieves peace and emotional release by a strange osmosis when they witness the healing of a dead man by Joey. When the deceased man returns, he is transformed from the inside out, and views his life on earth as a mission that he so far has failed to carry out.

Through acceptance and understanding of themselves, each of the characters, including Joey, comes to the knowledge that their failures and shortcomings were attempts to avoid the acceptance of their inner greatness and sense of purpose. One character sums it up like this: "I realized that I wasn't afraid of the darkness of my soul....I was afraid of the light."

This play is about wholeness, and how there is no true healing without complete integration of body and spirit. And in an even broader sense, the true healing of one becomes the true healing of all. When we accept who we are and what we are, our innate goodness is released--we are no longer choking ourselves off.

Thanks,
Gary

Symbol versus Substance

Recently a mayoral candidate in the community where I live mailed out a flyer informing voters that he had been instrumental in convincing the community that we needed to build a new public elementary school. Clearly, he felt that this activity demonstrated his ability to lead an entire community and indicated his commitment to education.

I immediately saw two immediate problems with such assumptions. First of all, a building in and of itself does not make an education. What is far more important is the way the building will be used to foster learning. Our ancestors generally learned in schools so small that they were called "schoolhouses", lacking the technically advanced equipment so prominent in classrooms today, and yet standards in the past were arguably higher than today. Nowhere in the flyer was there any description of what our would-be mayor had done to make sure the children of our community received a solid foundation in history, geography, fine arts, foreign languages, reading, English, mathematics or any other subject. However, we had a new building, and for that he felt he should be rewarded.

Secondly, our candidate had concluded that success in having a building erected somehow made him fit to govern and guide an entire community. The only thing I felt we could conclude was that we would see some new public buildings constructed if we turned over the reins of leadership to such a man. We could not know what he envisioned would take place within those buildings.

One of the saddest hallmarks of society today is our acceptance of symbol over substance and quantity over quality. Yes, buildings are important, especially schools. But what goes on within the walls of a public building is what we should first be concerned about. Educational reform will never take place until we acquire a fresh understanding of education itself, not its trappings. We must decide, as individuals and as a society, what we want our students to learn, and what it takes to achieve true learning. Educational talk is simply talk, or jargon. Knowledge--the awareness of facts and ideas, and the ability to understand them, apply them and make reasoned decisions based upon such awareness--should be our primary goal.

Thanks,
Gary

Puccini in the Heartland

One of the most vibrant neighborhoods in the St. Louis area is known as "The Hill", home to the city's Italian-American community. Although the Hill has long been a bastion of stability and tradition, recently it has acquired a new role as a cultural beacon for the entire St. Louis community and beyond. St. Ambrose Roman Catholic Church, an icon in the neighborhood for many years, has recently opened its doors to productions mounted by the Winter Opera, founded (and often starred in) by St. Louis native Gina Galati. Recently, on the weekend of March 13-14, Winter Opera performed Giacomo Puccini's one-act knockout, Gianni Schicchi, a beautiful comic story of star-crossed lovers and a curmudgeon's will altered by a clever yet affable impersonator. The singing was joyous, rousing--and, very importantly these days--seemed to raise everyone's spirits right through the vaulted ceilings of the historic church. Special thanks indeed must go to the priests and lay leaders of St. Ambrose Church, since Puccini does poke a bit of fun at religiosity. But I'm sure everyone present was filled with gratitude to the work of the church in sharing the music of one of Italy's best-loved sons--a great gift from a nation that has given the world so much.

Opera right in the neighborhood is a wonderful experience, and, although perhaps recent in the U.S., opera has always been a part of daily life in Italy. Many residents of the Hill simply walked to the performance. And afterwards, there was no shortage of fine restaurants to cap off the evening. The performers onstage and in the orchestra, along with the crew and staff of Winter Opera, seemed to enjoy the music and storyline along with everyone else. This is a wonderful way to celebrate heritage and ancestral roots.

It must be noted that opera does not come free. Remember, "opera" literally means "the works", meaning that it is a feast for all the senses. These requires money and community support. I would love to see the day when performances such as Gianni Schicchi are free and open to the community. Hopefully we will work towards that end.

For additional information about the Winter Opera of St. Louis, contact its offices at 314-865-0038.

Thanks,

Gary

A Tragedy in North Carolina

Recently the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction, which oversees curriculum in the state's public schools, offered a proposal that the teaching of American History in the 11th grade be altered to cover only events since 1877. This would leave out the American Revolution, the Civil War, the Colonial Period, the eras of exploration and expansionism, as well as the history of slavery and minorities prior to 1877. The presidencies of Washington, Jefferson, Jackson and Lincoln would be left out, as well as the struggle for emancipation. Rutherford Hayes would be the first president studied. To be fair, the state has indicated that these topics would still be included in curricula for the earlier grades, but one has to wonder if it is a wise decision to leave out coverage of the early eras of American history at a time when students should be developing a sense of time, place and analytical thought.

Rebecca Garland, chief academic officer for the NC Department of Public Instruction, insists that these guidelines would be put in place so that students could become more aware of the history that impacts their lives today (as though the development of American democracy and the growth of individualism had nothing to do with the present). The new standards, she argues, would enable students to "stop and smell the history".

A theme in American education for the past several years is that memorization of events, dates, facts and figures is not nearly as important as developing "critical thinking". I believe that most people who are able to think critically would agree that critical thinking cannot exist without a background of cold, hard knowledge--of which dates, facts and timelines would form a "critical" part. The proposed North Carolina changes would throw out a vast portion of knowledge that should be vital to any real sort of critical thinking.

Thankfully, many North Carolina citizens are outraged, including many educators. The people of North Carolina seem shocked at the proposed turn of events. The standards have not yet been enacted, and there will be a opportunities for public comment. There is hope yet that knowledge can be preserved. Hopefully reason and intellect will prevail in North Carolina and throughout the United States.

I thought everyone knew the saying: "Those who do not learn from the lessons of history are doomed to repeat its mistakes." Evidently there are some "educated" bureaucrats, most with initials after their names, who seem blissfully ignorant of the lessons offered by our history. Their attitude is arrogant, and is an insult to all citizens.

North Carolina has no corner on educational backwardness; we should all take time to cast a critical eye on the education bureaucrats who wield control over the intellectual upbringing of young people in all states. Yes, it takes time, but it is no exaggeration to state that the future of our civilization is at stake. An uneducated citizenry can only spiral downwards.

Thanks,
Gary

The Critics of Buddhism

Recently Brit Hume, the news commentator, ignited a small firestorm when he suggested that golfer Tiger Woods would do well to leave behind his interest in Buddhist philosophy and return to his Christian roots, since, he maintained, Christianity offers real "redemption". Understandably, many who admire and respect Buddhism were insulted and saddened by Mr. Hume's lack of insight. His remarks were unfortunate and indefensible.



However, if Hume had simply prefaced his remarks by offering the caveat "In my opinion...", then his critics would simply have to acknowledge that Hume was exercising his rights of free speech, and therefore they could only disagree with his conclusions. However, Hume seemed to speak with an air of absolutism that has characterized Christian apologetics too much across the centuries. If he were to study Christianity and Buddhism in greater depth, he might discover that they are not as far apart as he might think. But the purpose of this article is not to defend one way of life against another; it is up to each individual to make his or her own choices.



Perhaps my goal here is, ironically, to defend--a bit--Brit Hume, and I write these words as someone who deeply loves the Buddhist philosophy and has drawn much comfort (and even redemption) from its teachings. As far as we know, Hume has never killed a Buddhist and has never denied basic human rights to a Buddhist. On the other hand, in many countries Buddhism is not given official status and freedom of expression. Priceless Buddhist shrines and relics, all a part of our shared heritage as human beings, have been mercilessly destroyed, and some Buddhists have had to face discrimination and outright persecution. If Mr. Hume has been guilty of any of these things, then he surely needs to be exposed and censured--but I doubt that he has ever done so, and I even suspect that he would fight to defend the rights of Buddhists everywhere.



It is our duty always to speak out against prejudice and discrimination wherever we find it. Differences of opinion and disagreements do not fall into that category. Those who would defend Buddhism must speak out against the overt acts of political and religious repression that have attacked their way of life, wherever they are found.



Thanks,

Gary

Achieving Renunciation

In my last post I wrote about the elements of Richard Wagner's opera Tristan und Isolde that embody a major tenet of Buddhism, namely, the lovers' realization that, paradoxically, they can find no peace until they renounce their desires and flee into the next world. Another opera, Werther, by Jules Massenet, based upon the novel by Wolfgang von Goethe, The Sorrows of Young Werther, demonstrates a similar theme. Werther, the protagonist, finds himself hopelessly in love with Charlotte, a married woman. Although he strives to rid himself of his desire for her, he finds that he is unable to do so (as she likewise fails to do for him), and ultimately seeks to rid himself of desire through death.

It is interesting to note that both Tristan, Isolde and Werther all see death as almost a sort of refuge--a place where unwanted desires will cease to torment them and where they will find a deep peace born of void and oblivion. In each story, the sufferers seem to view death as a comfort and perhaps even a friend. Sadly, it was noted that in the aftermath of Goethe's publication of Werther in 1774 (written at the ripe age of twenty-four!), there was a rash of suicides in Europe, committed primarily by young men, as readers saw too much of themselves and their personal realities reflected in the novel.

Buddhism, a philosophy that increasing numbers of us have come to respect as a source of inner peace, personal fulfillment and a means of learning to respect and value others, in no way would condone the choice made by these fictional characters (whose depth of pathos have imbued them with a certain reality, like all memorable characters in great fictional works). Rather, I think, Buddhism would encourage each of us to go within and seek renunciation and release from desire through meditation and self analysis. Anyone who has studied Buddhism in more than a purely superficial examination, understands that it is perhaps the most life-affirming philosophy and way of life on our planet. Increasingly, many Christian theologians are beginning to wonder if Jesus may have had some contact with the teachings of Buddhism.

Buddhism does teach that the renunciation of desires is the means to the ending of suffering, but renunciation is not achieved simply through denial, but through the gradual process of coming to realize that, just maybe, what we think we want is sometimes not what we really want. Renunciation must be voluntary and joyfully accepted to be real.

By the way, did anyone notice that the title of this post is something of an oxymoron?

Thanks,
Gary