Monday Music: To My Old Brown Earth (Pete Seeger)

Two music luminaries were born in the month of May: Pete Seeger (Mat 3) and Bob Dylan (May 24). Typically, I have given a lot of space on my blog during the month of May to celebrate Dylan. This year, I am giving some time to both artists. The video below is taken from the PBS American Masters series "Pete Seeger: Power of Song," broadcast in 2007. As Pete said, when a group of people can find harmony in music, "then they will know there is hope for the world."

 

-

Listening to Rumi

 

“Whoever Brought Me Here,” by Rumi, is a poem I first heard 26 years ago and one that continues to resonate. I keep returning to it to remind myself of the deep mystery and wonder of being human in the world.  Coleman Barks read his translation of Rumi’s poem at the Dodge Poetry Festival in 1995. Bill Moyers was there to film it for PBS and that is how I first came to hear the words of a 13th-century Sufi mystic.

Poetry and Me

My love for poetry began early. I wrote my first poem in the second grade and as I grew older, the reading of poetry and the writing of poetry became increasingly important. In college, I majored in English primarily because of my love for language and literature. As I tested my vocation in life, I trained for a few careers, trying my hand at teaching, ministry, and social services before entering the medical field as a registered nurse. Throughout my searches and career changes poetry kept me grounded. My writing of poetry came to serve as a kind of spiritual journal. The loves and losses, the darkened days and the times of hope all took poetic form. I could later look back at what I had written to remember where I had been.

Pulling Me In

It must have been my interest in poetry and spirituality that pulled me into Coleman Barks’ reading of Rumi. His rich, resonant southern voice conveyed an oceanic sense of wonder as he read. In the poem, Rumi asks deep questions about life and about his own existence. Where did he come from? What should he be doing? He says he has no idea, yet in that uncertainty, he can say, My soul is from elsewhere, I am sure of that. Who has not felt that way? Perhaps not everyone is bold enough to say it, so Rumi says it for us. Life is such a remarkable thing – our humanity so amazing and precious – we cannot help telling ourselves stories of wonder to explain our origins and our destiny.

As Rumi ponders his life, he compares himself to a bird from another country trapped in an aviary dreaming of the day when he can fly home. So many of us find ourselves thinking there must be some higher calling even though we are stuck here in this workstation, this gray cubicle, this factory line. Surely my life was meant for more than this workaday drudgery. Rumi dares us to imagine that somehow we will find a way to live in life’s grandeur.

Living with the Questions

This short poem asks immense questions about the essence of our nature, questions in which the poet hints that the divine is perhaps knit within his own being, yet he realizes he is far from knowing. If I could taste one sip of an answer, I could break out of this prison for drunks. He declares that when he finds himself back where he came from, he will be awake and sober.

I treasure this poem because Rumi finds transcendence within the limitations of his surroundings. He encourages me with his capacity to trust the mystery of life. He reminds me that I had nothing to do with my arrival in this world, and I can rest in the hope that the outcome will be buoyed by the same creative beginnings. Rumi demonstrates how we can live with the questions, tap into the wonder, and trust the mystery.

I didn't come here of my own accord, and I can't leave that way.

Whoever brought me here, will have to take me home.

* Note: tomorrow I will post a video of Coleman Barks reading this poem by Rumi. To read "Whoever Brought Me Here." follow this link. For a brief article on Rumi, go here.

-

In Between The Lines: Native American Poetry

In honor of Native American Heritage Month, here is a short film from New Mexico PBS: COLORES | In Between The Lines: Native American Poetry.

"Featured are a remarkable group of Native American teen poets from Pueblos and the Navajo Reservation. For many Native teens, their tie to tradition and culture is blurring, these poets are standing at a crossroads in a rapidly evolving world. In Between the Lines catches that spark that ignites these young writers. We go in-between-the-lines and film them on their home ground in a cinema verite style. Through their poetry we learn of connections: family, the land around them and their native language. We also learn of obstacles: poverty, the drug and alcohol abuse and the dramatic incursion of a modern Western world. How do they keep the tradition and culture alive? Do they even want to hold on to their heritage? How do they see the Western world? Where do they fit in? In Between the Lines intimately looks at the questions these young Native Americans poets face."

-

Monday Music: Barbara Allen (Joan Baez)

From Far Out magazine:

In 1958, while honing her craft, a 17-year-old singer going by the name of Joan Baez took to the stage at the iconic ‘Club 47’ in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

The venue, which became the epicentre of the folk music scene around the area from 1958-1968, would see the likes of Shawn Colvin, Bob Dylan, Tom Rush, Joni Mitchell and more kickstart their careers from their intimate stage.

Joan Baez would be the name that sticks out following her breakthrough show in the late 1950s. The footage, which was once considered lost, was restored by American Masters who created a feature film celebrating fifty years of Baez in Joan Baez: How Sweet the Sound.

-

Monday Music: Shores of Ogygia (Bobby Horton)

"Shores of Ogygia," by Alabama's own, Bobby Horton. It was written for the PBS film series from Ken Burns, The National Parks: America's Best Idea. Bobby Horton first teamed up with Ken Burns for his groundbreaking documentary series, The Civil War. Horton was an expert on Civil War era songs and provided much of the soundtrack.

-

Fred Rogers, I'll Be Your Neighbor

Fred Rogers on the set of "Mister Rogers Neighborhood"  (Jim Judkis / Focus Features)

When my daughter was a preschooler, even as a toddler, she loved to draw and paint (she, in fact, grew up to be an artist). I still remember one day as she was using her markers and large poster-sized paper which she had laid out on the floor. With some large, rather abstract sweeps, she said, “This is Mister Rogers. He has long arms.” I was glad to see my daughter thinking of Mister Rogers in her creative moments.  I could not help thinking as well that Fred Rogers did indeed have long arms – figuratively as well as literally. He reached so many people in positive ways during their formative years.

Won’t You Be my Neighbor? is a new documentary about Fred Rogers that is coming to theaters this weekend. I look forward to seeing it. Just as I was happy to see my daughter fondly thinking of him all those years ago, I am also quite grateful that Mister Rogers is being remembered now, 15 years after his death.

If you look to the top of my blog page, you will see a “Heroes” tab. If you go to that page you will see a list of heroes, and Fred Rogers is right there at the top of the list. There you will see the essay I wrote in 2012, which I share again below:

Finding Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood

One of the happy asides for me that came with being a father was having the opportunity to visit Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood.  As soon as my daughter was old enough to pay attention to television, we started tuning in to Fred Rogers’ program on Public Television. In fact, for all of my daughter’s pre-school and early elementary years, TV viewing for her was limited to PBS children’s programming, and a few other children’s programs at places like The Discovery Channel, Nickelodeon and on video tape.

Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood, however, was the best thing ever developed in children’s programming. It was something my wife and I always enjoyed watching with our daughter.  Once my daughter started preschool, I began taping Mister Rogers. I found that I could get a week’s worth of programming on one VHS tape (this was before TiVo, DVDs, etc.). That way she (and I) were able to watch the show later if the broadcast was missed. We loved the pace of the shows, and parents could learn about interacting with children by watching how Mister Rogers talked to children and what things he chose to talk about with children.  

I learned some things myself about zoos and aviaries, about how graham crackers are made, how poets deal with words, and how musicians ply their talents, and many other fascinating things from Fred Rogers’ field trips.  Above all, it was reassuring to watch him and understand that I could make it as a parent in spite of my doubts and worries about whether I could get this parenting thing right.

A self-actualized person

Fred Rogers may have been one of our best examples of a healthy, well-rounded life – a self-actualized person.  The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines self-actualization as “to realize fully one's potential.” It is a term coined by psychologist Kurt Goldstein and also used by psychologists Abraham Maslow and Carl Rogers.  It carries the connotation that one is living fully within one’s potential and has made full use of that potential. Once I was taking a graduate course dealing with developmental psychology and the topic of self-actualization was discussed. The instructor asked us to name some examples of people who were self-actualized.  Since I had spent some of my daughter’s formative years watching Mister Rogers' Neighborhood with her, I immediately put Fred Rogers' name to the class as one whose life was a prime example of self-actualization. The professor had a look of surprise, then of awareness. “I think he is a good example," the professor said. "Usually in class students will mention names like Jesus Christ, the Buddha, or Mahatma Gandhi, but Fred Rogers is certainly a good example of what we are talking about.”

A good neighbor

Fred Rogers was definitely a gift to all who encountered him, whether in person or on television.  He showed us how to talk to children and he taught us how to be a good neighbor. You can read another writer’s reflections in an article, “15 Reasons Mr. Rogers Was the Best Neighbor Ever.” There is also a wonderful video on You Tube in which John D Boswell (melodysheep) has done an auto-tune digitalization for PBS of some wonderful moments with Mister Rogers. You can see that delightful and inspirational video below.

-

Finding Mister Roger's Neighborhood

[The following essay is a re-post from June 12, 2012. I share it again today because his was a life fully lived and fully realized that offers us hope in our own life endeavors. ~ CK]

One of the happy asides for me that came with being a father was having the opportunity to visit Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood.  As soon as my daughter was old enough to pay attention to television, we started tuning in to Fred Rogers’ program on Public Television. In fact, for all of my daughter’s pre-school and early elementary years, TV viewing for her was limited to PBS children’s programming, and a few other children’s programs at places like The Discovery Channel, Nickelodeon and on video tape.

Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood, however, was the best thing ever developed in children’s programming. It was something my wife and I always enjoyed watching with our daughter.  Once my daughter started preschool, I began taping Mister Rogers. I found that I could get a week’s worth of programming on one VHS tape (this was before TiVo, DVDs, etc.). That way she (and I) were able to watch the show later if the broadcast was missed. We loved the pace of the shows, and parents could learn about interacting with children by watching how Mister Rogers talked to children and what things he chose to talk about with children.  

I learned some things myself about zoos and aviaries, about how graham crackers are made, how poets deal with words, and how musicians ply their talents, and many other fascinating things from Fred Rogers’ field trips.  Above all, it was reassuring to watch him and understand that I could make it as a parent in spite of my doubts and worries about whether I could get this parenting thing right.

Fred Rogers may have been one of our best examples of a healthy, well-rounded life – a self-actualized person.  The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines self-actualization as “to realize fully one's potential.” It is a term coined by psychologist Kurt Goldstein and also used by psychologists Abraham Maslow and Carl Rogers.  It carries the connotation that one is living fully within one’s potential and has made full use of that potential. Once I was taking a graduate course dealing with developmental psychology and the topic self-actualization was discussed. The instructor asked us to name some examples of people who were self actualized.  Since I had spent some of my daughter’s formative years watching Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood with her, I immediately put Fred Rogers' name to the class as one whose life was a prime example of self-actualization. The professor had a look of surprise, then of awareness. “I think he is a good example," the professor said. "Usually in class students will mention names like Jesus Christ, the Buddha, or Mahatma Gandhi, but Fred Rogers is certainly a good example of what we are talking about.”

Fred Rogers was definitely a gift to all who encountered him, whether in person or on television.  He showed us how to talk to children and he taught us how to be a good neighbor. You can read another writer’s reflections in an article, “15 Reasons Mr. Rogers Was the Best Neighbor Ever.” There is also a wonderful video on You Tube in which John D Boswell (melodysheep) has done an auto-tune digitalization for PBS of some wonderful moments with Mister Rogers. You can see that delightful and inspirational video below.

-

Finding Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood

One of the happy asides for me that came with being a father was having the opportunity to visit Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood.  As soon as my daughter was old enough to pay attention to television, we started tuning in to Fred Rogers’ program on Public Television. In fact, for all of my daughter’s pre-school and early elementary years, TV viewing for her was limited to PBS children’s programming, and a few other children’s programs at places like The Discovery Channel, Nickelodeon and on video tape.

Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood, however, was the best thing ever developed in children’s programming. It was something my wife and I always enjoyed watching with our daughter.  Once my daughter started preschool, I began taping Mister Rogers. I found that I could get a week’s worth of programming on one VHS tape (this was before TiVo, DVDs, etc.). That way she (and I) were able to watch the show later if the broadcast was missed. We loved the pace of the shows, and parents could learn about interacting with children by watching how Mister Rogers talked to children and what things he chose to talk about with children.  

I learned some things myself about zoos and aviaries, about how graham crackers are made, how poets deal with words, and how musicians ply their talents, and many other fascinating things from Fred Rogers’ field trips.  Above all, it was reassuring to watch him and understand that I could make it as a parent in spite of my doubts and worries about whether I could get this parenting thing right.

Fred Rogers may have been one of our best examples of a healthy, well-rounded life – a self-actualized person.  The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines self-actualization as “to realize fully one's potential.” It is a term coined by psychologist Kurt Goldstein and also used by psychologists Abraham Maslow and Carl Rogers.  It carries the connotation that one is living fully within one’s potential and has made full use of that potential. Once I was taking a graduate course dealing with developmental psychology and the topic of self-actualization was discussed. The instructor asked us to name some examples of people who were self actualized.  Since I had spent some of my daughter’s formative years watching Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood with her, I immediately put Fred Rogers' name to the class as one whose life was a prime example of self-actualization. The professor had a look of surprise, then of awareness. “I think he is a good example," the professor said. "Usually in class students will mention names like Jesus Christ, the Buddha, or Mahatma Gandhi, but Fred Rogers is certainly a good example of what we are talking about.”

Fred Rogers was definitely a gift to all who encountered him, whether in person or on television.  He showed us how to talk to children and he taught us how to be a good neighbor. You can read another writer’s reflections in an article, “15 Reasons Mr. Rogers Was the Best Neighbor Ever.” There is also a wonderful video on You Tube in which John D Boswell (melodysheep) has done an auto-tune digitalization for PBS of some wonderful moments with Mister Rogers. You can see that delightful and inspirational video below.