There are days I’m just not sure what to write about…
I don’t want to criticize; I don’t want to complain; but so much of contemporary culture frustrates me… so much makes me want to scream for better and more…
… the lack of ethics… the lack of respect… the lack of balanced spending…
… the suppression of individual liberty… the intolerance of opinion… the repression of ideas…
… the attack on individual expression… the attack on Judeo-Christian faiths… the attack on free speech… justified name calling… and lack of diverse, reverent dialogue…
Geepers… the attacks… the squelching…the disrespect…
It was only last week when former NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg spoke at Harvard’s commencement. His words were fascinating; among them, he sternly said:
“Think about the irony: In the 1950’s, the right wing was attempting to repress left wing ideas. Today, on many college campuses, it is liberals trying to repress conservative ideas, even as conservative faculty members are at risk of becoming an endangered species. And perhaps nowhere is that more true than here in the Ivy League…
Great universities must not become predictably partisan. And a liberal arts education must not be an education in the art of liberalism.”
So much makes me want to scream for better and more. There should not be a squelching — of either conservatism or liberalism — of tradition or progression.
It’s not about Michael Bloomberg. It’s not about Pres. Obama. It’s not about any political adversary or predecessor nor anyone on the predominant, proverbial left or right. It’s about doing what’s good and true and right — all the time.
I’d prefer to act as if today’s blog parallels the iconic “Seinfeld” episode, “The Pitch.” “The Pitch” is the clever episode in which Jerry & Co. present NBC executives with an original sitcom idea, a series about nothing. That’s right: nothing. The ever neurotic, always amusing George Costanza argues with the execs about the validity of his proposed premise regarding “a show about nothing” — no plot, no stories — but the idea doesn’t sit well with those in charge. As George says, “Look, if you want to just keep on doing the same old thing, then maybe this idea is not for you. I, for one, am not going to compromise my artistic integrity. And I’ll tell you something else, this is the show and we’re not going to change it.” George and Jerry propose a show about nothing.
I suppose some days such would be easy. Let’s blog about nothing. Yep, nothing. But I can’t. I can’t.
I want more than entertainment value. I want more than filling the air time. When we began this dialogue some 6 years ago, I knew then we would never settle for nothing. There are days it’s necessary to scream for better and more.
… the attacks… the squelching…
… yes, there are days it’s necessary to scream for better and more.
Respectfully, of course…
AR