Not everyone reads the Honolulu Star Advertiser, nor its weekly Sunday column, Volcanic Ash, by David Shapiro. Yesterday’s column struck a chord with me; its message was worth sharing.
“America has become a world leader when it comes to disliking one another. We’re angrily divided by race, region, gender, religion, age, education and politics.”
“Those on opposite sides of the many divides foolishly paint ourselves into corners and fight with such fierce hatred that common cause on even the simplest of challenges seems hopeless. The rest of the world follows suit”. (Shapiro)
David then calls attention to a song, The Merry Minuet.
A long time ago, Broadway lyricist Sheldon Harnick (who also wrote the lyrics for Fiddler on the Roof) wrote that song that the Kingston Trio included in their 2nd album in 1959. They refer to it as satirical humor.
There are days in my life
When everything is dreary
I grow pessimistic
Sad and world-weary
But when I am fearful
And tearfully upset
I always sing
This merry little minuet.
They’re rioting in Africa,
They’re starving in Spain.
There’s hurricanes in Florida,
And Texas needs rain
The whole world is festering
With unhappy souls.
The French hate the Germans,
The Germans hate the Poles;
Italians hate Yugoslavs,
South Africans hate the Dutch,
And I don’t like anybody very much!
In far away Siberia
They Freeze by the score
An avalanche in Switzerland
Just got fifteen more
But we can be tranquil
And “thankfill” and proud,
For man’s been endowed
With a mushroom-shaped cloud.
And we know for certain
That some lovely day
Someone will set the spark off,
And we will all be blown away!
They’re rioting in Africa,
There’s strife in Iran.
What nature doesn’t do to us
Will be done by our fellow man!
“It fascinates that lines from a topical song written 65 years ago could have come out of today’s news.”
“We were America, an exceptional nation of immigrants that could overcome differences, achieve greatness never seen before and chuckle at the foibles of others.”
“We now see such national confidence was mostly illusion. We disliked each other as much as anybody else, but for a time were able to slap a veil of civility over it, a thin membrane easily ripped open as self-interest produced raging conflicts that couldn’t be easily resolved or papered over.”
“America has become a world leader when it comes to disliking one another … The rest of the world follows suit.”
“On good days this song still makes me smile as I harbor hope that somehow, long after I’m gone, our country and world will figure it out and the tune will remain something that can make people chuckle.” (Shapiro)
Remember, what goes around comes around … instead of what we have become, be kind. (PTY)