Still Sundays: Tricks and Treats

October 28, 2012.

Dedicated to the brave musicians in Mali.

“Trick-or-Treating” was once known as “souling” where children would sing and say prayers for the dead and in return receive  sweets and cakes. There was a time when children knew about fairies, spirits, and tried to understand that there were some who were harmful. Now if Disney-Pixar has not brought it to our attention our children don’t know anything. A mega-corporation as an ancestor telling digital stories. I do love animation though. In fact, Pixar produced some of my favorite movies. It’s just that from time to time I miss my own imagination; so I can’t imagine children who are growing up hardly using theirs.

Now children go door to door in costumes they didn’t make for sugar they don’t need and even violence doesn’t scare them like it should. Where’s the treat? It’s all a trick. And that is truly scary.

I remember when fear meant something completely different. Growing up hearing unexpected footsteps meant a parent was approaching the room and you were supposed to be doing something other than what you were! Now it can mean anything from someone trying to break in or worse. Of course I grew up watching my share of “scary” movies—vampires, ghosts, jinns, monsters, aliens—but none involved graphic violence for the sake of violence despite being gory.

I am afraid I am becoming more and more cynical now that I am no longer residing in New York City given New Yorkers are incorrectly stereotyped as such. There is always an undercurrent of hope despite our healthy sense of skepticism in New York City given all that is far from right in the world.

I am afraid we are no longer afraid of anything that should genuinely scare us.  I am afraid we are no longer intrigued by fear. Fear is a powerful conduit for exploring some of the deepest crevices within which in turn leads to our boldest expansions. We don’t even know what to fear. Now the fears consist of being “unfollowed” on Twitter, “unfriended” on Fakebook or afraid of not enough “views” (nevermind that for majority of the people “page hits” are devoid of any monetary compensation or exposure beyond the web, therefore concerning oneself with all that makes zero business sense, unless it does). I refuse to believe that social media has only amplified that which already existed. Perhaps it all existed before: the not-so-intelligent-“artist”, the-bored-creative, the-grad-school-political-pundit, the-spiritual-coach-from-the-corner. But it was such a tiny fraction of our human population at large. But now it is projected as if these people are the norm given the mic and the camera is not in the hands of the majority. Once again.

Earlier this week I was quite sad when my brother shared the following story with me. In northern Mali Islamist militants are trying to ban music. I love music from Mali and still intend on visiting there one day. I have had many serendipitous encounters that point in the direction of a visit there.

I am afraid not enough people really appreciate (music). I don’t mean they don’t know what they like—whatever it is—-but they don’t know what it means to truly appreciate. It’s so transient. The worst word in the English language is ‘like” thanks to social media. What does that even mean? When you genuienly appreciate, a string forms from your core and attaches itself  to that which is created, and your heart breaks a little to imagine it just gone. You can start a social media “save-the-music-in-Mali” campaign to know how many people support you supporting a “cause” and they probably will so they can get a few “retweets” or “likes” in return. Where’s the music in that?

I am afraid only nature can humble man and it must given how things are, no different than the number of times it has  in the past civilizations now long gone.

I am afraid my father is right, humanity is precisely where it ought to be on the evolutionary trajectory.

I am afraid hope and love are all there is to make things better.

I am afraid that is no easy task given so many don’t know what love means despite countless blog posts by every single human being who has a blog.

This Sunday I leave you with “Kala Djula” a single from Ali Farka Toure and Toumani Diabate from Mali. I hope you will enjoy the music. You must make time for music.

Music makes me hopeful despite all fears.

In case song/video is not playing within post for those subscribed (as was brought to my attention) here the song.

Related posts:

Still Sundays When was your “Malala Moment”? A Human Sunday