#150 Musings Beyond the Bunker (Wednesday September 22)
Good morning!
This is the 150th Musing Beyond the Bunker and the 550th overall. As Yogi Berra famously said (or was alleged to have said), “it’s deja vu all over again!” Here we are, still fighting the pandemic, still worried about attacks on our democracy and still worried about the effects of Trumpism.
Today, I thought I’d offer some “best ofs” from the past 150 Musings Beyond the Bunker. I hope you enjoy some of these favorites:
BEST QUOTATIONS
“You don’t have to burn books to destroy a culture. Just get people to stop reading them.” –Ray Bradbury
“Think before you speak. Read before you think.” –Fran Lebowitz
“The reading of all good books is like a conversation with the finest…of the past centuries.” –Rene Descartes
BEST MUSIC
Curtis Stigers. If you love jazz, jazz vocals and great song choice, this is your guy. Andrea and I were lucky enough to be hosted by Steve and Jodie Fishman at one of his concerts. Here is his “Gentleman”:
. And here’s his rendition of “I’ve Got You Under My Skin”:
.
We live in a world where we often don’t appreciate mentors and those who came before us. Stigers pointed out the relationship he had with his mentor, Gene Harris, and sang this tune he wrote in memory of his mentor, “Swingin’ Down at 10th and Main”:
And while we’re talking about George Harrison, “The End of the Line” with the Traveling Wilburys, including Tom Petty, Bob Dylan, Roy Orbison, and Jeff Lynne:
BEST POETRY
The Summer Day
By Mary Oliver
Who made the world?
Who made the swan, and the black bear?
Who made the grasshopper?
This grasshopper, I mean—
the one who has flung herself out of the grass,
the one who is eating sugar out of my hand,
who is moving her jaws back and forth instead of up and down—
who is gazing around with her enormous and complicated eyes.
Now she lifts her pale forearms and thoroughly washes her face.
Now she snaps her wings open, and floats away.
I don't know exactly what a prayer is.
I do know how to pay attention, how to fall down
into the grass, how to kneel down in the grass,
how to be idle and blessed, how to stroll through the fields,
which is what I have been doing all day.
Tell me, what else should I have done?
Doesn't everything die at last, and too soon?
Tell me, what is it you plan to do
with your one wild and precious life?
—Mary Oliver
THE SEVEN CIRCLES OF HELL—MODERN VERSION
The ballots are in on Dante’s seven circles of hell. A couple of weeks ago, I asked for the irritating, obnoxious and stupid things around us that qualify for a “circle of hell” for the modern day. Here are the nominees:
An all too familiar behavior which deserves mention in the special circle in hell: When a friend starts texting in the middle of an engaging conversation and fails miserably at multi tasking. Mark Rosenbach
Those who say “goes” instead of “says.” Jeff Grant
A right turn on a red light into oncoming traffic! Sandy Pressman
The misuse of the words well and good & the younger generation referring to me as “dude.” Ken Millman
Those who, while walking their dog (arguably their beloved pet’s happiest moment of the day) and then tie the bagged excrement to the dog’s collar because they can’t abide carrying same and depositing it in an appropriate receptacle. The dog’s nose is 10,000 times more sensitive than ours; you might as well put a toilet over your best friend’s head and then ask he/she to run a marathon. Diane Cairns
Impatient drivers that try to ride you and if you stepped in the brake they’d hit you. Allison Gingold
People who say literally… I actually notice that I do too, so I’m working on that ;). Allison Gingold
People who bring up where they went to school (or their kids) in the first sentence of speaking…. I don’t really care, just be a good person... Allison Gingold
People who brazenly antagonize or demonstrate hostility on social media - we all can read who you are. Would you talk that way if you were face to face?!
People who chat for 15 minutes waiting in front of you in line at Starbucks (deli, ice cream parlor, movie concession, or fill in the blank) and are then entirely unprepared to order when it’s their turn. Peter Bain
Old folks who forward group e-mails that are racist, homophobic, or otherwise hurtful and then, when called out, respond by saying, “Oh, well, I didn’t really read it…” Millicent Bain
People who misuse “hopefully,” who use “irregardless” at all, and who can’t get predicate objective of “me” vs. “I” right. Peter Bain
IDENTIFY THE INTERNET TROLL
Adam Torson provides this fun exercise on the subject. How successfully can you spot the troll?
https://spotthetroll.org/
CORNELL WEST ON THE WESTERN CANON
“The Western canon is, more than anything, a conversation among great thinkers over generations that grows richer the more we add our own voices and the excellence of voices from Africa, Asia, Latin America and everywhere else in the world. We should never cancel voices in this conversation, whether that voice is Homer or students at Howard University. For this is no ordinary discussion.
The Western canon is an extended dialogue among the crème de la crème of our civilization about the most fundamental questions. It is about asking “What kind of creatures are we?” no matter what context we find ourselves in. It is about living more intensely, more critically, more compassionately. It is about learning to attend to the things that matter and turning our attention away from what is superficial.
…Education draws out the uniqueness of people to be all that they can be in the light of their irreducible singularity. It is the maturation and cultivation of spiritually intact and morally equipped human beings.”
--Cornell West
MORE QUOTATIONS
Great is the power of steady misrepresentation, but the history of science shows that fortunately this power does not long endure.
--Charles Darwin, The Origin of the Species
In every work of genius we recognize our own rejected thoughts; they come back to us with a certain alienated majesty.
--Ralph Waldo Emerson, “Self-Reliance”
BEST MUSICAL THEATRE
Cleverest lyrics
Another Hundred People, Company (one of the most underrated musicals)
Getting Married Today, Company (one of the greatest tongue-twisters—difficult for any actress)
A Little Priest, Sweeney Todd (an ode to the various people baked into meat pies by the demon barber)
Wonderful, Wicked
Life is Happiness and Best of All Possible Worlds, Candide
What You Can Do With a BA In English, Avenue Q
Moving songs
Being Alive, Company (one of the greatest ever—Dean Jones nails it on the cast album)
Nothing’s Gonna Harm You, Sweeney Todd (a song sung to me by Brad when I was installed as Temple President—He knew I loved it and I will never forget the moment and the enormous sense of pride and thanks)
Send in the Clowns, A Little Night Music (I love the Judy Collins version:
)
You’ll Never Walk Alone, Carousel
This is a Man, The King and I (stirring version of this song, upon the death of the flawed King, who struggled to make sense of the world and its rapid changes, sung by DeAnna Choi:
I’d Give it All for You,Songs for a New World
Sailing, A New Brain
WHAT WE GOT FROM THE PANDEMIC
Eating outdoors! We live in Southern California, in some of the best weather in the world, yet we crowd ourselves into small dining rooms, elbow-to-elbow, with pumped in air, when we could eat outside on a beautiful evening. I’m not suggesting all the time, but the creative gardens and sidewalk dining experiences should stay.
Time alone to do very little. This sounds crazy, but Tom Hanks wrote an article a few weeks ago, suggesting that every minute he spent playing Solitaire was a waste. I heartily disagree. Sure we should be productive and engaged as much as we can, but such engagement can come from within. I’m a crossword and work games addict. I do them all the time in my spare time. It frees the mind to think differently. Plus, these times alone allow for introspection and mental relaxation. I’m learning to appreciate the greater time of recreational thinking and play.
Stop and smell the roses. Who hasn’t noticed the beautiful evenings, the birds of spring, the sounds and sights of nature. I loved our trips to the national parks when I was a kid and then again with our kids. And I hope to do more. The majesty of these special places I think about often. But we have been relegated to our homes and our streets and it isn’t so bad. There are small moments of majesty—in the birds that nest in our yard each year, the garden in our yard, the hummingbirds, lizards, and even the occasional feral animal on a late night walk. I hope I don’t forget that this is a world with small wonders, as well as big ones, and they are all around us—and worth preserving!
We appreciate those close to us more. Even if they might sometimes aggravate us (or we, them). Having the daily opportunity to hang with family is a blessing.
Have a good day,
Glenn
From the archives: