Measles Defines America

Victory is hard to maintain.  First the foe disappears and then the memory of the foe.  Victory invites lazy thinking.  It makes room for false notions of "individual rights" and "religious freedom."  The power of community action -- the power that achieved the victory -- is now squishy, soft, easy to cast aside.

And so we begin again.

Who Calls the Tune?

I was invited to a piano recital at Orchestra Hall next Friday but it has been cancelled.  The symphony is on strike and no one is crossing the picket line.  In fact, supporters of the CSO have been showing up every day on Michigan Avenue to express their love.

In the meantime, the musicians have gone into the neighborhoods.  They are performing all over the city to adoring audiences who have probably never been able to afford a ticket.

My friend Gerry, who is an expert on the history of the orchestra and tells some great stories about it, says this: "there were some huge struggles and some courageous leaders that brought this group together.  They are the toughest you'll find anywhere."

An orchestra is the perfect expression of the power of collaboration.  I hope the strike gets settled soon. . . and the solidarity of the musicians and the city pays off.

P.S.  Just heard this today: New York musicians are playing in support of the CSO strike. 

Why We Write

Just as I was welcoming my new book, Joan Chandler Today,  from the publisher, I came across these words from Susan Orlean in her book, The Library Book.  She is such a great writer.  I'll let her explain a little of how I feel.

But if something you learn or observe or imagine can be set down and saved, and if you can see your life reflected in previous lives, and can imagine it reflected in subsequent ones, you can begin to discover order and harmony.  You know you are part of a larger story . . .

Joan Chandler Today, is available at lulu.com