Terrapin Station

The Great Mandala

I was watching a video of Lilith Fair yesterday, and I was very struck that all the artists said they were surrounded by music in their early years. Sheryl Crow, Shawn Colvin, Emily Saliers & Amy Ray, all the others, every single one. Their parents played them tons of music and it stuck and it got into their heads and it worked its magic. 

 

I was raised listening to Peter, Paul & Mary, The Kingston Trio, John Denver, Simon & Garfunkel, as well as lots and lots of folk Mass and church music. Harmony has great power for me.

 

I listened to this one again today. I remember the first time I really listened to the words, as a young teen. It affected me so powerfully then, and now. I guess it's no wonder that I grew up to be a belated hippie peacenik, despite my conservative Republican parents. What the hell did they expect? 

 

I love this version, with Richie Havens and Peter Yarrow. 

 

The Great Manadala (Wheel of Life) 

 

So I told him that he'd better shut his mouth
And do his job like a man.
And he answered "Listen, Father,
I will never kill another."
He thinks he's better
than his brother that died
What the hell does he think he's doing
To his father who brought him up right?

 

Take your place on The Great Mandala
As it moves through your brief moment of time.
Win or lose now you must choose now
And if you lose you're only losing your life.

 

Tell the jailer not to bother
With his meal of bread and water today.
He is fasting 'til the killing's over
He's a martyr, he thinks he's a prophet.
But he's a coward, he's just playing a game
He can't do it, he can't change it
It's been going on for ten thousand years

 

Tell the people they are safe now
Hunger stopped him, he lies still in his cell.
Death has gagged his accusations

We are free now, we can kill now,
We can hate now, now we can end the world
We're not guilty, he was crazy
And it's been going on for ten thousand years!

 

Take your place on The Great Mandala
As it moves through your brief moment of time.
Win or lose now you must choose now
And if you lose you've only wasted your life.

 

Songwriters: Albert B. Grossman / Mary Allin Travers / Peter Yarrow

The Great Manadalla (Wheel of Life) lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc

The Day After

Tremendous numbers of my friends (including Facebook friends) are thrilled at the outcome of the Presidential election. And I am, too. And then, some people are very very unhappy. Devastated, even. People I love. 

I thought and prayed long and hard about my vote, and came to the conclusion that I have to vote my heart, my faith, my core beliefs. A few days before the election I started reading What's the Matter with White People: Why We Long for a Golden Age That Never Was by Joan Walsh.  I'm not done with it yet, but it was compelling: Walsh traces  her liberal Democratic outlook and beliefs to what she learned fro her father, a first-generation American Irish Catholic who managed to get a college education by training for the priesthood (a path on which he obviously did not continue). 

I recognized myself in her instinctive knowledge of which was the right political way for her to follow.  And in the bewilderment she felt about how others could disagree so sharply with what seemed clearly right to her. 

(However...my father is a conservative from way back, and my mom has become more of one over the years, so I didn't learn my beliefs from them...I'm not sure exactly where they started. I know how they grew and ripened, but that's another story.)

I believe that I am an empath (you can read more about this at this About.com article).  Here's what particularly resonates for me from the article:

Empaths have a tendency to openly feel what is outside of them more so than what is inside of them. This can cause empaths to ignore their own needs. In general an empath is non-violent, non-aggressive and leans more towards being the peacemaker. Any area filled with disharmony creates an uncomfortable feeling in an empath. If they find themselves in the middle of a confrontation, they will endeavor to settle the situation as quickly as possible, if not avoid it all together. If any harsh words are expressed in defending themselves, they will likely resent their lack of self-control, and have a preference to peacefully resolve the problem quickly.

Empaths are sensitive to TV, videos, movies, news and broadcasts. Violence or emotional dramas depicting shocking scenes of physical or emotional pain inflicted on adults, children or animals can bring an empath easily to tears. At times, they may feel physically ill or choke back the tears. Some empaths will struggle to comprehend any such cruelty, and will have grave difficulty in expressing themselves in the face of another's ignorance, closed-mindedness and obvious lack of compassion. They simply cannot justify the suffering they feel and see.

This is definitely not meant to suggest that I am special, but I am different from a lot of folks. The pain I'm witnessing is dreadful, and it tempers my joy in my belief that the right path was taken. I keep thinking of how the large majority of my friends would feel if this election had gone the other way. I remember it from 2000 and 2004. 

I can't stand the division in our country (but I will have to).  I ask for your prayers for all of us...particularly those who are hurting over this outcome. 

The Empathy Symbol