We recently went to the Broadway play, Hadestown.
Watching someone go to hell has never been so much fun.
Hadestown has its origins in Greek Mythology. The major characters are Orpheus, Eurydice, Hades, Persephone, and Hermes whose job was to guide souls into the afterlife, i.e. helping in Hell. Given the story line, one would think that the experience would be daunting and depressing, but the play is so well performed and directed that following the plot becomes easy and enjoyable. And the singing is sublime.
Essentially, Eurydice is wandering around, cold and desperate, when she stumbles into Orpheus, who falls immediately in love with her.
Eurydice becomes hooked by his singing and devotion, but remains desperately poor and soon succumbs to the seductions of Hades to go to Hell where he promises she will be warm, well-fed and cared for.
Orpheus follows Eurydice to Hadestown to rescue her only to fail in the end. The message was poignant, prescient, and powerful. Within 15 minutes after leaving the theatre, inspired by the lyrics and music, this poem popped into my head:
Keep on trying
Keep on singing
Make the world the way it ought to be
Keep on trying
Keep on singing
Think ahead as far as you can see
The world may slam you
The world may slime you
Keep on slugging though you may not win
Keep on trying
Keep on singing
And if you lose, get up and begin again
As humans, we have spent the last 100 years or so creating hell on earth.
My parents were born in 1917—the year we entered WWI. About 16 million people died in that War.
My older brother was born in 1941—the year we entered WWII. About 80 million people died in that war.
I was born in 1945—the year World War II ended, and the year that set me up to live through the Korean War as a child and be drafted into the Vietnam War in 1967. Over 6 million people were killed in the Korean War and over 3 million people were killed as a result of the Vietnam War—even more if deaths in Laos and Cambodia are included.
My two daughters were born in 1974 and 1984—ten years of relative peace before we got involved in Iraq and Afghanistan. About 500,000 people have died in those two wars.
My two grandkids are now eight years old and see what’s happening in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Latin America and what could happen with Iran, Russia, North Korea, and China.
In the period of time marking my parent’s births and my lifetime—just over 100 years—the world has witnessed several major wars and countless conflicts resulting in over 100 million deaths. And now nine countries possess nuclear weapons that could wreak unimaginable destruction. Those countries are the US, Russia, UK, France, China, India, Pakistan, North Korea, and Israel.
I know those statistics are horrifying and terrifying, but it seems to me that we might want to reflect on what white, male “leadership” (perhaps power would be a better term) has brought us over a relatively brief portion of human history. Perhaps it’s time for a change.
Wars, however, only represent one road to Hell.
We have not only found nefarious ways to destroy ourselves, but we have also managed to maliciously destroy the plants and animals with whom we share the planet.
And, oh, by the way, we are the latecomers to the party.
Plants and animals precede us by about 400 million years.
For starters, we have destroyed a huge population of the birds on the planet.
Nearly one-third of the wild birds in the US and Canada have vanished since 1970, a staggering loss affecting the entire ecosystem.
Almost 3 billion birds over the past 50 years have disappeared.
We are also destroying forests and polluting our water and air. These rapidly deteriorating resources are vital to our continued survival. The climate is changing, the seas are rising, and we refuse to think beyond our next paycheck or purchase. We just want to stay warm, well-fed, and cared for.
And the list could go on.
Fortunately, our youth are stepping up to put a stop to all this nonsense. For example, Jamie Margolin, a 17 year high school student who founded Zero Hour, has organized many protest movements including the Youth Climate March in Washington, D.C. and in 25 other cities around the world. She has developed a platform describing what we need to have a livable future. On the day of one of the protests it was pouring rain. She held a blue banner that said, “Youth for Climate Action Now.” She commented:
“My mascara was running. One sign – We are in a Mass Extinction – became illegible, the paint running down the canvas. It was a mess, but a good mess. A powerful mess. Little did we know that our march in a rainstorm would lay the groundwork for a climate movement so massive that no one would be able to ignore us anymore.”
I would say Jamie is a powerful women who is trying her best to make the world the way it ought to be—to help us get us get out of this hell we have created.
She is thinking ahead as far as she can see.
I just hope she is able to find some songs in her heart to help her along the way. Thank you Jamie!!
Serendipitously, in that same week-end we saw Hadestown, we visited the All Souls UU church in NYC.
If you ever get a chance to go there, you will find it an uplifting experience—a little slice of heaven on earth.
On this Sunday, Galen Gingrich, the lead pastor, was speaking on his 25th anniversary of service at the UU. He spoke eloquently on an excerpt of a poem by Diane Ackerman entitled “School Prayer.” I quote:
I swear I will not dishonor
My soul with hatred,
But offer myself humbly
As a guardian of nature,
As a healer of misery,
As a messenger of wonder,
As an architect of peace
I will honor all life
Wherever and in whatever form it may dwell
On Earth my home,
And in the mansions of the stars
Last week, I wrote a post challenging us to define who we are, why we are here, and how we want to relate to ourselves, each other, and Nature. Ackerman’s poem offers some hopeful possibilities for answering those questions.
Who am I: a humble guardian of nature, a healer of misery, a messenger of wonder, and an architect of peace.
Why am I here: To develop a loving soul and to honor life.
How do I want to relate: Honor all life wherever and in whatever form it may dwell on Earth my home and in the mansions of the stars.
Ahh, if only we all answered those questions with similar words.
I’m not having fun watching the whole world go to hell in a hand basket, but we can find ways to be helpful in this Hell we have created by not dishonoring our souls with hatred. We need to keep on trying and to keep on singing. We need to see the world as it could be as far in the future as we can see. We need to keep on keepin on. And when we lose, we need to get up and begin again. Orpheus did and so must we. May it be so.
Trying and singing Ricky! Love it! Thank you my friend! RonnyDonny
Thanks for the inspiration as always Rick! Your warmth and wisdom continue to shine light in even the darkest of days. Sending you peace and love my friend, as we continue to search for what’s possible while we spin around the Universe on our blessed Mother Earth ship. Dottie
Dottie, so nice to hear from you. Thanks for your kind response. It warmed my heart. I’m grateful for all the time we spent to together. Would love to have a long catch-up. Love. Rick