Tonight's Poet Corner: Introspection
So I'm posting this past midnight on Saturday, but we're gonna count it for Friday's introspection, because I was out late and it's been a long, difficult, anxiety-filled week...with a good ending, of course.
As most of you know by now, the presidential election has been taking a toll on me. Now, I'm not going to name names, considering that there miiiiiight be a candidate or two who would sic their lawyers on me if I got too nasty, but you don't have to be a genius to know what's going on in the United States and why it's such a big deal. Long story short: I'm embarrassed for my country and definitely worried about its future. I got so worried, in fact, that it nearly compromised me emotionally. I had crying fits, obsessively read articles, and constantly turned to friends and loved for consoling and affirmation. I thank everyone who was subjected to that, and I also apologize for making you deal with it. You are all saints.
But fear not, those of you who have been following along and know that I was getting filmed for PACT this week! The lessons went on pretty much without a hitch. There are a lot of things that went right and a lot of things I could learn from. I'm grateful for my mentor teachers and how understanding they've been when I've needed a morning off or more time to get things done.
I am staying at my parents' house for the weekend because my fiancée is still in New Zealand after attending her cousin's wedding, and the last thing I need right now is to be left totally alone. However, before I drove up to my hometown, I went to see a youth production of The King and I that happened to feature one of my students (from my private school) in a prominent role. This particular student is an absolute delight of a human being. She's charming, funny, hard-working, dedicated, and sensitive, and she was a joy to teach a semester of history to. She played Tuptim, and I know very well that she is from a musical family and has a dream of being a musical theater star. When she started singing, my jaw literally dropped. The kid is fourteen years old, and she sings like a semi-professional. I was impressed.
Side note: Her twin brother, also an absolute delight who is currently one of my history students, managed the spotlight during the show while his sister performed. Let's just say I love having the opportunity to work with some incredibly talented kids.
Seeing the look on my student's face when she embraced me and some of her other teachers after the show was so unbelievably cathartic after such a rough week. She was so happy and so grateful for our presence, when in reality, I was grateful for having experienced her chance to shine onstage. And what it reminded me of was just how powerful the arts really are. I've made it no secret that I am a music, drama, and book nerd. I write. I sing. I compose. I play guitar. I act. The arts have been essential in my life, from childhood to adulthood, and they have kept me sane when other things in my daily routine were falling apart. I don't just owe my livelihood to the arts - I owe my continuing existence to it.
What I know, based on history and society and just humanity as a whole, is that no matter where you live or how oppressed you are, art will always shine a light in the seemingly endless darkness. No political regime - monarchy, dictatorship, oligarchy, what have you - can ever permanently remove the creative spirit of the individual. We have seen art and music and theatre survive Nazi Germany, Soviet Russia, and Communist China. We have been enlightened by underground artists, people who take their work to the streets and make every effort possible to present their thoughts and dreams and wishes and hopes to the world.
Things are scary right now, and a lot of things hang in the balance based on whom we trust our government to. But the people wearing suits who sometimes screw things up don't actually have the power to take away our ability to express ourselves. And if they try - and perhaps in some ways, succeed - they will never truly snuff out artistic inspiration. We as humans have continually found ways to beat the system with our stories, songs, paintings, and performances. We will never stop finding new ways to destroy boundaries and tear down walls, physical and metaphysical.
Art is the voice of the people. It is the soul of the people. It makes noise whether it's auditory or visual and lingual, and it will not be silenced. In any society, no matter its restrictions, it demands to be heard.
And no one - absolutely no one - can take that voice away from me.
Have a great night and a great weekend, everyone.
As most of you know by now, the presidential election has been taking a toll on me. Now, I'm not going to name names, considering that there miiiiiight be a candidate or two who would sic their lawyers on me if I got too nasty, but you don't have to be a genius to know what's going on in the United States and why it's such a big deal. Long story short: I'm embarrassed for my country and definitely worried about its future. I got so worried, in fact, that it nearly compromised me emotionally. I had crying fits, obsessively read articles, and constantly turned to friends and loved for consoling and affirmation. I thank everyone who was subjected to that, and I also apologize for making you deal with it. You are all saints.
But fear not, those of you who have been following along and know that I was getting filmed for PACT this week! The lessons went on pretty much without a hitch. There are a lot of things that went right and a lot of things I could learn from. I'm grateful for my mentor teachers and how understanding they've been when I've needed a morning off or more time to get things done.
I am staying at my parents' house for the weekend because my fiancée is still in New Zealand after attending her cousin's wedding, and the last thing I need right now is to be left totally alone. However, before I drove up to my hometown, I went to see a youth production of The King and I that happened to feature one of my students (from my private school) in a prominent role. This particular student is an absolute delight of a human being. She's charming, funny, hard-working, dedicated, and sensitive, and she was a joy to teach a semester of history to. She played Tuptim, and I know very well that she is from a musical family and has a dream of being a musical theater star. When she started singing, my jaw literally dropped. The kid is fourteen years old, and she sings like a semi-professional. I was impressed.
Side note: Her twin brother, also an absolute delight who is currently one of my history students, managed the spotlight during the show while his sister performed. Let's just say I love having the opportunity to work with some incredibly talented kids.
Seeing the look on my student's face when she embraced me and some of her other teachers after the show was so unbelievably cathartic after such a rough week. She was so happy and so grateful for our presence, when in reality, I was grateful for having experienced her chance to shine onstage. And what it reminded me of was just how powerful the arts really are. I've made it no secret that I am a music, drama, and book nerd. I write. I sing. I compose. I play guitar. I act. The arts have been essential in my life, from childhood to adulthood, and they have kept me sane when other things in my daily routine were falling apart. I don't just owe my livelihood to the arts - I owe my continuing existence to it.
What I know, based on history and society and just humanity as a whole, is that no matter where you live or how oppressed you are, art will always shine a light in the seemingly endless darkness. No political regime - monarchy, dictatorship, oligarchy, what have you - can ever permanently remove the creative spirit of the individual. We have seen art and music and theatre survive Nazi Germany, Soviet Russia, and Communist China. We have been enlightened by underground artists, people who take their work to the streets and make every effort possible to present their thoughts and dreams and wishes and hopes to the world.
Things are scary right now, and a lot of things hang in the balance based on whom we trust our government to. But the people wearing suits who sometimes screw things up don't actually have the power to take away our ability to express ourselves. And if they try - and perhaps in some ways, succeed - they will never truly snuff out artistic inspiration. We as humans have continually found ways to beat the system with our stories, songs, paintings, and performances. We will never stop finding new ways to destroy boundaries and tear down walls, physical and metaphysical.
Art is the voice of the people. It is the soul of the people. It makes noise whether it's auditory or visual and lingual, and it will not be silenced. In any society, no matter its restrictions, it demands to be heard.
And no one - absolutely no one - can take that voice away from me.
Have a great night and a great weekend, everyone.
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