Turn off the Dark

I'd never been to Broadway before last week.  I'd never been to New York before last week.  Two years ago, October 2009, U2 played a concert in my hometown of Charlottesville.  I wanted to take my son to a concert, so I bought tickets for the Philadelphia concert the next summer.  Little did I know that Bono would injure himself and the show would be postponed for another year.  I held on to the tickets and we made plans to go last week.  My wife wanted to make it a family trip, so we decided to spend a day in New York before heading to Philadelphia.

Ever since she travelled to New York a few years ago to see the Lion King on Broadway, she's been wanting to see another show.  Our youngest son is so into Spider Man we figured that would be about the only option that he would manage to sit through.  Considering that Bono and the Edge composed the music I figured that it would be only fitting to see the show the day before the U2 concert.  I found discounted tickets on-line two days before the show about 3/4 of the way back in the Orchestra section (right side, row U).

The show was phenomenal.  The live action/high flying choreography was part graceful, part daredevil.  The characters of Spiderman and the Green Goblin flew both across the stage and overhead, as if the audience was a part of the show.  The set managed to evoke a comic book feel without becoming campy.  The set created quite a sense of depth and subtley became almost as much a part of the story as the characters.  The cast was excellent, but Patrick Page in the role of the Green Goblin was the most memorable.  His villianous voice perfectly matched the dialogue and music.  The character added just enough comic relief to add a laugh or two without turning the show into a comedy.

The story was not the strongest.  The music added emotion and weight  The deeper Spiderman themes of Choice and Responsibility were present, but certainly not developed.  However, it was a cohesive story, coming to a satisfying ending.

Any U2 fan will recognize the fingerprints of Bono and the Edge all over the musical score, from the instrumentation that seems to borrow several riffs from U2 songs to the vocals that seem perfectly created for the voice of Bono.  Several scenes include clips from U2 songs as incidental music: New Year's Day from a car stereo, Vertigo in a dance club, Beautiful Day on the telephone while on hold.  The soundtrack, like the show, finds a great balance of strong emotional pieces balanced with several more light-hearted songs.

That was the highlight of my first visit to New York.  Until I can convince my four-year old son that he can't cling to a wall, the memory of Spiderman: Turn Off the Dark will remain.  As far as memories go, this is one that I'm not in a hurry to lose.  The concert on Thursday was pretty good too.  More on that one later.

Relationships- The Glue of Humanity

So what do you do in the summer?

As a teacher I hate that question because I always assume that it is seeded with contempt that I've got three months of vacation.  First of all, June 15 to August 15 is not three months.  Second, I don't just lay around the house all summer catching up on the soaps or lounge by the pool all day.

This week, the first full week of summer vacation I traveled with twenty-two teenagers to Southeast Roanoke.  While there, we ran a day camp for children in a rather neglected community.  I got to watch a sixteen year old spend her mornings working with a three-year old autistic child.  I saw a fourteen year old deal with a child who came to camp every day with a different name.  A rising eigth grader bonded with a third-grader who still showed the effects of an unlucky birth to a crack-addicted mother.  We painted the porch of a WWII veteran because his elderly neighbor cared enough to seek out help and struggles against the odds to make a neighborhood neglected by the city look presentable again.  We entered the house of a woman who had a hard time getting rid of things, and help her pack things away and clean up her house.  Calming her anxiety was a bigger struggle that sorting through the accumulated stuff.

I learned last week that relationships are the glue that holds humanity together and when relationships are neglected or put on the backburner for other things-- humanity breaks apart.  I went to the home of one elderly lady.  When she started down the front porch steps to meet me I was afraid that she would fall.  Her feet were too sore for shoes.  Looking down I could see that her greatest need might be as simple as someone to trim her nails.  A lawn mower sat in the lawn, but grass was growing over its deck.  Her mental health matched her physical health.  She didn't understand that we were offering our services for free.  She insisted that her grandson would take care of it.  He is a landscaper.  He just cant work on her lawn as long as he has paying jobs that take the time.  Her neighbor knew her two sons.  Apparently they were alcoholics that caused her more harm than good.  In this poor old woman, I saw a soul without another soul to care for her.  Society has neglected her.  No one desires to have a relationship with this lady.

The veteran that I mentioned before, he's no better off.  He was so eager to share stories and talk, probably more so than getting his porch painted.  It seemed that his only companion was the nurse who came to his house every day to take care of him. 

We spent our week in a pocket of poverty.  It wasn't as bad as it could get, but compared to my lifestyle it was bad.  These pockets are easy to overlook.  They're out of the way.  We keep them clustered away from the paths that we cross daily.  As long as we have food on our table and clothes on our back, we can lay our heads in our comfortable beds and sleep well at night without a thought for the children who aren't sure what if anything they will eat for breakfast in the morning.  When we grab a to go cup of coffee and drive to our next destination it's easy to forget the poor old lady who can't get around because she can't get shoes over her untrimmed toenails. 

We drive by, we walk by, we fly over, but we seldom stop.  Stop to just see and hear America, the world.  Outside of our immediate five senses we allow ourselves to become ignorant of the reality of life.  We build an excellent buffer with our nicely trimmed lawns, personal automobiles, membership only swimming pools, and comfortable if not pretentious churches.  A buffer that we mistake for reality to mask and hide the ugly realities that we'd rather not think about.

It's not that we should all be considering "selling everything and giving it to the poor", at least I'm not so sure that Jesus meant that command for everyone.  It's easy to think that our job is to go in and fix the problems.  Jesus didn't do it that way.  Jesus entered our humanity and lived it with us, and continues to live it with us.  He didn't die to end human suffering, he died to enter suffering with us so that we may overcome in time.  He performed many miracles, but he didn't end poverty, hunger, or oppression.  He endured poverty, hunger, and oppression.  By doing so he intertwined the fate of humanity with the fate of the divine.  He created relationship with the world.

That is true relationship.  Enduring the hardship and walking alongside those in need.  Being willing to suffer with another and not just thinking that because I wear better clothes, have my own car, and extra cash on top of it that I can just use my resources to rescue others from their difficulties.  Whether it is poverty of the mind, body, economy, or soul, none of us possess the ability to rescue another but through our willingness to live life together in genuine relationships with others.  Relationships that intertwine our fate with the fate of others.

Relationship is the glue that holds humanity together.  I would bet that where we find humanity in ruins, not just places where people are poor but places that seem empty of hope, we also find that the root of that ruin lays in broken and unhealthy relationships.

That's what I've done and learned so far this summer.  I've got a few adventures still ahead.  I like seeing the counter numbers and site traffic climb when I post frequently, but lately I've gotten comfortable knowing that when I only get around to posting only every few weeks or once a month I'm only going to get a few readers.  But I've got a lot to do if I really believe what I just wrote about relationships.  I'll try to post a few more times this summer if you're interested.  I've got a few family trips, a week at a youth camp, and a big U2 concert to attend this summer. 

So what do you do in the summer?

When I Try to Sing This Song

The title is the first line of the song "Gloria" by U2.  Bono follows it with I try to stand up, but I can't find my feet.  I've felt that way lately with A Pot of Stew.  Sometimes the urge to write comes, but ultimately writing is nothing more than an expression of ideas.  Ideas are important and deserve thoughtful articulation.  Too often we clutter the landscape of ideas with mindless chatter and incessant words.  I have more than enough ideas floating around in my brain to fill the interwebs with post after post after post, but I don't want to cheat my ideas and add further litter to the information superhighway.

The fleeting nature of the 21st century disturbs me.  We rush so much to be the first or to create something fresh that we no longer take time to ponder and reflect.  In my Psychology class I teach that normal human anxiety is essential to anticpating and preparing for what it to come, while normal human depression is a natural response to significance, slowing our lives to understand the significance of what has transpired.  Perhaps we are in a state of technology induced anxiety.  I've opted out of the race for a time.

Maybe it would have been polite to explain my absence from APOS before hand, but the idea really hadn't taken shape until I partially realized what I was doing.  I grew tired of "disposable" writing, fresh for the day and discarded on the trash heap of digital content.  The break has been good.

In the next few weeks, I'd like to write about several books I've read during this break.  I've also been working on a post for graduation.  I want to share several conversations I've had with a friend regarding faith.  I've heard from nine or ten people in the last month who read APOS, and honestly, it is humbling to know that even one person is interested in what I have to say.  So thank you, and I hope to post again soon.

In the meantime, enjoy an awesome song from and awesome band.

The Deadliest Year?

Maybe it is just my current state of mine, but in the grand scheme of history, I haven't been to impressed with the "naught" decade-- 2001-2010.  We started with 9/11 and we end with the news that more people died from natural disaster in the year 2010 since the Ethiopian famine of 1983.  Over 1/4 million people this year have died from earthquakes, hurricanes, etc.  

I remember the Ethiopian famine.  Along with the Mexico City earthquake of 1985, it was one of the first events that gave me a real sense of suffering in the world.  When I think about events that have shaped who I am, I have only recently begun to understand how important these "news" items were in shaping who I am.

I don't know why at eleven years old I cared so much, but the media hype from the formation of "Band-Aid" in 1984 and the release of "Do They Know it's Christmas" caught me.  I was taking a journalism class through an enrichment program our school system offered at the time and wrote an article about the effort and spent much of my time in the winter of 1984-85 following the song as it charted around the world raising money for famine relief.  American musicians followed suite in 1985, releasing "We Are The World" and in July I was glued to the sofa watching the spectacle of "Live Aid." 

This was the event that introduced me to U2, and the idea of a social conscience.  I had saved ten dollars that summer and when the Mexico city earthquake struck that fall, our church took a special collection for the tragedy and I didn't hesitate to give all ten dollars to the cause. 

Over 200,000 of the deaths this year were a result of the Haiti earthquake in January.  On January 3, our church packaged over 30,000 meals for world hunger relief and days later, tragedy struck Haiti and every one of those meals were sent.  As much as I hate tragedy, it seems to bring out the good in people.  We respond when others are hurting, but too often we find it easy to ignore the suffering in humanity.  Marx said that "religion is the opiate of the masses" but he was wrong.  Comfort is the opiate of the masses.  In 1985, Bono sang a cutting, ironic line in the song-- "but tonight thank God it's them instead of you." 

Christmas, 2010- enjoy your family and friends and presents, but don't ignore the reason that Christmas is so important.  Our world is broken and can only be fixed through the advent of Christ.  Enjoy peace, joy, hope and love, but in seeking these be mindful of how these can be pursued and shared together; a humanity bound in suffering but able to overcome.  I pray that this "deadliest year" will impress upon some eleven year old in the way it impressed upon me in the 80s.  Merry Christmas.

What am I to do?

Monday's mail- Belk mailing for the wife, Vera Bradley mailing for the wife, more Discover card checks for me, an offer to save $35.oo at Lowe's if I spent $350.oo or more, and this:

What has this man earned for me? The ability to save $35 on more home appliances that I don't need. An extra 20% off at Belk extra value days. A stylish purse that makes a statment.

As much as I believe in peace, and wish for an end to US involvement in Iraq and Afganistan, the stack of mail from Monday reminded me that I'm at fault for what's going on. My desires, my consumerism, my pursuit of happiness through consumption. I'm reminded of why Christ commanded those without guilt to cast the first stone, or reminded us to remove the plank in our own eyes before criticizing a brother about a speck in his eye.

Peace. Am I the obstacle.

Oh what am I to do
Just tell me what am I supposed to say -
I can't change the world,But I can change the world in me

U2- The Day After

The concert last night was super. A friend asked if it lived up to the hype, I'd say nothing could live up to that hype, but the show was spectacular. The amazing thing is that 60,000 people could let go and enjoy the madness of a rock and roll blowout,

• while still taking time to remember a political prisoner thousands of miles away,
  
• while recognizing the need to protect the rights of peaceful political protest in Iran,
  
• while hearing encouragement from Desmond Tutu reminding us that we are the people who ended slavery and segregation in America, Apartheid in South Africa, that we are the people who will solve the problems of our world today because we are One.

But you never feel burdened or down, it's a rock and roll show through and through, but you get the sense that you're losing yourself to humanity and higher joy-- rocking out with an urge to satisfy- body, soul, and spirit. That's were other rock shows just don't add up.

My highlight of the night? Number two- as a UVa grad, quoting the words of Mr. Jefferson in the Declaration of Independence during Beautiful Day.

Number One- Highlight of the night, during Sunday Bloody Sunday I always wait for "and the battle yet begun, to claim the victory Jesus won." We didn't get it tonight. Instead the line was "freedom was born on Christmas." Amazing- "freedom was born on Christmas." How sweet the sound.

U2 in Charlottesville - Part II

Months later, and they are here. It seems like forever ago that I bought tickets to this U2 show at Scott Stadium tomorrow, but now it's only a day away. I find myself speculating a bit as consistent rumours indicate the release of a new album in several months titled "Songs of Ascent." I've really enjoyed the new U2 album "No Line on the Horizon" but after listening the first few times felt like if the book of Lamentations or Ecclesiastes could be set to music, NLOTH would be the result.

We rarely take the time in our world to lament the lamentable. It seems that bad news and tragedy bombard us day to day through media so much that we protect ourselves by forgeting the art of lamentation. Of meditating deeply on the sorrow and pain and struggle of life. When I hear NLOTH, I find depression, but somehow in that depression, joy springs forth. A joy of hope and new life. A joy of knowing that everything will be alright if I bend my spirit to define alright by a higher standard than my own. A depression that creates suspense, anticipation for redemptiom and restoration.

That's why I'm excited to hear the title of this new album may be "Songs of Ascent." If joy shines through while surrounded by the depression, imagine the power when the cloud of sadness is lifted and redemption is realized; when joy springs forth like a just released sling shot bursting into air. Could it be that "Songs of Ascent" will be the realization of the hope only hinted at in NLOTH.

Or maybe I'm just overthinking this whole U2 thing. I'll let you know how tomorrow goes.

U2 in Charlottesville

So I've got my General Admission Tickets for Scott Stadium, now I've got to wait until October 1 and figure out how to get close to the stage. What is it about U2?

I remember when I was a child, looking out at the stars with a sense that this universe somehow made sense. The stars and moons and planets all seem to move in an well planned dance; no struggles no problems, just harmony. But when my gaze found a line on the horizon- and yes, there is still a line on our horizon- and shifted from the heavens to the earth, it all just changed. Children going hungry, women being abused, men slaving for scraps it just wasn't right.

Well, do you ever sing along with the radio? I try my best to keep up with Bono, and every now and again, we'll hit the same note. When we do, my head seems to vibrate as if to say "that's it!" "You're on the same wavelength now." My first U2 song was "Pride" and when I heard "one man betrayed with a kiss" "they took your life, they could not take your pride" "in the name of love" my heart started vibrating in the same way as if to say we're singing from the same book. The feelings of my soul found a voice in these lyrics and melodies.

From Gloria to Magnificent, my heart beats with the conviction that something in this world is not right. Things are broken and something is waiting, perhaps even begun, to fix it. Payback and human justice just haven't cut it and we've somehow dropped the ball on the idea of jubilee. My heart cries out, and when I hear U2 I hear my heart hitting the same notes as this band and I realize that I am not alone. That together we can search for what we haven't found, that we can wait with hope for love to come to town, to claim the victory Jesus won. Love is real and its fruit is faith which gives us hope to face our days. Love, faith, hope. It is all quite...

Magnificent.