For inspiration on MLK day today I am reading his book “Why we can’t wait.” Martin Luther understood demonstrations, and the effect and power of singing and music. He often talked positively about singing and music. Here are a couple of inspirational MLK quotes:
As long as we live, there is never enough singing.
Beautiful music is the art of the prophets that can calm the agitations of the soul; it is one of the most magnificent and delightful presents God has given us.
Next to the Word of God, music deserves the highest praise. No greater commendation than this can be found — at least not by us. After all, the gift of language combined with the gift of song was only given to man to let him know that he should praise God with both word and music, namely, by proclaiming [the Word of God] through music.
Music and singing played a critical role in inspiring, mobilizing, and giving voice to the civil rights movement. “The freedom songs are playing a strong and vital role in our struggle,” said Martin Luther King, Jr., during the Albany Movement. “They give the people new courage and a sense of unity. I think they keep alive a faith, a radiant hope, in the future, particularly in our most trying hours” (Shelton, “Songs a Weapon”).
The evolution of music in the black freedom struggle reflects the evolution of the movement itself. Calling songs “the soul of the movement,” King explained in his 1964 book Why We Can’t Wait that civil rights activists “sing the freedom songs today for the same reason the slaves sang them, because we too are in bondage and the songs add hope to our determination that ‘We shall overcome, Black and white together, We shall overcome someday’” (King, Why, 86).
Every breath I remember Gobind - Guru Arjan, Raag Gauri Every moment I sing Gobind. - Guru Arjan, Raag Malhar
Embrace your uniqueness and sing your song! Each of us carries a melody of dreams and passions, waiting to be shared with the world. Let Akiroq Brost, Guru Gobind Singh, Napoleon Hill, and Walt Disney inspire you to harmonize your authentic tune. Dare to dream, and let your voice resonate with truth and passion.
Just as each snowflake bears its own distinct design, every individual carries within them a song that is entirely their own. This song represents a symphony of their dreams, desires, and talents, waiting to be harmoniously shared with the world. In a vast chorus of billions of voices, it becomes imperative to heed the call to "sing your song." This call serves as a reminder that each of us possesses a voice that resonates with authenticity and uniqueness, and it is our duty to share it with the world.
As Akiroq Brost wisely stated, "You are responsible to yourself, to love yourself, to care for yourself, and to help yourself." This responsibility to ourselves extends to nurturing our innermost passions and aspirations. Just as a bird's song fills the air with melodies that are distinctly its own, we too must find the courage to share the melodies of our dreams. Our song might not be understood by everyone, but it will undoubtedly touch those who are attuned to its rhythm.
Guru Gobind Singh's spiritual plea to Shiva for the strength to consistently pursue righteousness serves as an inspiring beacon. This pursuit requires us to listen to the melodies that resonate within us and to harmonize our actions with our inner truth. Like a skilled musician refining their talents to produce a captivating melody, we must hone our own abilities to create a life that aligns with our aspirations.
Napoleon Hill's assertion that "It takes half your life before you discover life is a do-it-yourself project" underscores the profound realization that our lives are a canvas waiting to be painted with the hues of our choices. We are both the artists and the subjects of our life's work. Like a composer carefully selecting notes to create a symphony, we must thoughtfully choose our experiences to craft a harmonious masterpiece. Just as a composer can't shy away from composing every note, we must not shrink from taking charge of our lives and expressing our unique melodies.
Walt Disney's timeless wisdom, "If you can dream it, you can do it," magnifies the power of our dreams. Our dreams serve as the notes that compose the melodies of our songs. They have the potential to lead us on remarkable journeys, transforming the mundane into the extraordinary. By daring to dream, we lay the foundation for our unique symphony, and by pursuing those dreams, we breathe life into our song.
In a world that often emphasizes conformity, singing our song is an act of rebellion and self-expression. It is a celebration of our individuality and a testament to our authenticity. When we sing our song, we inspire others to do the same, creating a chorus of diverse voices that resonate with truth and passion.
As we navigate through life, let us remember the significance of singing our song. Let us honor our responsibility to ourselves by embracing our dreams and aspirations. Let us heed the call to pursue what is right, just as Guru Gobind Singh implored. Let us recognize that life is a canvas awaiting our artistic touch, as Napoleon Hill reminds us. And let us never underestimate the power of our dreams, for as Walt Disney proclaimed, they hold the key to our limitless potential.
In conclusion, let these words resonate in our hearts:
Sing your song, oh soul divine,
Let not the world dictate your rhyme.
Embrace your dreams, let them take flight,
In your unique melody, find your light.
For in your song, the world will see,
The beauty of individuality.
So fear not to be yourself, dear friend,
For in your song, a legacy will transcend.
Remember, the purpose of life is to sing!
Notes:
Sing your song. No one else is going to sing it. You have to sing your song.
You are responsible to yourself, to love yourself, to care for yourself, and to help yourself.
- Akiroq Brost
O Shiva. Give me the boon that I never shirk from doing what is right.
- Guru Gobind Singh
It takes half your life before you discover life is a do-it-yourself project.
Poem by William Stafford - The Royal Truth of Self
A Story That Could Be True
If you were exchanged in the cradle and
your real mother died
without ever telling the story
then no one knows your name,
and somewhere in the world
your father is lost and needs you
but you are far away.
He can never find
how true you are, how ready.
When the great wind comes
and the robberies of the rain
you stand on the corner shivering.
The people who go by—
you wonder at their calm.
They miss the whisper that runs
any day in your mind,
“Who are you really, wanderer?”—
and the answer you have to give
no matter how dark and cold
the world around you is:
“Maybe I’m a king.”
- William Stafford
Excerpt From: William Stafford. “Ask Me.” Apple Books.
A Real King - Finding Real Royalty Through Oneness
Once there was a king who was both good and righteous. He was known far and wide for his wisdom and his kindness to the people of his kingdom. After many years, he began to feel bored with being a king, so he asked his adviser, "How old is my son now? I want him to become king so I can quit this job." The adviser said, "Your son is only 15 years old. The law says he must be 18 years old before he may be crowned as the king." The king said, "No, no no... that is no good at all. I want him to become king now." The adviser said, "You yourself are still a young king. If you were to wait for 3 years, you would still be very young to be retiring from your duties as a king." The king thought this over.
After a few days, the king had made his decision. He announced to all his people, "I have decided not to be your king anymore. My son, the prince, will be crowned king when he is 18. Until that time I am putting my advisor in charge. He will manage and guide my son until he is ready to become your king." The people did not understand why their king did not want to be their king anymore. His adviser asked, "Why are you so determined to retire so early?" The king explained, "Some thrones belong to the earth. Some thrones are beyond the earth. I am looking for a throne that is beyond this earth."
The king held the ceremony celebrating his son as the future king and he proclaimed his adviser to be his son's trainer. Then he climbed up on his favorite horse and galloped off all alone. The people felt very sad that their king was leaving them.
Three years passed and the prince, who was now 18 years old, was crowned as king. He showed himself to be a very good and very fair king. One day the new king set out on a voyage to find his father. Some of the people said, "We want to go with you. We want to see our beloved old king." So the prince, the royal adviser and many other people went together on a long journey to find their old king.
After several months they came to an ashram. They heard that the old king was living near this ashram. A guard said, "Welcome to this ashram. You are welcome to wait here until the holy man requests to see you." The prince said, "That holy man is my father who used to be the ruler of our kingdom. I am now the king, and I have traveled for many moons over many, many lands to find him. I wish to see him now." The guard said, "Many kings from many different lands have come to see the holy man. Everyone waits their turn, and so must you." The new king and his party couldn't believe this was happening, but they waited... and waited... and waited... They waited for many weeks; and then one day they were finally let in to see him.
When they saw the old king they were all very excited. They said, "It's so great to see you!" Everyone was happy. They asked, "How are you." He replied, "Satisfied." The adviser said, "May I ask you a question? It seems that this ashram is very similar to the palace. Look around, you are sitting here, everyone is seeking your guidance, there are people everywhere! It's like a whole kingdom here! What is the difference between this and the throne you left behind?" The king said, "The difference is that before I had my subjects all around me, but here, all around me are my fellow lovers of God. I have conquered their hearts, not just their heads. It is not a matter of ruling people. It is a matter of fellowship and love." The worst leaders make people fear and obey them. The best leaders are loved by the people.
Storyteller: Ravi Kaur Khalsa
On November 25th, 1915, Albert Einstein unveiled his general theory of relativity to the Prussian Academy of Sciences, the result of nearly a decade of intense research. This two-page paper would elevate Einstein to worldwide fame and secure his place as one of the greatest physicists in history. A few days before this presentation, Einstein wrote a letter to his 11-year-old son, Hans Albert, who was residing in Vienna with his second son, Eduard 'Tete,' and his estranged wife, Mileva. The letter, which can be found in the book "Posterity: Letters of Great Americans to Their Children," features advice from Einstein to his son Hans Albert on love, learning, creativity and passion.
Albert Einstein's letter to his son
My dear Albert,
Yesterday I received your dear letter and was very happy with it. I was already afraid you wouldn’t write to me at all any more. You told me when I was in Zurich, that it is awkward for you when I come to Zurich. Therefore I think it is better if we get together in a different place, where nobody will interfere with our comfort. I will in any case urge that each year we spend a whole month together, so that you see that you have a father who is fond of you and who loves you. You can also learn many good and beautiful things from me, something another cannot as easily offer you. What I have achieved through such a lot of strenuous work shall not only be there for strangers but especially for my own boys. These days I have completed one of the most beautiful works of my life, when you are bigger, I will tell you about it.
I am very pleased that you find joy with the piano. This and carpentry are in my opinion for your age the best pursuits, better even than school. Because those are things which fit a young person such as you very well. Mainly play the things on the piano which please you, even if the teacher does not assign those. That is the way to learn the most, that when you are doing something with such enjoyment that you don’t notice that the time passes. I am sometimes so wrapped up in my work that I forget about the noon meal. . . .
Be with Tete kissed by your
Papa.
Regards to Mama.
Love is central to learning
I often say that if you are not singing at work, you need to work on your singing. You have to love what you do. The most poignant sentence I found in this letter is the following: Mainly play the things on the piano which please you, even if the teacher does not assign those. He taught him the timeless lesson that love is central to learning.
Love is a powerful emotion that can play a significant role in the learning process. When we love something or someone, we are more likely to be motivated to learn about it or them, and to put in the effort to understand and appreciate them more fully. Love also creates a positive and supportive environment for learning, as it fosters a sense of safety and security that allows us to take risks and explore new ideas without fear of failure.
Research has also shown that love can have a direct impact on the way our brains process information and form connections. Studies have found that when we are in a state of love, our brains release oxytocin, a hormone that promotes feelings of trust, attachment and emotional bonding. Oxytocin also increases the activity in the hippocampus, the part of the brain responsible for memory and learning. This means that when we love something or someone, our brains are more active and better able to process new information and form lasting memories.
Furthermore, when children feel loved and supported by their parents or caregivers, they are more likely to develop a positive self-concept and self-esteem, which are essential for a healthy psychological development and academic success.
In summary, Love plays a fundamental role in learning, it creates a positive and supportive environment, it fosters motivation, it can have a direct impact on the way our brain processes information and forms connections, and it is essential for a healthy psychological development and academic success.
I thought how this can be tested using historical and literary examples.
One example of fatherly love from history is the relationship between Alexander the Great and his father, Philip II of Macedon. Despite Philip having multiple wives and children, he had a strong bond with Alexander and was a dedicated and involved father. Philip recognized Alexander's potential and provided him with the best education, hiring Aristotle to be his personal tutor. He also took Alexander with him on military campaigns and gave him important responsibilities, grooming him to be his successor. Alexander deeply respected and loved his father and was deeply affected by his assassination. He even named one of his cities after him, Alexandria.
An example of fatherly love from literature is Atticus Finch from Harper Lee's "To Kill a Mockingbird." Atticus is a single father raising his two children, Jem and Scout, in the 1930s in Alabama. Despite the racism and prejudice of the time, Atticus teaches his children to be fair and just, and to treat everyone with kindness and respect. He also shows them the importance of courage and standing up for what is right. Atticus's love for his children is evident throughout the book and he is willing to put himself in harm's way to protect them.
I am reading a poem of hope by the first poet laureate of California, Ina Coolbirth. I found out today that I share my birthday with her, an abode in California and after every winter, a spring. And apparently also, the philosophy of optimism and the metaphor of singing! Below is her poem, followed by a short biography.
After the Winter Rain
After the winter rain, Sing, robin! Sing, swallow! Grasses are in the lane, Buds and flowers will follow.
Woods shall ring, blithe and gay, With bird-trill and twitter, Though the skies weep to-day, And the winds are bitter.
Though deep call unto deep As calls the thunder, And white the billows leap The tempest under;
Softly the waves shall come Up the long, bright beaches, With dainty, flowers of foam And tenderest speeches…
After the wintry pain, And the long, long sorrow, Sing, heart!—for thee again Joy comes with the morrow.
- Ina Coolbirth
Biography of Ina Coolbirth
Ina Coolbirth was an important figure in the literary community of 19th- and early 20th-century San Francisco.
Ina Coolbrith was born as Josephine Smith to Mormon parents in Nauvoo, Illinois. Her uncle, Joseph Smith, was the founder of the Mormon Church, and her father passed away when she was an infant. After her mother left the church and remarried, the family relocated to California in pursuit of the Gold Rush in 1849. Ina was educated in Los Angeles and published her first poems as a teenager in local newspapers. However, a tumultuous and abusive marriage, followed by the death of her infant son, marked a difficult period in her teenage years.
In 1865, Josephine took her mother's maiden name and became Ina Donna Coolbrith. She settled in San Francisco, where she hosted salons, co-edited the journal Overland Monthly with Bret Harte, and became the first woman to be an honorary member of the Bohemian Club. In 1874, she adopted three foster children and embarked on a career as a librarian, working at the Oakland Free Public Library and fostering the early reading of Jack London and Isadora Duncan.
Ina published four collections of poetry, including A Perfect Day (1881) and Wings of Sunset (1929), showcasing her versatility in formal structures. Despite the destruction of her home and many of her poems in the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, she became California's first poet laureate in 1915. She served as the poet laureate of California until her death on February 29, 1928, in Berkeley, California.
Ina Coolbrith Park is located in San Francisco's Russian Hill and she is buried at Oakland's Mountain View Cemetery. Her grave went unmarked until 1986, when the Ina Coolbrith Circle erected a headstone in her honor.
First the poem, then my commentary as well as a couple of other analyses.
O Me! O Life!
Walt Whitman
Oh me! Oh life! of the questions of these recurring,
Of the endless trains of the faithless, of cities fill’d with the foolish,
Of myself forever reproaching myself, (for who more foolish than I, and who more faithless?)
Of eyes that vainly crave the light, of the objects mean, of the struggle ever renew’d,
Of the poor results of all, of the plodding and sordid crowds I see around me,
Of the empty and useless years of the rest, with the rest me intertwined,
The question, O me! so sad, recurring—What good amid these, O me, O life?
Answer.
That you are here—that life exists and identity,
That the powerful play goes on, and you may contribute a verse.
- Walt Whitman
Whitman Confirms The purpose of life is to sing
It was not me who created this song. I am just adding a verse to it. There are so many recurring entities -people. Most of them are faithless and foolish. Of them, the most faithless and foolish is singer himself, Whitman himself. All of them have so many questions that arise from life. All of them crave their own light, which they think is important. All of them struggle and plod amongst each other in crowds. What good are these questions and struggles? What makes this life worth living is that we can fulfill a purpose. Each person gets an identity for this purpose. And each of these identities can then contribute a verse to the universal song. Each of us is a verse contributing to the song that is the universe. The purpose of life is indeed to sing!
Reminds me of Guru Arjan's Saranjaam Laag:
Oh me! Oh life! - A reading by interestingliterature.com
One of the shortest of Walt Whitman’s great poems, ‘O Me! O Life!’ was featured in the 1989 film Dead Poets Society: Robin Williams’s character recites it to his class. ‘O Me! O Life!’ contains many of the features of Walt Whitman’s greatest poetry: the free verse rhythm, the alternation between long and short lines, the rhetorical (or not-so-rhetorical?) questions, the focus on the self. Before we offer a fuller analysis of the poem, here’s a reminder of ‘O Me! O Life!’.
O Me! O Life!
Oh me! Oh life! of the questions of these recurring,
Of the endless trains of the faithless, of cities fill’d with the foolish,
Of myself forever reproaching myself, (for who more foolish than I, and who more faithless?)
Of eyes that vainly crave the light, of the objects mean, of the struggle ever renew’d,
Of the poor results of all, of the plodding and sordid crowds I see around me,
Of the empty and useless years of the rest, with the rest me intertwined,
The question, O me! so sad, recurring—What good amid these, O me, O life?
Answer.
That you are here—that life exists and identity,
That the powerful play goes on, and you may contribute a verse.
In summary, ‘O Me! O Life!’ sees Whitman despairing about life, but also, by association, about himself. Whitman was among the most generous-spirited poets of the nineteenth century, and his work shows a refusal to see himself as superior to, or separate from, the world around him. ‘O Me! O Life!’ is an excellent (short) demonstration of this abundance of self-awareness.
Oh me! Oh life! of the questions of these recurring,
Of the endless trains of the faithless, of cities fill’d with the foolish,
Of myself forever reproaching myself, (for who more foolish than I, and who more faithless?)
In his pioneeringly exuberant and Psalmic free-verse style, Whitman begins by lamenting the various causes for perplexity that he has: the many faithless people (both those without a faith in something, and those who one cannot have faith in, i.e. the unfaithful, liars and cheats?), the cities full of foolish people, and even himself – he perplexes and worries himself because he is always chastising himself for being one of the foolish and faithless, and indeed, one of the worst offenders…
Of eyes that vainly crave the light, of the objects mean, of the struggle ever renew’d,
Of the poor results of all, of the plodding and sordid crowds I see around me,
More attention to the crowd here, the city filled with people, just going through their daily routine (‘plodding’) and low, immoral, and dirty lives they lead (‘sordid’). Life, in summary, is a vain struggle.
Of the empty and useless years of the rest, with the rest me intertwined,
The question, O me! so sad, recurring—What good amid these, O me, O life?
Is Whitman alluding to retirement in his reference to ‘the empty and useless years of the rest’ – i.e. the ‘rest’ or remainder of one’s life when one has left the bustling crowds, and the ‘plodding’ world of work? Of course, retirement is also a ‘rest’ of another sort. But no: ‘rest’ predominantly refers to the ‘rest’ of the population – those who don’t work and aren’t part of the crowd, or even perhaps, part of a functioning society.
Answer.
That you are here—that life exists and identity,
That the powerful play goes on, and you may contribute a verse.
Whitman ends ‘O Me! O Life!’ with a defiant and jubilant answer: the worth of life lies precisely in life: in the fact that we are here, alive, and have the chance to contribute in some small way to the sum of human endeavour and happiness. For Whitman, he can contribute a ‘verse’ to the world, but ‘verse’ here can be taken as a metaphor for any small contribution made to the world: a painting, a piece of music, being a good teacher of young minds, helping others.
Oh me! Oh life! - A reading by gradesaver.com
Whitman writes in his signature free verse with very little formal structure and no rhyme scheme. There are two stanzas: the first one has seven lines, and the second, starting with the simple first line "Answer" contains three lines. In the first stanza, Whitman employs anaphora, repeating the word "of" at the beginning of each line. This repetition puts the reader inside the speaker's head so he or she can experience the poem as a stream of consciousness. The title, "O me! O life!" actually summarizes the poet's entire conflict: he questions his own purpose (O me!) and wonders why life can be so cruel (O life!).
The "question" and "answer" format of the poem allows for Whitman to make an unusual and unexpected choice. While readers might expect the poem to be a sorrowful lament (as many poems are), the poet answers his own question. Whitman uses the second stanza's "Answer" as a way of expressing his own perspective on the meaning of life. He imparts his belief that human life is sacred, and that human beings must appreciate what they have. Although this poem starts out with an eternally elusive question, Whitman chooses to combat his own feelings of helplessness and futility by offering an answer. Instead of letting his lament linger, he uses the opportunity to remind readers (and himself) that the purpose of life is to live.
Whitman chooses specific images to represent hopelessness in this poem. Both "trains of the faithless" and "cities fill'd with the foolish" evoke the themes of modernization and industrialization. The 1800s were full of new innovations that modernized society, so Whitman was writing against the backdrop of a rapidly changing world. He acknowledges that in the context of rapid development and human achievement, it is easy for human beings to feel useless, inadequate, and ultimately, disappointed with their lives. Whitman admits to feeling this way himself - in fact, his lack of condescension here makes his work highly relatable. He does not offer instructions to fix the problem, but rather, he asks his reader to stop and realize that he or she is contributing to humanity simply by being alive.
Whitman chooses a powerful metaphor in the last line that is essential to understanding the poem. He refers to civilization as "powerful play," and insists that each person will "contribute a verse." In this image, Whitman is able to communicate his democratic beliefs (as each person contributes equally) as well as emphasize the importance of art and human expression. This concrete metaphor also allows Whitman to ground his existential philosophy in a relatable context.
Singing oneness!
