Today is the Spring solstice…the lightness and the darkness are in sync, at least for one day. Since our last blog, there has been so much darkness, figuratively and literally, that it has been almost paralyzing…trying to write has been met with so many stops and starts as one head shaking event after another, act as distractions…but with the return of light equilibrium, the thought process has cleared up...perhaps it was the image above that snapped me out of it. Have we seen enough?
In our last blog titled New Eyes On The Devil’s Excrement, we finished by saying “…it always keeps coming back to the urgency that we face with the climate crisis and the need to reduce and ultimately move away from the burning of fossil fuels, but with all the examples of how oil is at the root of so much of the world`s conflicts, that is another fundamental and urgent reason for moving as quickly as possible to a completely electrical energy grid. Fortunately, in many parts of the world, governments are ignoring the knuckle dragging of the United States federal government and are pushing forward with green initiatives that will one day soon, see us abandon the Devil's Excrement once and for all, bringing us a more peaceful, safer world where justice and humanity prevail."
I have started several of our last blogs by first taking a look back at some musical moments that caught our attention and some films that we had recently watched that resonate with what we are witnessing in various parts of our world. To that end, I have a few more of those that I want to put forth.
In the world of music, I see that Country Joe McDonald, died in early March, at age of 84. He was an American singer, songwriter, musician and film composer, who was the lead singer and co-founder of the 1960s psychedelic folk-rock group Country Joe and the Fish. They were one of a group of bands from California in the mid to late 60’s that gained some notoriety, including the Grateful Dead, Quicksilver Messenger Service, Buffalo Springfield, Steve Miller Band, the Doors, Canned Heat, Jefferson Airplane and Big Brother and the Holding Company. While these other bands achieved greater success, McDonald and his band rose to fame with his anti-Vietnam War song I-Feel-Like-I'm-Fixin'-to-Die Rag which he famously performed at the Woodstock Festival in 1969, which was certainly one of the highlights…he always preceded that with what was originally the ‘Fish Cheer’, which at some point was changed to better reflect the increasing frustration with US involvement in South-East Asia. That one performance was such a profound one in the anti-Vietnam War movement…is so relevant to the complete illegal activity of what another US government is currently up to. Sure would like to see a few more artists stand up and confront the current US and Israeli (Russia as well) regimes for their outrageous war mongering.
Gimme an F…Gimme a (well you get the idea)…what’s that spell?
Well come on all of you big strong men, Uncle Sam needs your help again,
he got himself in a terrible jam, way down yonder in Vietnam,
put down your books and pick up a gun, we're gunna have a whole lotta fun.
and its 1,2,3 what are we fightin for?
don't ask me i don't give a dam, the next stop is Vietnam,
and its 5,6,7 open up the pearly gates. Well there aint no time to wonder why...WHOPEE we're all gunna die.
Soon after, we watched the Barry Avrich directed documentary Born Hungry, which tells the remarkable and inspiring story of an Indian street kid Sash who is adopted by the Toronto Simpson family, where he is one of 19 children. His drive, determination and charm led him to become a restaurateur/chef who eventually opened the upscale namesake Toronto restaurant Sash. His unpretentiousness is on clear display as the film crew follows him to India as he searches for his birth family, and for what is designed as a culinary safari, where Sash could discover not only new spices and recipes but reconnect to his Indian heritage…it is fascinating as we watch him immersing himself in his lost culture and reclaiming his identity. The most emotional part of the film was when Sash returned to the orphanage that saved him one hot sunny day, when he nearly perished on a train station bench almost 40 years earlier. As director Barry Avrich said, “As Sash walked into the orphanage (that his adoptive mother operated), home to dozens of children and adults that have nowhere to go, he dropped to his knees and wept. His mind flashed back to when he lived there. It was he who got out, but so many of the kids and the adults that had spent their lives there would not be as fortunate. His tears swept over all of us, covering us in a powerful and yet transformative moment. Sash cooked and fed everyone in the orphanage that day, and we watched, knowing that he was doing such good work — he was showing them that a future was possible. He was rescued. It is fair to say that I have never been the same since that day. Life is precious in a very unstable world. Sash always knew that and has never forgotten. It is the rest of us that can learn from him. The film is his story and the heroic story of his mother, Sandra Simpson.” Coincidently, the film ended with the Blue Rodeo song Lost Together playing as the credits rolled…it was a very powerful and emotional story. As Sash showed those kids in that orphanage that a future was possible, we are heartbroken that those little girls, perhaps as many as 150, who were killed by a US missile in their Iranian school, will never have that opportunity.
Watched Schindler’s List and I don’t think I’ll ever forget it. It’s not just a movie. It’s a haunting, powerful, and deeply emotional experience. Directed by Steven Spielberg and based on the true story of Oskar Schindler — a German businessman who saved over 1,100 Jews during the Holocaust — this film hits hard. And it should. The black-and-white cinematography gives it a chilling realism, like you’re watching history unfold in front of you. Liam Neeson’s portrayal of Schindler is quite powerful — a complex man who starts off driven by profit, only to find his conscience and humanity in the darkest of times. Ben Kingsley, Ralph Fiennes... every performance is unforgettable. There are scenes in this movie that will stay with me forever…whether it is the heartbreak, the cruelty, the strength or the courage. And that iconic moment — the little girl in the red coat — I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything more symbolic in film. While this movie isn’t an easy watch, it’s not meant to be. But it’s essential. A brutal, necessary reminder of the horrors of the Holocaust — and of the power one person can have to make a difference.
“Whoever saves one life, saves the world entire.” That line... it says everything. Of course, as we watch events unfold in Gaza, the West Bank, Lebanon and Iran, we ask how the oppressed have become the oppressors? Just this week, we now witness the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) intentionally targeting foreign journalists covering their assaults in all these locations. Have we seen enough?
On the theme of documentaries, the importance of them is taking on a more fundamental role in bringing real stories to the mainstream. As we understand, the geo-politics of the world has been turned upside down by the new megalomaniac, bully, convicted felon occupant of the White House, and his compatriots in both the Knesset and the Kremlin, politics is never far from the surface of many documentaries bringing forward topics in a different way than news media, giving women and those marginalized groups a chance to use their voice, and it gives us a more well-rounded perspective of issues such as truth, justice and humanity. Documentaries tell the stories about real people and real situations, not stereotypes…they can introduce us to topics we might not normally think about, raising awareness, changing opinions and contributing to positive change. As we have watched over the last year and a half, the Israeli army bomb Gaza to oblivion, it clouds the focus on the other territory where significant Palestinians reside…the West Bank, where Israeli settlers have continued to harass and threaten the Palestinians, including burning down their homes. The story is told in the documentary No Other Land, which offers an essential and unflinching look at life under Israeli military occupation. Have we seen enough?
So, here we are, a host of unsavoury characters including Trump, Netanyahu, Hegseth and Putin have conducted military and economic actions against a host of countries…threatening their territorial integrity, sovereignty and economic well-being…some much worse than others…Ukraine, Gaza, the West Bank, Venezuela, Iran, Lebanon, Cuba and verbal threats against Greenland and Canada. The image that accompanies this blog is of the digging of graves for the girls (somewhere around 150) killed by a US missile at their primary school in Minab in southern Iran. The complete senselessness of this ‘excursion’, as Trump terms it, is on full display. The total incompetence of the United States has led to a closing of the Strait of Hormuz through which 1/5 of the world’s oil supply as well as many other critical materials travel from the Middle East to many parts of the world. The skyrocketing price of oil around the world is leading to serious supply shortages and rationing. If this proves anything, it is the vulnerability of the oil supply. Have we seen enough?
We’ve talked about how important it is for a transition away from the burning of carbon to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, the heating of the atmosphere leading to our current climate crisis. As we discussed in our last blog, oil brings conflict, and now we see the repercussions of that conflict in oil regions on the economic wellbeing of so many. How do we as a civilization, address the existential threat that the climate crisis presents when we are distracted by the ever escalating turbulence and conflict amongst nations?
Have we seen enough?
If there was one positive this last week, wasn’t it the Venezuelan national baseball team defeating the United States in the final of the World Baseball Classic? This seemingly brought great joy to the Venezuelan people, who have endured so much over the last while…much at the hands of the United States…the irony that it was the United States that they defeated certainly contributed to their elation.
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The digging of graves for the girls killed by a US missile at their primary school in Minab, southern Iran photo courtesy of The Globe and Mail.
The girl in the red coat image courtesy of the Guardian.
