I was writing my sermon on Saturday night and came across this video.
(p.s. country music had nothing to do with my sermon - but it does help me think)
Before you read on, know that I love Love LOVE Brad Paisley. I think he's an incredible musician, I love that he tells a story and I have enjoyed listening to how his music has changed as he got married and had kids. I love that he doesn't take himself too seriously and that he gets a passion in his eyes when he is performing.
Okay, so back to my sermon. So to speak.
A couple of weeks ago Brad Paisley posted on twitter that he was singing in the White House. I thought it was really cool, but was too wrapped up in school to track down the video of him actually performing. I'm glad I did - because he performed a song that I think is so relevant to this administration. The song juxtaposes the dichotomy between where we were 50/60 years ago - and how far we've come. I love Brad Paisley's speech before he sings, because he just seems overcome with emotion - not just because he was invited to sing in front of the president but also because he was singing a song that was influenced directly by the first election of a black U.S. president.
(I also love the fact that he says that we NEED MUSIC IN THE SCHOOLS. But I digress ...)
What I love also about this song is the fact that because it reminds me of how far we have come in a short amount of time it also forces me to think about the potential that we have for the future. What would a world look like where the gap between the developed world and the third world was closed? What would a world look like with affordable healthcare available to everyone? What would a world look like if race, class, gender and sexual orientation didn't matter? What would a world look like if we focused less on differences and more on opportunities? What would it look like if children everywhere had good schools and enthusiastic teachers?
When I start listing off of all those things, it almost sounds daunting ... but listen to the lyrics of this song - and think about where we were!!
A better world is possible. Welcome to the future!!
Monday, November 16, 2009
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I honestly love this song. I have to say that my years at Candler though have impacted me more than I can tell you. Every time I hear it, i wonder what people would say about it in a Candler class. I can see so many people saying that it goes too far to describe how things have changed. That it doesn't go far enough at calling for the change we still need in the world--especially in race relations.
ReplyDeleteI can't say I disagree with that either, I just wonder how to hold in balance the celebration of the strides we've made with realization of how much further we need to go.
Someday I might de-Candlerize myself. :) I dunno if that's good or bad.
Emily, I really really glad you said that. Because I think sometimes we get overwhelmed by where we are that sometimes we don't see that we have come so far. The election of a black president is a great example of this. I think it's important recognize the fact that the United States and racial relations aren't perfect just because we elected a black president - BUT I think we need to hold that in conversation with the fact that we have come so far from burning crosses and segregated busses. Holding these two in conversation will build relationships between the past and the present and it will bring us ALL into the future.
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure I will ever be able to de-Candlerize myself. And I'm not sure that's a bad thing. :)
And the balance is important. But as much as you say we've come a long way from burning crosses and segregated buses--I still know of cases where people in the workplace are hanging nooses to scare people.
ReplyDeleteBeing said, I thought the same thing about being de-Candlerized. And I owe a lot to what I learned there. But as with all education, you'll find yourself saying things just because Candler told you that you have to. Or thinking certain ways because its been drilled into your head. It'll be a great release to realize those places and decide for yourself if they are something you want to continue to say or think.
Grins. Hope the semester finishes up beautifully!