PBS celebrated Joan Baez’s 75th birthday with a
special concert. She has been one of those in my life who made a great impact
during a trying time. Along with Peter, Paul, and Mary, Pete Segar and others,
they voiced through song the hopes of a world that seemed possible in spite of
the agonizing conflicts associated with civil rights and the Vietnam War.
I can recall with vividness my trying futilely to play the
guitar so that I could share their songs. I dreamed of a beautiful world where
people cared for each other, just because they were fellow human beings. I
hoped for a shared experience of the Divine even if the understanding of God was
different. We would all know that the human constructs did not do justice to
the Divine.
As I listened to Joan once again, I could not help but be
teary. To think that I could have been so naïve to think that we were close to
a world where we cared for each other. How naïve!
And yet, strangely I cannot stop hoping for such a beautiful
world even when the prospects are worse than ever. The hateful language used by
public figures only mirrors the thoughts and words of many people.
Unfortunately, it is no longer just words that separate us.
In the 1960’s we may have had major differences regarding
the Vietnam Conflict and Civil Rights without ever considering that before long
we would be on our way to destroying our habitat. Man’s survival is now at
stake not just by the possibility of the some sort of nuclear catastrophe, but
by global warming.
It seems almost unreal to live, moment to moment, without a
fear in the world. I experience peace and love within our family and friends.
One would never know that humongous problems loom ahead.
Listening to Joan Baez (who I will experience in a live
concert in October) brings back to mind a time when I thought that I would see
such a beautiful world where differences would not as much divide one from
another, but be an opportunity to grow. We could learn from our differences
rather than extinguish them by power. How naïve!
