Green Oasis

Today, I am thankful for…

1. … having a good woman as my partner.
2. … music and art. My life is infinitely richer because of them.
3. … the time I’ve had recently with my daughters. I’ve been trying to focus more on the truly important things in life, and it has paid off with immediate returns.
4. … homemade yogurt. It’s eerily simple to make. I feel like I’ve learned a secret art.
5. … the philosophy of fire and motion.

I listened this morning to an NPR segment discussing Playing For Change a project featuring the music of Bob Marley and the Wailers, such as Don’t Worry, rendered by musicians around the world. These musicians never met each other. Instead, they played and sung the songs while listening to the music of the others.

In a bit of synchronicity, I watched I Am Legend last night, which revolves in its way around Marley’s music and philosophy of One Love. Marley tried to inject his message into the consciousness of the people who heard his music to cure hatred. In the movie, the protagonist recounts how two days after Marley was gunned down by men trying to stop the One Love Peace concert, he got on stage to sing anyway. When asked why, he explained that the “people that are trying to make the world worse never take a day off, why should [he]? Light up the darkness.”

I may not share Bob Marley’s trust in a God, but that’s a trivial difference between us. It shouldn’t get in the way. We share something more important. Dale McGowan defines a humanist as “somebody who thinks that people should all take care of each other, and whether there is a god or there isn’t, we should spend our time making this life and this world better.” We can all rally around our shared humanity.

So let’s get out there and stir it up.

You should check out the Cigarettes and Fishnets album by the Sad Salamanders. If you feel inclined, you could also buy it at CD Baby.

Or if you’re feeling a little less skanky, you could try out a couple of albums by Crete Boom: Navy and Grey and Ne’er Do well. (via Free Albums Galore)

I am grateful…

1. … for birdsong and mown grass in the morning.
2. … for music.
3. … to be healthy and alive.
4. … for culture, the vehicle of human nature, wisdom, and values.
5. … to have a place in my little family.

NIN has released a new EP—NIN|JA—for free download.