.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I0PirL6Sw6s
I’ve spent a lot of time pondering change, action and apathy; time spent writing posts about our divisions or differences. Every once and a while I sprinkle a dose of Playing For Change in the mix. Tonight I’m reminded how short sighted I am to wring my hands and cluck about inaction; tonight I remembered to look at the glass as half full. Tonight I launch my Playing For Change campaign.
Music has the power to transcend boundaries; a crowd listening to a street musician perform doesn’t care what religious or political affiliation the person next to them has. Music is the logical place to stop squabbling over petty differences while forming a common goal. Song might just have the power to bring about a shift in rigid thinking – dare I express a tiny seed of hope growing in this pondering mind – a secret little smile curling at my edges, a faint hope that unexpected joy stemming from shaking your ass or tapping your toe – could be the spark needed to make us understand how incredibly silly mud slinging accusations are. A tool to make us realize how futile and incredibly boring our world would be if all of us were cut from the same cloth. An instrument to lead us away from suspicion, bigotry, and stereotypes – come on, lighten up people.
Here’s my challenge – click on the link below and learn about the Playing For Change movement.
Where ever you are, whatever you might do, no matter your age, race, profession, economic status or political/religious affiliation – set those aside and ponder how you can spread the Playing For Change message. Put your thinking caps on – spread the word – I want to hear your ideas.
notestoponder 
You know I don’t need a challenge to listen to Playing For Change…they’re in my favorites!!
Yesterday, I wrote a post on a movie I watched that someone recommended to me…And I thought of you and all your ponderings while doing it. 🙂
I must admit I had several shifts in viewpoint along the way. I will probably watch it again as it definitely got me pondering…indeed a lot of thought provoking was stimulated.
Just like you shifted on gun ownership, I shifted on a few things. I think a lot of this movie aligns more to your native thought…you may not shift but you may get the feeling that somebody else gets it.
I wanted to share it with you…since you shared Playing For Change with me.
I put links on the post hope you like it.
Many thanks Mrs. P, going to look for the link now 🙂
A very good write and now something I will ‘ponder’. >KB
You got me pondering now…
I wonder how persuasive music really is? I say that because having lived in an area that still struggles with bigotry for most of my life I know people who will not listen to World Music, or Reggae because of associations they make with disapproved ethnic groups.
I would like to think that you are right. And perhaps Wisconsin is small enough and insignificant enough that their ways of thinking will go the way of the dinosaur. I dunno.
Conversely, we have a summer festival park there in Milwaukee that does summer weekend ethnic festivals and a 10 day long festival called Summerfest — which is a stright forward music festival — and I have been amazed year after year that there have always been disproportionately lower ethnic representation from non-caucasion groups. Whether it’s an issue of having the funds to attend or not I don’t know — I seriously doubt it. IT has seemed that for the last 30 years Blacks in that region have been so angry that they have followed a path of separatism and chosen not to engage with the rest of the population. I’m not sure what will happen if people don’t WANT to have their opinions changed.
Still pondering.
Cheers,
Peter
A retired photographer looks at life from behind an RV steering wheel.
Life Unscripted