Lest we forget that War is Stupid but Music is LIFE.
I understand that people who died in war need to be remembered. I get that their families need support and understanding. I have been to ANZAC day dawn services and I have been moved by the silhouetted horn player. I have cried. Somewhere, in a biscuit tin, there are medals from an ancestral family member and I have held them in my hand, fascinated by their weight.
I have never, however, felt proud.
War is stupid. The fact that we still have it is stupid. I appreciate that people use their intelligence within its context, like an oversized game of chess or battleships. But it is still stupid.
I wish we put even half of the effort, money and energy we put into war (and dealing with the consequences) into music. I’d be proud of that.
Stue and I went to the National Folk Festival over Easter. They have new Tshirts that say only “Five days of a perfect world”. It’s true. For those five days each year we’ve gone we have lived in a little perfect universe where pretty much everyone is nice to each other. It, not unsignificantly, revolves around making, listening, dancing to and sharing music.
I came back with a cold (it frosted on our tent overnight), but with my hope rejuvenated. Lest we forget that music is LIFE.