Fareed Zakaria also sees Power of Appreciation in Paris
On Saturday morning as the CNN reporter Arwa Damon was reporting the horrific details of the night before in front of the Bataclan concert hall. She turned as she noticed something unusual. She interrupted her commentary to note that someone was pulling out a grand piano. As she continued with her comments she noted that music was John Lennon’s Imagine and continued with her commentary.
I was so taken because I many times use Imagine to show people art as an appreciative power that transcends the exigencies of the moment, the current situation.
So today (Sunday) I was surprised and delighted to see Fareed had picked up the same message in his GPS program.
The city of light is finding its way out of the darkness.
Music and the human spirit were beginning to take back the city.
France is a symbol of Liberty and Freedom
Paris has been a place where art and music and culture have flourished freely a magnet fr the world's greatest talents to come create and inspire
And that song reminds us that in our darkest moments of despair that sometimes it is only Art that can fill the void and make us whole again.
It also reminds us, as noted in previous posts, that we cannot solve the problems at the root of this tragedy by more control, more shouting, more destruction. We need the face of influence that shows us patient diplomacy, painstaking negotiation, the kind Secretary Kerry and his international colleagues are carrying out on our behalf. But without all the parties religious, political, military and technological turning equally the face of appreciation to see, feel and address the whole history and future of situation there is little hope.
Patient diplomacy has brought most of the actors together for the first time. Will they be able to appreciate the whole both the darkest realities and the most enlightened possibilities? Will they understand and will we understand that it us, all of us, who have brought this situation about and it is up to us to put it right. It will not be solved until all of us find ways to help others within our reach to see more meaning in their lives and help create the conditions that will bring it about.
Would you like to talk more about these ideas? Come to our webinar on Nov 17 at 1.30 EST