From Beethoven to Jimmy Carter and the Promise of Peace on Earth

Dear Friends,

This is our special New Year's edition, featuring a piece inspired by a unique, wonderful place and extraordinary people. Perhaps the arrival of a new year changes nothing more than what each new day brings. Yet, through the power of celebration and the strength of the human spirit, the New Year ushers in hope for a brighter future—reminding us that we can and must always do better.

With this in mind, I wish you the very best in this New Year. Your contributions and accomplishments mean a great deal to so many, and I am grateful and honored that you took the time to read this. Again, this is longer than the constraints I usually place on my weekly pieces.

As I mentioned, this is a special edition—and the extraordinary performance I attended last evening inspired me to express what I have to say—without fear of upsetting those who remind me that there is grace in brevity and wisdom in maintaining an economy of words.

Given the sheer magnitude of what I experienced last night, I have endeavored to uphold these virtues, recognizing that some rules are meant to be broken if only to appreciate why they exist.

prl

From Beethoven to Jimmy Carter and the Promise of Peace on Earth

The program commemorated the 200th anniversary of the first performance of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony and the 20th anniversary of the cathedral's annual New Year's Eve concert with a full orchestra and chorus before a tapestried audience of more than 1,500 guests.?

Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony ebbs and flows and rises to an emotional climax with “Ode to Joy,” as orchestral explosions propel the choral voices soaring and then settling on the ears of the enraptured audience.?I felt my body expand, and my eyes well up in tears. I thought about the enormous confluence of accomplishments that converged to create the event. From the composer's genius to the vision of those who built the cathedral, the virtuosity of the conductor, and the assemblage of highly accomplished performers, the experience represented humanity at its best. While I frequently write about the momentous joy we experience from our accomplishments, I find the magnitude of the evening hard to describe.

This concert for peace is meant to evoke our better angels and urge advocacy for what is right, necessary, and possible.?Peace is an active response to the forces undermining our best sense of humanity. It is not simply a tacit acknowledgment of the absence of war. It requires us to take responsibility for ensuring that a greater good prevails over the designs of people who exercise their power to pursue evil intentions. I think doing that requires exceptional leadership.

Television news journalist Harry Smith is the honorary emcee. He spoke of President Jimmy Carter's recent passing. Smith interviewed Carter numerous times and described how different he was from most world leaders in how selflessly he saw his life’s purpose. He accomplished things that mattered dearly to him because they were important to others.?

Carter never acted in his own best interests when the interests of others were at stake. He remained focused on what he needed to accomplish and knew that doing so required much more than he could ever do alone. He was untiring and relentless in inspiring people to come and work together, whether to build homes for people who needed them, cure diseases around the world that most people had never heard of, or bring Egypt and Israel together with the Camp David Peace Accords and the signing of an unlikely treaty.?

The legacy of great leaders sometimes emerges from what had been viewed as a failure at the time. Leadership is measured in the wake of action, not in its course. During his presidency, Carter was frequently vilified for being a weak and ineffectual leader. But all that Carter accomplished beyond his presidency demonstrates the enduring value of outstanding leadership. That is in sharp contrast to someone like Jack Welch's legacy. Welch had been the source of revelry in the press and a good deal of self-congratulation until the wreckage he had made of GE became apparent after he left. It is not what we do that matters. It is always a matter of what we ultimately?accomplish?- or not.?

Beethoven’s life’s work remains relevant nearly 200 years following his death because the qualities of great music endure the passage of time. It’s difficult to imagine that the peace we broker between enemies will ever be nearly as lasting. But those who fight for peace and justice and make it their life purpose to serve others, at the very least, deserve to have their legacy preserved the way we do those who have created the great pieces of music and art that have been so richly beloved and honored in the world’s greatest museums and concert halls.

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