How growing up on Dr. Seuss and Performing Arts Saved My Life
When I was a kid, I read Dr. Seuss, again and again, because art.
And as I sat there, gazing into the amazing imaginations that the good Doctor had brought to life with vivid colors and wonderfully freeing lines, curves, scribbles and other delights of drawing, I almost always had music playing in the background.
Very often that music was live music. It ranged from opera to rock, from jazz to country, from blues to chansons, from reggae to classical, from musicals to comedians who sang and/or played music and all other genres. I really do find music i like in virtually every “type” of music.
These days, I still go to events … it’s even a main part of my work. I even got André Rieu tickets for his upcoming show in concert in Denmark, on June 21, 2019.
And this habit literally saved my life.
How did Dr. Seuss and Art Save My Life?
I had to make a choice, long ago. A choice that would determine the outcome of a situation that would change many things for me, and in so doing, literally changed my life.
The decision I had to make, was whether or not to take charge of a team in a dangerous job, for a considerable amount, or to give up that opportunity in order to pursue my passion: Being a cultural critic at all sorts of live events.
Choosing the latter was the most rewarding decision, both for my personal benefit … my soul, mostly, and for the benefit of my loved ones.
It so happens that the team I would have led, was doomed to a terrible fate, and had i been there, the outcome would have been the same. There was simply nothing that could have been done to change it. And so choosing to leave the team, literally saved my life.
Of course it’s terribly sad and I will never forget any of the team I was meant to lead. They are always with me in thought and prayer, and I always remember how fortunate I was, and am, that i had the privilege to choose another way, and lived to tell about it. They, on the other hand, pretty much didn’t have any other options. And so they were left with a choice that seemed like a no-brainer to them. Only it ended up costing them everything, literally.
And so whenever i go to shows or matches or any kind of event that I’m covering for any publisher or even for my own websites, and as I raise my own family, I remember how very precious this gift of art is to humanity. It can be a better way forward for many people. Surely, not for everyone. But for enough who are in a situation that would be radically improved by “beating their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks.” (Isaiah 2:4, The Bible). And their anger into art.
