kaddish in two-part harmony
A conversation between an anthropologist and a musician along with a growing virtual minyan, on themes of death and dying, grief, ritual, and the interplay between music and words.about
Tag Archives: politics
what is it about words? a rant in response to a preamble
Music sits alongside religion as an opiate for the masses, and when music joins religion, it’s a truly powerful drug—one that scares the crap out of me sometimes.
Continue reading
a conundrum for our compassion
a ten-year-old murder case in San Jose begets murder last week and presents a conundrum for our compassion Continue reading
a kaddish for six people in arizona
In the copious, loud discussion that has following in the wake of the shootings in Arizona last week, what has gotten lost is that six people died. Six people died, and we don’t even know their names. May their memories be a blessing to those who knew them. May their memories not be wasted by the rest of us thinking that their tragedy is fodder for our careless arguments. Continue reading
a kaddish for elizabeth edwards
I’m not sure what to think, exactly, about Elizabeth Edwards, but I’m pretty sure that the real tragedy is that we still know more about him than her. Continue reading
Posted in essays
Tagged conflict, death and dying, feminism, optimism, pessimism, politics, women
3 Comments
optimism in the face of reason, or: another kaddish for new orleans
Mira wrote about having a grudge against optimism in a recent essay that has left me wandering lost in my own mind. See, I agree with just about everything she wrote. I largely agree with her worldview. But I am a persistent optimist. I am an optimist in the face of considerable clear evidence that optimism is irrational. Continue reading
Posted in essays
Tagged faith, Minnesota, music, musicians, New Orleans, optimism, politics
5 Comments