New York Philharmonic: Music as diplomacy

The New York Philharmonic held a concert in Pyongyang, North Korea, and broadcast live on North Korean TV to be heard well beyond the 2,500 elitists in the theater. Will this concert that yielded three encores and had some musicians leaving the stage in tears over this monumental moment, produce warmer ties between North Korea and the U.S.?

I, for one, believe music is the universal language that everyone understands and can soften the heart often hardened by discontent, misunderstanding and even the vagaries of cold relations between countries. “The U.S. and North Korea found common ground in concert Tuesday that spanned American and Korean musical traditions,” according to an AP article. The final encore was the traditional folk song “Arirang” which was received with enthusiastic applause; a piece that’s often used as a reunification anthem at cordial events between North and South Korea.

Music director Lorin Maazel, after the performance said, “We may have been instrumental in opening a little door.” Former U.S. Defense Secretary William Perry attended the performance and called it a “historic moment” while reminiscing how close the U.S. and North Korea came to war in 1994 over North Korea’s nuclear program. Perry opined, “This might just have pushed us over the top” in finding a way to get past the recent tension between the two countries, and he would like to see Washington reciprocate by inviting North Korean performers here.

Music really is a prime example of soft power in diplomacy. Music is magical and can serve as an ice-breaker in warming relations between people, as well as nations. Maybe music should be used more in the role of peacemaker. Do you think this classical concert will yield warmer ties between our country and North Koreans?

David Walker quits over job constraints

David Walker, respected head of the audit and investigative arm of the US Congress announced his resignation today citing “real limitations” on what he can do and say in connection with key public policy issues relating to GAO’s client, the Congress. Last year Walker gave his assessment of our country’s future and likened it to the downfall of the Roman empire.

The “striking similarities” he sees between America’s current situation and the end of the Roman empire are “declining moral values and political civility at home, an over-confident and over-extended military in foreign lands and fiscal irresponsibility by the central government.”

He will join Peter G. Peterson Foundation as president and chief executive officer to “educate and activate” Americans while supporting “sensible policy solutions” on “current and emerging challenges facing our country.”

I take his resignation as a clarion call to arms in an attempt to unite Americans in a common goal to restore America’s moral values and civility.

50 Lessons for life

01. Life isn’t fair, but it’s still good.
02. When in doubt, just take the next small step.
03. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.
04. Don’t take yourself so seriously. No one else does.
05. Pay off your credit cards every month.
06. You don’t have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.
07. Cry with someone. It’s more healing than crying alone.
08. It’s OK to get angry with God. He can take it.
09. Save for retirement starting with your first paycheck.
10. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.
11. Make peace with your past so it won’t screw up the present.
12. It’s OK to let your children see you cry.
13. Don’t compare your life to others’. You have no idea what their journey is all about.
14. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn’t be in it.
15. Everything can change in the blink of an eye. But don’t worry; God never blinks.
16. Life is too short for long pity parties. Get busy living, or get busy dying.
17. You can get through anything if you stay put in today.
18. A writer writes. If you want to be a writer, write.
19. It’s never too late to have a happy childhood. But the second one is up to you and no one else.
20. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don’t take no for an answer.
21. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie. Don’t save it for a special occasion. Today is special.
22. Over prepare, then go with the flow.
23. Be eccentric now. Don’t wait for old age to wear purple.
24. The most important sex organ is the brain.
25. No one is in charge of your happiness except you.
26. Frame every so-called disaster with these words: “In five years, will this matter?”
27. Always choose life.
28. Forgive everyone everything.
29. What other people think of you is none of your business.
30. Time heals almost everything. Give time time.
31. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.
32. Your job won’t take care of you when you are sick. Your friends will. Stay in touch.
33. Believe in miracles.
34. God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did or didn’t do.
35. Whatever doesn’t kill you really does make you stronger.
36. Growing old beats the alternative — dying young.
37. Your children get only one childhood. Make it memorable.
38. Read the Psalms. They cover every human emotion.
39. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.
40. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else’s, we’d grab ours back.
41. Don’t audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.
42. Get rid of anything that isn’t useful, beautiful or joyful.
43. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.
44. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.
45. The best is yet to come.
46. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.
47. Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.
48. If you don’t ask, you don’t get.
49. Yield.
50. Life isn’t tied with a bow, but it’s still a gift.

My Dear Readers, I’m now happy to tell you, thanks to Regina’s husband’s response below, that 50 Lessons for Life was written by his wife, Regina Brett, a columnist for The Plain Dealer in Cleveland, Ohio on May 26, 2006.  You can read the original column here:  http://www.cleveland.com/brett/blog/index.ssf/2006/05/regina_bretts_45_life_lessons.html

And, you can visit Regina’s home page at:  http://www.cleveland.com/brett

Photo Tree at the Edge of the Universe by Rusty Russ