What? It’s September already? Here at The More I Learn the More I Wonder, we are doing more wondering and wandering than writing these days.
But also writing and recording more music. This videosong is our tribute to British imaginations and their lifelike creations.
There are lots more songs in the works and a full-length album getting near the end of gestation too. So, though the blog is taking it easy, it doesn’t mean I am!
“The dark night aspect of love is shocking in its contrast to the bright airy quality of love’s beginnings. . .
“Some people find love’s darkness within the context of marriage and partnership. Others go through a long period of distress because for one reason or another they can’t achieve a lasting relationship. Whether you are looking for love or trying to make it work, it can be the most difficult challenge in life and at times may seem absolutely impossible. The impossibility slowly cracks you open, teaches you the limits of human understanding, and gives you a bridge from the human to the divine.” – Thomas Moore, Dark Nights of the Soul
I wrote “Honest to God” from my own war to live both honestly and faithfully in my marriage. The two are not mutually exclusive, though many relationships function as if they are.
And after you’ve made it through my music video above, reward yourself with this one:
Here’s a new videosong, recorded in a newly gutted space in our house. Before we cover up those gorgeous walls with up-to-code drywall, we thought it’d be fun to make a film in this space!
For ten months, a now-23-year-old man has been held in solitary confinement by the United States military, on charges of sharing classified military information with WikiLeaks. Included in this information was a video of an Apache helicopter crew firing on civilians in the streets of New Baghdad in 2007.
While this young man named Bradley Manning spends his days alone in prison, and faces charges that could keep him there for life, the soldiers who murdered the civilians have been charged with nothing.
“All’s fair in love and war.” (John Lyly)
“War is hell.” (William Tecumseh Sherman)
“No one cries like a mother cries for peace on earth.” (U2)
Bring a torch, Jeanette, Isabelle. (16th century French carol)
The official name of the Statue of Liberty, a gift of the French people to the people of the United States of America, is Liberty Enlightening the World. As a nation, we have held this ideal high, and mostly fallen short. By attempting to “spread democracy” with military force, and then keep secret the inevitable crimes like this one committed in our country’s name, our government has failed to let the light of liberty shine bright.
You can learn more by viewing the videos at collateralmurder.com (the testimony of Ethan McCord, the soldier who discovered the seriously wounded children, is especially eye-opening), and if you wish to support Manning, visit bradleymanning.org.
There are many facets to this story. If you read the “Wired” interview with McCord and the Wikipedia article about Manning, you will encounter some of them. Thinking about our nation’s military involvement around the world on a deeper level, including the right of citizens to access information about our military’s actions, is a vital part of maintaining the liberties we claim to be ours.
This letter written by McCord and fellow veteran Josh Stieber is a note of hope, and another opportunity for concerned citizens to act.
A song for the moody month of March.
Julia Bloom 