Miracles Great and Small

So Hanukah/Hanukkah/Chanukah begins on Sunday night, and it's gotten me thinking about belief and faith. One aspect of Judaism that I really love is the importance placed on telling the story behind each holiday year after year, encouraging questions and deeper discussion. The story of Hanukah is one I've known by heart since I was a little kid. The Jews were being persecuted and Judah and the Macabees helped win their temple back and when they went to rededicate the temple there was only enough oil left to burn the candle for one day but the oil miraculously lasted eight days. See chabad.org for a more in depth look.

Anyway it reminded me of the power of faith, that so much more is possible than what we see at first glance. In our highly advanced technological world where you can walk around with an iphone telling you how to get anywhere you want to go and what music you just heard playing in a store, I think it's important to examine our belief in that which we cannot always see. I'm not talking about believing in God per se, just examining the role of faith in our lives. I think the more that we imagine possible, the more we open ourselves up to new experiences, people, ways of thinking. I don't think it's an easy thing to always have faith that you'll find love, happiness, fulfillment, but I believe it's incredibly beneficial for our well being to continue to do so.

My mom has often said that she wishes she could see the end of her life like the end of a book, that it would comfort her knowing how everything pans out, and then she could just relax and live her life. While I don't think I would want to know my ultimate fate, I do understand the impulse of wanting to know, say what your life will be like in 10 years. This is especially attractive since the pursuit of an artist is so fraught with frustration and uncertainty, anything definite that you have to look forward to is such a welcome gem.

Sometimes I think the older we get the harder it is to just "believe" and have faith in ourselves and all we are capable of. Remember all the things you believed in as a little kid? After reading The Wonderful World of Henry Sugar and Other Stories by Roald Dahl, I was totally convinced that if I just practiced enough and really really tried that I could be telekinetic, and who is to say that I can't? I think our bodies and minds are capable of way more than we think possible. As I light the candles of the menorah for the next 8 nights, I am going to remind myself to think beyond what I see and hear each day and remember that miracles can happen.

Artistic Power

I've been slacking a little bit on the blogging of late but reading my friend Scott's amazing post today inspired me. I've heard many people say recently, in various ways, that President Obama is going to have so much on his hands dealing with this economic crisis and all that it entails, that it is foolish to think he's going to be able to focus on "small" issues like education and the arts. It's true, our country is in a pretty bad way right now, but I do not believe we should stand for education and arts being pushed to the bottom of the list once again, especially after President Obama (yeah I know he's not president YET but I just like calling him that) unveiled a rather impressive platform of support for the arts.

Let's hold him to these ideas and help ensure that they happen. None of them are outrageous, people- these are pretty basic and concrete plans-- building an artists corps, reinvesting in arts education, promoting cultural diplomacy--all of these efforts CAN make a real difference not just nationally but globally. We are especially in need of cultural diplomacy right now in a time when so many countries have such a negative opinion of America and what we stand for. Artists can cut across these boundaries and make a documentary about Hip Hop in Morocco or a collaborative theatre piece between a New York and Kosovar theatre company or give cameras to kids in India, Haiti, Egypt, and Israel and teach them the art of photography.

Sometimes it's easy for me to get down on pursuing the path of an artist, like what have I actually done today that really matters? But then I read one of Scott's posts or listen to an impassioned Education Director of a theatre talk about how many kids they reach with their artistic programming, public school kids who maybe have never seen a play before who find that the arts can connect and illuminate their lives and can offer them something incredibly valuable and empowering. So go out and support the arts, man. They need you!