While out in Estes Park, Colorado earlier this summer, we attended a “John Denver Spirituality” concert by Brad Fitch (locally known as Cowboy Brad). This concert, held at the YMCA of the Rockies, was part of a series of ‘Spirituality” concerts which the Y sponsored. Brad performed a well-selected song list for perhaps 90 minutes. The room was filled, many tourists as well as Estes Park residents. The songs were all well received, with one exception (at least in my humble opinion).
About half-way through the performance, Brad introduced the song “Let us Begin”. It’s a great song that John Denver wrote and in 1986, recorded with Alexander Gradsky, a
leading Russian singer-songwriter. While the song could easily be classified as an anti-war song, it is also has to do with farmers loosing their farms, world hunger, and in a way, asks the question – What are we doing? What are we making weapons when we have all this hunger in the world? Even though it was performed superbly, the song received a polite, cordial, luke-warm reception. Though I was quite surprised, Brad, knowing his audience, moved directly into ‘Thank God I’m a Country Boy”, and light-heartedness quickly returned.
Sitting there, a “MASH” episode came to mind that I had seen a few years prior. As I remember, Hawkeye, sleep-deprived, having just completed a multi-hour session in the OR, was asking questions to the effect of - Who started this war? Why don’t we get those two people together to discuss their differences? The members of the MASH unit, slightly less tired than he, tried to simply get him to sleep, questions still unanswered.
We don’t have to look for international crisis to put these questions into practice. On a more personal level, the questions can be asked by us in any conflict, whether personal, (relationships, parenting, family, etc), political or religious. The very nature of asking the questions offers opportunity for greater understanding of the issues, to learn from all parties, and with understanding comes the potential for new ideas and resolution. As the title of John Denver’s song says, “Let us Begin”.
