What I hope to bring to these pages is a world of varied experiences: A belief that all life needs protecting, that we are indeed our brothers' and sisters' keepers and the keepers of all forms of life, whether they live next door or across the ocean. This belief is not based on deep religious convictions, but simply on a belief in what is right and wrong and what is good and what is not. There are so many things on our little planet in the galaxy which need to be changed that it can be overwhelming. It can be so easy to ask " what difference can I make?" And that statement reminds me of the story of a little boy walking on the beach. As he walked,he was picking up starfish and throwing them back into the ocean. An old man who was watching him asked: Why are you bothering? You can't possibly make a difference to them all. At that the young boy replied," You're right, I can't, but I am certainly making a difference to this one."
I was a 60's non-violent radical, and conscientious objector, and during that time, I opposed the killing fields of Vietnam and cried over the dying fields of Kent State. I was present at the 1968 National Convention in Chicago, and forty one years later I can still remember running down the streets and back alleys of that city with National Guardsmen chasing me, when my only offense was simply being present. Not one stone had I thrown, not one word of insult had I shouted. I had simply and with polite outrage voiced my opposition to the cruelty perpetrated on a people in a land that should have been left alone.
I saw a Buddhist burn himself in opposition to the war: I could not do this, so I burned my draft card instead. Someone once asked Father Philip Berrigan when he burned draft records at Catonsville, why he did not burn himself. His answer was: " Life is more precious than property, I gave what was possible." Just as there are men and women who fought in the Vietnam War and still suffer emotional problems because of it, I want to say that I hold no hatred or even dislike for any of our countrymen and women who did fight. They did so either because they believed in the war or believed that they had no choice. Either way they did what they felt they had to do. I know that there are men and women who struggled against the War in a peaceful, non-violent way, and these men and women believed that they could make a positive change and leave the world a better place. I know that many of these people also still suffer from the war. They are Peace Movement casualties, just as there are Veterans of the war casualties. At some point I will try and explain that in more detail, but basically these war resistors suffer emotional trauma from a broken heart caused by broken dreams.
In forty years of Radio and Television Broadcasting and Acting, I have also witnessed a lot. Yes I was at Woodstock, though I must admit I did not stay. The mud and the rain dampened my spirits and I was afraid.....afraid of the drugs, and the massive crowds, and I was sure that someone was going to die. So after about a day, I left the same way I had come in--walking. I had come to hear the music, not to roll in the mud, high on drugs with someone I did not know and would never see again. I wanted to see the players on the stage and not the ones on grass, ( pun intended.)
But I have seen a lot. I have been witness to some of the greatest musical, magical, and political moments in our country's history, and I will attempt to share those with you. I still believe in the power of you and I to make changes. I believe what I would hope every caring human on this planet believes--that life is precious, and it is all we know for sure. And where do we go from here? No one, to my knowledge, has come back to tell us what comes after, so we had better make the most of every day we have here. That means losing our selfish self-involved me first attitude. You and I are here now. This is what we know. This is what we have. And more importantly, we ll need each other!
I recently read an article in one of our local major papers about what the author called " The Teflon Generation." They are young College grads, many with degrees and honors from the best Colleges and Universities in the country. But they are jobless, either because they are just out of school and unable to find a job, or have recently lost their job. The author interviewed some of them in a very high class, high-priced night club, spending ten or more dollars on a single drink and partying like there was no tomorrow. They were doing this not out of fear of their situation, but because they were convinced they were the best and the brightest and they were entitled to live the life their parents had promised them by telling them " You can be anything you want." I don't believe that saying was wrong, but I do believe that it was said before the worst economic times this Country has known since the Great Depression, and I believe that this so called "Telfon Generation", rather than pouring down ten dollar drinks, might instead pour a little money into helping those in need.
Some of my pieces will be reminiscences with a purpose, and hopefully entertaining, which might even bring a smile to your face. Some will be a direct verbal attack against injustices. I will also take on issues such as Health Care, and the general Health Care System of this Country, where the poor die while CEO's at large pharmaceutical companies make millions of dollars a year.
Another cause that is very near to my heart is the treatment of the beautiful creatures that share this small globe with us: In many ways, these wonderful creatures have as their worst enemy the human animal. These will be researched stories about what is happening or not, and what more can be done to help them. From the depths of the ocean to the highest mountains, from the Ghetto to the Hollywood Hills. Who can make a difference? We can! We are the only animals who can truly make a difference.
I will write about how I have tried to change the world - - one small starfish at a time: about how you have tried to change the world and about how we can still change the world together. No one is without power; and no one has power over us except for the power we give them. Two are more powerful than one, and groups have more power than one or two alone.
Particular groups of people which I believe must come forth and challenge the consciousness of us all are the artists, actors, writers, photographers and musicians, people like Michael Moore and Bono to name two that come to mind from today, or Bob Dylan from the 60's,....people who have the attention of the American people and in some cases people throughout the world, and have the creative ability to say what needs to be said.
It doesn't matter if your art is hanging in the Louvre, or in a small bookstore. It doesn't matter whether you are performing before a hundred thousand or a dozen in a cafe. You have an audience and you have an ear or an eye and you can reach more starfish at one time than most people can. And for the rest of us, one starfish at a time is one happy starfish.
And so I will write about causes, about needs, and sometimes I will write just for fun. I do that sometimes. It is my hope that you will find these pages informative, thought provoking, sometimes fun, sometimes sad. You will agree with me, or maybe you will not, but that's what dialogue is all about, and dialogue is a path to change, and your feedback and ideas will always be welcome. We will leave a few footprints in the sands of time and more than a few starfish back in the ocean.
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