Hayter
article for January 26, 2020
“A
mood shifter”
Words are, arguably, the most
powerful thing in the world, especially the word arguably. which can, arguably,
destroy the best of anything. But let’s get past that.
Words start wars, bring about peace,
inflame passion, end relationships, incite joy, bring about depression, and are
used in the creation of contrasting alliterations that can really aggravate
readers. Of course, as powerful as words are they will never be able to
influence a Trumper to become a non-Trworumper, or a non-Trumper to slap his forehead
and say, “Wow! I’ve got this guy all wrong!” -- So, let us embrace the futility
in arguing about politics, and move along to what I want to talk about, which
is the power of words to change one’s mood. To perhaps alter one’s outlook on
life.
Take Pink Floyd for instance. --
What? Work with me here.-- A couple of
days ago I was feeling a bit down, so I decided to go to YouTube and listen to Pink
Floyd’s song “Wish You Were Here” written by band member, Roger Waters. When I
get a bit down, I don’t care to listen to happy music. It tends to have an
adverse effect on me. Much like someone saying, “Hey, snap out of it!” As if
thinking I’ll say “Wow! I never thought of that!” Sort of like the non-Trumper
I mentioned above.
“Wish You Were Here” is a
beautifully written, sad song that came at a time when Pink Floyd had
accomplished more than ever thought they would. They were rich and famous, yet,
found they had lost their sense of camaraderie and creativity. They also lost
one of their band members, Syd Barrett, who allowed hallucinogens to pretty
much take him to the Dark Side. In short, the band was experiencing one of
those what-do-we-do-now episodes.
One thing Roger Waters did was write
lyrics to a song that expressed what the members of the band were feeling. I
can’t come close to identifying with what they were experiencing. But the song
really touched me. I wrestled with
including some of the lyrics in this article, but the words that move me most,
may not mean much to you. That’s the beauty and the mystery of poetry. I would like
to recommend that a few of you go on-line and take a listen to “Wish You Were
Here.”
Fortunately, at the moment, I’m just
as pert as can be, largely due to my search for uplifting words to pass along
to you. Waiting for you, I started
reading some uplifting words. I wanted the article to end on a happier note. I collected
some comments from an Alan S. Bame, who wrote, “Don’t stress over the little
things. You’ve already overcome so much in your life. You have good memories
and bad ones, but the important thing is the present. Don’t let the past drag
you down and don’t let the future frighten you. Feel good in the now. Small
issues will soon be forgotten.” If that
wasn’t such a long thought, I’d ask Kay to sew it on a T-Shirt for me. And she
would tell me to take a flying leap into something unpleasant.
Concerning the tendency of the less
young to delve into the past, Bame wrote “Never use the phrase: ‘Back in my
time…’ Your time is now. As long as you’re alive, you are part of this time.
You may have been younger, but you are still YOU now, having fun and enjoying
life.” I like this Bame guy.
Now let me show you some puns that
might keep us on the happy track. -- “England has no kidney bank, but it does
have a Liverpool.” I have not a clue as to who first came up with that. Nor do
I know where this one originated. -- “Police
were summoned to a daycare center where a three-year-old was resisting a rest.”
All right, that’s just too cute.
We’re on a roll here. Let’s look at
some bumper stickers. -- “Your kid may be an honors student, but you're still
an idiot.” That’s way over the top. Pretty much why it’s so funny. This one is
just mean as it can be. -- “Learn from your parents' mistakes - use birth
control.” I seriously doubt the author was referring to us. Perhaps some people
we know.
Moving right along. “Warning: Dates
in Calendar are closer than they appear.” I got a smile out of that. -- “Give
me ambiguity or give me something else.” -- Let’s hear it from the ladies: “All
men are idiots, and I married their King.” Ladies, before passing this one
along to your husband, please know that he is not going to slap his forehead
and say, “You are so right!”
Here’s a quote from someone whose
name you’ll recognize. -- “America is the only country where a significant
proportion of the population believes that professional wrestling is real but
the moon landing was faked.” David
Letterman -- I went ahead and included this quote even knowing that
wrestling fans are, arguably, the most fanatic people on the planet. I wouldn’t
have even thought of writing that without including the “arguably.”
end
hayter.mark@gmail.com
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