Ho'oponopono

Ho'oponopono

(Hawaiian prayer and mantra for self-clearing and grounding):

I love you, I’m sorry, Please forgive me, Thank you

          I had the male lead in our high school production of Showboat. There were two female leads, one for Friday night and one for Saturday night. If that sounds at all impressive, it’s not meant to be, because in fact, there was one other person who stole the show. His name was Gordon Thornton (great name, don’t you think?). His big number was Old Man River, and he had the perfect voice for it. I don’t know whatever became of Gordon. We all graduated from Lenape High School that same year and went our separate ways.

          Did he go on to perform in college or in local theater productions? I wouldn’t be surprised if he did. I was chosen for my role mostly because there was very little competition for it. The other guy who tried out had a hard time carrying a tune, so I got it because I could at least do that. But Gordon was chosen because he was a natural. Nobody even tried to compete with him.

          I had fun. I think we all had fun in spite of a lot of hard work and rehearsals. The production itself was mediocre at best and tolerable at least, I guess, for the audience of parents and relatives who were obliged to be there or else look irresponsible. It’s so long ago now, but I think my parents went both nights.

          The point is that we all had fun because it didn’t matter that Gordon got most of the accolades, and he remained humble in spite of it. We weren’t concerned about having to be the “star of the show,” so to speak. Besides which, all of us knew that the accolades that went his way were well deserved and we were all proud of him.

          I think of that sometimes when I have encountered or observed people who have a need to be the best, the smartest, the greatest, the wisest, the “star of the show,” whatever the “show’ might happen to be. And I also think that it would be a wonderful thing if this production called life we’re all living out and all have roles in, could have a more supportive cast and fewer egos that need to be fed. But, alas, human insecurity begs for attention and tries too hard to get it.

          Among the lessons of this pandemic, you would think would be that of it being the great equalizer. Even the most powerful of the world have no control over it. They can talk a lot and say things to promote their importance and give the false impression that they are somehow in charge over it, but, in the end they are powerless over against the likes of Covid-19 or anything else beyond human control among the mighty forces of the universe.

          I don’t suspect that this world will ever reach the ultimate state of complete harmony within the world-wide human family. There are too many differences among us regarding the purpose and meaning of life; there are too many points of view politically, spiritually, socially and otherwise to allow us to come together in acceptance and love and respect that we would wish for.

          In Walden, Thoreau wrote, “The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation.” To the extent that that is true, I think that if we could each begin our day with a contemplative deep breath and address any type of desperate negative emotions of heart and mind, and take on the responsibility of letting go of the ego issues of always having to prove ourselves, there might at least be a peace within us that leads to peace around us. Just a thought.