Every once in a while, my eternal optimist temperament hits a bump. It might be international politics. I would love to see regime change in Iran but fear the consequences of an outside power trying to impose it. (My book, The Shadow Game, is built around that concern.) It might be petulance or disease. I remain concerned about how the USA and the world dealt with Covid. It might be domestic divisions. For the first time in my lifetime, I've seen long-term fly-fishing buddies quit talking over their views on society. Are we in such deep trouble as a society that we cannot again come together?
But those momentary lapses in my optimism are usually resolved by something else in my life. My one lapse this August dissolved over the weekend at, of all things, a musical and dance concert. Children from the age of six to eighteen presented a two-hour concert at a major venue in Anchorage, Alaska. The Music Machine has been presented annually by the children of Alaska for more than four decades.
Few people know that Anchorage has one of the most diverse student populations of any city in the world. Hundreds of kids, led by dedicated adults with years of commitment to the show, put on a mesmerizing performance of song and dance, all dedicated to the 250th birthday of the USA. Their joy was contagious. Their commitment to rehearsal was obvious. Their love of country was invigorating. The unity of kids from dozens of cultures and economic backgrounds was eye-opening. How kids from first grade to graduating seniors took care of each other, supported each other, and reached out, even covering mistakes or difficult moments for some who were disadvantaged, delivered a message.
America was born of conflict. It took years to get our constitution right. In the end, we managed to agree to disagree and built a country. Nothing going on in the USA today cannot be overcome by what should unify us. We just have to accept that part of us more than we do what we disagree on. The kids from The Music Machine show that it can be done.
For those who read my books, you might realize a bit of that mindset in the stories. There is good and bad in the world. But our heroes are not all good, and most of the bad guys have some good traits. In my upcoming book, Echoes in a Stone, you will meet really good people doing the wrong thing, helping outright crooks. You will also meet brutal people reaching out to do the right thing. When things are at their worst, most of us will reach out to any hand that can save us.