I while ago I published a post about finding truth in Rock and Roll song lyrics. That posting became one of my more popular blog entires and I still receive emails about it. Many people ask me when I was going to do more. Instead, I decided to do a spin on the original idea. Don't worry, there will be a Truth from Rock and Roll Lyrics, Part 2 but today I wanted to explore another favorite genre of music. The Broadway Musical.
Ever since I was 12 I wanted to be on stage. That was when my parents took me to see my first musical. Yul Brynner starring in the King and I at the old Uris Theatre in New York City. That started my love affair with the stage and make me want to be an actor. I have had the blessings of acting professionally on stages, on film, and on television but I never performed in a musical. (some would say thankfully.)
The music is what really hooked to Broadway. The way the songs swelled and fell dramatically and the way the told the story and sometimes moved it forward. Here are some of my favorite truths from some of my favorite musicals.
1. Something has changed within me / Something is not the same / I'm through with playing by the rules of someone else's game / Too late for second-guessing / Too late to go back to sleep / It's time to trust my instincts / Close my eyes: and leap! / It's time to try defying gravity / I think I'll try defying gravity / And you can't pull me down! (Defying Gravity, Wicked) To many of us try to please others and give up our dreams and passions. We put our own lives on hold because what we truly want is not what someone expects from us. Life is best lived on your terms. When we listen to our passions and live authentically and congruently to them we learn to trust and appreciate who we truly are.
2. Hakuna Matata! / What a wonderful phrase / Hakuna Matata! / Ain't no passing craze / It means no worries for the rest of your days / It's our problem-free philosophy / Hakuna Matata! (Hakuna Matata, The Lion King) Roughly translated from Swahili Hakuna Matata means "No worries." That's a powerful statement. To be able to live in the present moment and not be chained to our past or stress about our future. To just be. That is the lesson all the gurus teach. That is the way to peace and contentment.
3. 525,600 minutes, 525,000 moments so dear / 525,600 minutes - how do you measure, measure a year? / In daylights, in sunsets, in midnights, in cups of coffee / In inches, in miles, in laughter, in strife / In 525,600 minutes - how do you measure a year in the life? / How about love? How about love? How about love? Measure in love / Seasons of love (Seasons of Love, Rent) So many of us are quick to judge a person. Measure them by the clothes they wear or the car the drive or which version of the iPhone are they using. We judge people by their sex and sexual orientation. We measure them against our own definition of God. The only thing that is important in this world is the way we treat each other. Do we treat and measure each other with cynicism, fear, and exclusion or do we treat and measure, each other with compassion, respect, and love. The late Wayne Dyer said it best. When faced with the choices of fear or love, always choose love.
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