Dear Friends,
I just finished reading Andy Rooney’s brilliant novel, My War. Andy is an editorialist by trade and the book is written in that same voice and style. The point of any editorial is not to solicit agreement, but to facilitate thought. In his book, while discussing the atrocities he witnessed in World War II, he comments, "I did nothing. What do you do? You do nothing. You feel terrible about it but you do nothing. There is no way one person is going to change the ways of a whole culture by crying stop." I disagree with that mentality.
Perhaps as individuals we don’t have the power to change the world. Then again, maybe we do. The only way to find out is to try.
To paraphrase the late songwriter Harry Chapin:
There’s good tired and there’s bad tired. You can take the popular stance and at the end of the day go to bed weary, because even though you won you didn’t fight for what you believe in. On the other hand, you can fight a battle and loose but at the end of the day you sleep the sleep of the justified, because even though you lost you did what you thought was right.
I am currently in rehearsals to play Lancelot in the musical Camelot. I am a big proponent of doing "homework" as an actor – researching the background of the character and gradually fitting myself into their skin. One of the questions asked by the director to help motivate my character development of Lancelot was,
Lancelot has a line of dialogue: "Nobody likes a fanatic and I am a fanatic. I do not like it any more than you." Lancelot says that he gains his skill from training and his strength from the purity of his motivation. He strives to achieve a perfection he knows he never will. But rather than just accept evils, shortcomings, and faults – where he sees room to improve he strives to do so, where he sees the chance for betterment he strives to inspire it. He knows he will never be perfect, just as he knows there is no way he can right every wrong and make the world around him perfect. Yet, he tries anyway – to improve himself and to leave the world a better place than how he found it.
Like Lancelot, I am a fanatic. I know I am far from perfect and I know I can’t change the world. But I strive to improve myself and to motivate change for a better world. Why persist in this quest when the chance for failure is so great? Because, at the end of the day I want to sleep the sleep of the justified. I may not leave this world a better place than how I found it, but it won’t be for lack of trying.
I don’t say this as a means of bragging. Far from it. Fanatics are loathed by most for disturbing the complacency of the world. I talk of dreaming the impossible dream because if that inspires one other person to strive to improve him or herself and to make this world a better place, then I will leave this place better than I found it. And, if I end up inspiring one person there may be a chance I can inspire one more. And, if I can inspire two people and they in turn inspire two more each, then the possibilities are endless.
It’s not a new concept. It’s a theme echoed in numerous books and movies, most recently (in my recollection) Pay It Forward. But just because it’s not a new idea, doesn’t mean it’s not a good one.
"What do you do?" Andy Rooney asked about encountering hopeless situations. My answer is: You try. Maybe you’ll fail. But, maybe you’ll succeed. As always I am your fan.
Peace Love Trust
rikki lee travolta
Review other RLT commentary
It's All Relative
Return to:
Stand Against Racism
Writing About Life
Crazy Pants Travolta
Gregory Hines
Everwood
Book Excerpt: Bus Fare
Learning to Stand
A Time of War
Country Charm
Talking Frankly About Family (& Christmas)
My Fractured Life
Forever Love
Good and Evil
Man Behind the Wheel
The Little Engine that Could: A Memorial
Perceptions of Perfection
Personal Decisions
Responsibility in Communication
You Done Good
Duality of Man
Evolution of a Hero
Reason to Quit - Stop Smoking
Beware of Stalkers
Dare to Dream
Do The Right Thing
Dealing with Abuse
Mother's Day
Right to Choose
Support the Cause
Just Try
Virtue of One
Martin Luther King Jr
Free Form Jazz
Creating the News
Great Expectations
Story of a Life
Acting 101
Why I Cried
Personal Values vs. Monetary Value
Broken Hearts
Dignity over Jealousy
Community Responsibility
Life, Honesty, and Integrity
Drug Withdrawal
Christmas Spirit
Rikki Lee Travolta's debut album!
TravoltaNet Home RLT Biography
