Jane Merrow – acts and chats

And here we are again friends, still here, still enjoying the journey, the highs and those lows that give us a moment to think, re-think and keep going.

I try not to engage in silly, time wasting arguments online, we all have differences of opinion – say your piece and move on.  However I did leap to the defense of Shakesoeare after one of our current ‘ luvvies’ said ” she had no idea what he was saying “.  Hopefully she was just kidding – but modern humour can often be cruel, cynical without compassion.

I am sad that we are in the middle of a dumbing down of our English speaking culture and it’s considered elitist and snobbish to appreciate our rich heritage of music and language.  We have a wealth of extrordinary writers who created some of the most beautiful and descriptive words, which reach out out to us now.  Words that reach into the deepest parts of us and make us as human.   They wrote in a different style, but the thoughts, the feelings are the same.

This what Shakespeare gave us, because although he wrote, rather well in the style of the time, he gave us his extraordinary understanding of human nature.  He wrote characters, who are recognisable today, in their nature, their words and their behaviour.  That was his real genius for me.   And he was able to reach outside his own experience to conjure up characters, completely relatable to us today. But sadly time and short sighted people have put up barriers to read and understand his work and his intentions, because they can’t dig deep and get past the language.  

I read too much about people, especially young people living isolated and often fearful lives.  They have been cut  off too much from too much of the creativity that can reach out and joyfully stir their souls, starting with music.  I believe music, poetry, Shakespeare and so much more can reach inside us and release us from too much inward thinking, over thinking, tormenting ourselves.  Modern television, films and music often don’t cut it as technology and commercialism creeps in, making the whole thing pointless and de-humanising.

The film “Sing Sing”, with the wonderful actor Colman Domingo, makes the point:

“Divine G, imprisoned at Sing Sing for a crime he didn’t commit, finds purpose by acting in a theatre group alongside other incarcerated men in this story of resilience, humanity, and the transformative power of art.

So if you’re feeling blue, confused or struggling with negative thoughts,  listen to some classical music, read a poem, read a bit of Shakespeare out loud.  It is powerful and will move you, reminding you of who you are.