tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-84976703673107679042024-03-14T01:11:08.235-07:00John Strasberg Studios - John's BlogJohn Strasberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04420004634564162847noreply@blogger.comBlogger30125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8497670367310767904.post-41815144584211870452023-11-09T08:57:00.004-08:002023-11-09T08:57:39.168-08:00A New York moment 11/2023<p> New York is going through a tough time since the Pandemic. Residential rents are awful, commercial real estate is suffering. And, the Mayor, as usual, is incompetent, a deception. We all thought that because he was an ex policeman, he'd handle the problems that need to be handled. When you're living in a sick world, and that's what it is right now, one hopes that someone will be at least trying to do something to make the quality of life at least marginally better.</p><p>So, I was on the subway yesterday, going to work, and there was a woman, probably homeless, maybe hopeless, full of anger. And, probably drugs of some kind. Talking, screaming to herself, her badly dyed red hair seemed to send a signal to us all. One tries to ignore the problem. It's a New York thing one learns at an early age. It's part of surviving in a sick world.</p><p>Well, unfortunately, as no one said or did anything, she began to berate one poor, black man, who looked a bit homeless himself. It went on for several minutes, as some passengers scrambled towards another car. I sat there, occassionally daring to look at what was going on. I know, eye contact in New York can be dangerous. It's not like in Europe, where the second time we went to a restauarant, the waiter smiled, and said, "You've come back!" In New York, you can go in a store for twenty years and there's a chance you won't be recognized. Or, at least, acknowledged. It's a New York thing. I don't say hello in the elevator of my building very often, as I'm tired of the rudeness. As the person exits the elevator, I feel like saying, "I hope you have an awful life." But, I resist the urge.</p><p>Back on the subway, this woman finally peaks and throws a liquid on the poor guy, while brandishing a lighter in her other hand. The guy gets up and rushes through the car to exit, almost as though he's going to attack you if you don't shrink a bit. And, the woman sits down and continues her monologue.</p><p>Obviously, she's sick. New York has more broken human beings than any city I've been in. It's an education. But, what is there to do? Life is hard. We can't fix everything. As a matter of fact, the best way to fix things is to live as well as one can. There are people who thing they can fix that woman. Good luck. They attack us as being unfeeling, trying to get us to adopt a policy of ruining our lives to make a better world. A world, by the way, that doesn't exist. And, never will. Except maybe in some movies or tv shows. I wanted to belong to the family in The Roy Rogers show. I thought they'd be great parents. Not that mine were so bad. I was a privileged kid.</p><p>But, the problem is, we live with this daily, occasionally reading about one of these broken human beings attacking someone, even killing them. And, we have to ride on the subway with them. And, do nothing. For if we do something, we will be attacked, by them, or by someone who believes that they can create a better world by believing that they will change the world we live in.</p><p>It's a fantasy. Life is hard. And, hard enough without having to try to go to sleep and get the stifled reactions we have out of our systems. I'm sure we'll survive, as New York will survive, regardless of our politicians.</p>John Strasberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04420004634564162847noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8497670367310767904.post-12216150168700445132022-11-28T12:31:00.000-08:002022-11-28T12:31:05.544-08:00To Be Or Not to Be<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dz7F2inROwddg0tNszM9fQXPVmdOsW_NxMFrNFGsmT9oigscRtU-QZ_vLJ5wHLG_WU6UuXNoVLmW5W-VRZJHw' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><br /> <p></p>John Strasberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04420004634564162847noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8497670367310767904.post-52274758033819752582021-12-13T09:11:00.000-08:002021-12-13T09:11:07.167-08:00The Erosion of Democracy<p> <span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 14px;">I wish I were the only person concerned about the ongoing erosion of our democracy. The worst part of it is that it is coming from within ourselves. Republicans were upset about losing the election. And, being led by a man who claimed that the election was stolen, and who made an attempt to coerce several people to try to overturn the results, many people believed him.</span><span class="Apple-converted-space" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 14px;"> </span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 17px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Once he was out, we might have hoped that it was over. But, it isn’t. A part of the country believes what he said, regardless of what facts are presented. They dismiss the facts as lies. And, accept lies as truth. Meanwhile, politicians In several states, lawmakers, men and women who are elected to lead us, are changing laws to make it harder to vote, in the name of preventing an election from being stolen, again. Again? The election wasn’t stolen. Trump lost. Move on!</p><p class="p2" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 17px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">At the same time as these supposed lawmakers, supposed leaders, are continuing to encourage people to believe that the election was stolen, against all facts, they are using the lie to change voting laws. They are also gerrymandering, reorganizing voting districts, in order to try to ensure that they win the next election. So, they are doing exactly what they claim was done. The dishonesty, the lack of truth, is crazy. It seems as though, consciously or not, they are setting about to destroy our democracy.</p><p class="p2" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 17px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">I understand that anyone wants to win. But, at what cost? I understand the desire to be led, but at what cost? I understand the desire to please, but at what cost? We are the freest country that I know of. I haven’t been to every country or continent in the world, but I have traveled. And, no country has the freedom we have. No country has a Declaration of Independence that says that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain <b>unalienable</b> rights, that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness…Our rights are birth rights, no one, no government, gives us the rights.</p><p class="p2" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 17px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">These founders of our country were absolutely extraordinary. Are we willing to destroy what they fought to give us, in the name of winning at all costs? And, the cost could be our freedom and our democracy. China and Russia now seem to believe that they can be aggressive, because we are no longer as strong a democracy as we have been.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 17px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">I’m not ready to give up my freedom. And, I hope that anyone who reads this feels the same way. We need to be careful. We are reaching a point from which we will not be able to turn back. We cannot allow ourselves to believe the lies, or to believe men and women who have proven themselves to be interested only in their themselves, and their ability to use the power we have invested in them for their own ends. I’m not sure how to stop this spiraling loss of democracy. I do know that I do not advocate the violence perpetrated on January 6th. It was shameful.</p><p class="p2" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 17px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">But, I remember in 2000 when Al Gore lost the election to George Bush. The Supreme Court voted to reverse a Florida Supreme Court’s mandate for a recount. I was stunned. I believed that they should have sent it back to Florida, allowing for a recount. While the Supreme Court claimed that their decision was to maintain the security of the country, their decision seemed to me to interfere with the democratic process, and that it was politically based. I hoped that my fear was premature, and that it was not a sign of the erosion of democracy. Because, the judicial branch is supposed to remain separate from the other branches of Government. It is a fundamental pillar of democracy. We saw what the Nazis did to the Judiciary in Germany. We see it operate in autocratic countries, where the judiciary serves the dictator. But, not here!</p><p class="p2" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 17px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Many years ago, I was teaching acting in West Berlin. The Wall was still in place. There was an actress who had been able to leave the East, and was now living in West Berlin. One day, during a break, I asked her how she liked being in the West, being free. And, she said that she didn’t like it. I was surprised, not being able to imagine that anyone wouldn’t want to be free. I asked her why. And, she said, “Because it’s too hard.”<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 17px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Honestly, I never have thought that freedom was too hard. Life is hard, but if you live, after awhile, it’s not hard. It’s just life. But, it is true that freedom demands that each person take responsibility for their actions, and their life. Trump lost, but like a spoiled, poor loser, he was willing to try to subvert the constitution and democracy for his own ends. Enough people continue to propagate the lie.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 17px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">The world now wonders whether the United States is still a strong democracy. I’m not sure that their fears are misplaced. What we do in the near future will be very important. Can we take responsibility for ourselves, learn to be able to discern when something is true or not? It’s very hard with the inundation of information, and all the misinformation we are subjected to on a daily basis. I don’t watch the news. And, I still know what’s going on. We need to protect ourselves from the over saturation of information, or we won’t be able to feel when what we hear or read is true or not. It’s a time for us to be strong, independent, and dedicated to protecting freedom and democracy, especially from within ourselves.</p>John Strasberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04420004634564162847noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8497670367310767904.post-50719741591403310322021-12-03T07:11:00.003-08:002021-12-03T07:11:53.833-08:00Contact stimulates life, thought, and creativity<p><span style="font-size: medium;"> <span style="font-family: Helvetica;">Here we are, stuck in the pandemic, feeling isolated, afraid to touch, though at least we’re beginning to reach out to one another, hoping that by touching we won’t die or kill someone we love. The worst part of the pandemic is the difficulty of interacting with one another.</span><span class="Apple-converted-space" style="font-family: Helvetica;"> </span></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">When life was what we call normal, you could meet people, have an interaction with them. That stimulated ideas and creativity. We’re doing that on the internet, and it works. But, the actual feeling of contact in your body, isn’t the same. And, I’ve seen very intimate moments online in my acting sessions. Some of them are more intimate than when people are together in the same space. That surprised me at first. Then, I realized that because it was virtual, and people weren’t actually touching, they could allow themselves to feel more. Strange, but true.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">But, it’s not the same. It doesn’t make your cells vibrate with life, the way it does when you actually touch someone. It’s real. But, it’s more cerebral. Why wouldn’t it be. You can be stimulated. You can have sex. But, you can’t have intercourse by internet.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">I’m glad that I have live classes again. I’m glad I can meet someone and have a drink together. It’s an important part of living.</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">When I sat down to write, I didn’t know I was going to write about this. I had a different subject in mind. I guess it goes to show that we need to make contact in order to really know how we feel. And, even I need to remember to recognize the difference in how my whole being is affected by the feeling of contact as a head trip. And, contact that is actual touching, but superficial. And, deep, intimate contact. I’ll write about the other subject another day.</span></p>John Strasberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04420004634564162847noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8497670367310767904.post-85901643512622937212021-11-18T12:57:00.002-08:002021-11-18T12:57:20.402-08:00The Fact or Fiction of History<p> <span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px;">The New York Times will be publishing a book entitled the 1619 Project and the Racialist Falsification of History spearheaded by Nicole Hanna-Jones, a journalist of the same. The book is the result of her initiative, and is based on essays published on the World Socialist website. Globally, it reinterprets American history to be inextricably entwined with slavery.</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;">History has often been rewritten and reinterpreted, but too often by a person, a dictator, or a group, to support their own self-interest, and idea of what they want to believe; and want others to believe. Often, it is politically based, as in the case of the Chinese communists rewriting history to make the current leader more important.</p><p class="p2" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">History, as we live it, is interpreted from the point of view of the person observing or living it. While I believe that there are deeper truths, it is difficult to prove that there is a deepest truth. Change your perspective, and the truth changes. I believe this, all of it.</p><p class="p2" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">If we accept the belief that the United States is founded on slavery, and its roots are defined by it, what does that mean? Historically speaking, as far as I know, there is no great, successful, society that didn’t have slavery, not to mention war.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Slavery is fundamentally cheap labor. I think that some people being paid are fundamentally slaves. The history of slaughter houses in the mid west, miners in the East, and immigrants working for low wages and being forced to buy from a company store is, to my way of thinking, a form of slavery. Many religions brainwash their followers into becoming slaves to their beliefs, binding their lives with rules that often make the believers little more than slaves.That includes both the privileged members, and the underprivileged members, who believe that their God has consigned them to their fate. Their God being an interpretation of God that filters down from the Heavens to some privileged human being whom God speaks to.</p><p class="p2" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">But, what are the facts? What is real? If we accept the belief that slavery of Afro Americans is the foundation of the United States, where does the Civil War come in? How should that be interpreted? Do we go back to the African chieftains who traded their fellow tribesmen and women to Arab traders who sold them to European and American whites? Who is to blame for slavery?<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Does the interpretation erase all other history from the books? Do we rewrite history to ‘prove’ that slavery is at the basis of a democratic society? How do we explain the battle to free Afro Americans that has been fought by people who are not Afro American? How do we deal with the history of American Indians in our vision of the slave state that is the United States? Or, oriental culture. How do we explain the changing of laws to eliminate segregation? How do we explain how the underpinnings of our beliefs, that underlies a free, democratic, society, allows for the new slave interpretation of our history to exist? If we were Fascists, we would simply crush any attempt to redefine our country. Is that just an accident? Or, is it a manifestation, not of slavery, but of a nation’s belief that ‘all men are created equal’? And nowadays, our desire to interpret ‘all men’ to include women, and all races.</p><p class="p2" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Honestly, how women are treated is the clearest measure of a society, not race. And, I think we should all think a little more about what we believe before we open our mouths. Because, when we do say what we believe, we are often confronted with the reality that Americans believe that freedom is my right to defend my ignorance to the death.</p><p class="p2" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">I do not mean to ignore the problem. I think its important for Afro Americans to claim their place in the world. I believe that racism is a problem in any society I am at all familiar with. It is a terrible problem. I wish that there was a race on Earth that didn’t have racism. And, I understand, though I don’t pretend to know what racism feels like to those upon whom it is practiced. I understand the pain, the anger, the desire for revenge that can exist in someone. But, I haven’t experienced what Afro Americans have, and do, experience. I think it’s wonderful that they are manifesting. I hope it reaches all Afro Americans, because there are a lot of them who seem indifferent or unable of taking responsibility for their lives.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">I understand the desire to live in a world and be judged simply on the basis of who one is, without the caveats of race, color, sex. But, that’s a world that doesn’t exist. And, that I doubt will ever exist. We may be born with equal opportunity, at best. But equal doesn’t exist. It never will. We are not all the same. Nature is not equal. And, while we must all strive to live with what we are born with, many people are incapable, or ruled by their fear of life.</p><p class="p2" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Rewriting history isn’t going to solve the problem.</p><p class="p2" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">I am listening. I am thinking. I’d like to hear more clear thinking, be it from the right, the left, or some other, more rational place.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">And, what do these people want the majority of us slavers to believe, and do? Is the hope of the reinterpretation of history an effort to change the world? Often, the idea of a better world, an ideal world that doesn’t exist hides the anger, and desire to destroy the world we have, for one that doesn’t exist. <span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">I’d rather try to discover the truth. It is a lot better than rewriting history to prove and support anger, dissatisfaction, and unhappiness.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> Freedom is hard. Most people don't really want to be free. Others confuse freedom with license. Socialsim promises to take care of you, in exchange for you giving up some of your freedom. I've never seen it work. Communism wants to destroy the world for a better one in which we are all equal. It was, and is, a fantasy, a means of destroying what is. Period. It doesn't work. It maintains itself by brutality, often through brainwashing. And, if that doesn't work, fear and brutality. Fascism of the Right or the Left.</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">I don't want any of it. In exchange, I have my freedom. But, life is hard. Still, if one believes in being free, one knows that freedom only exists as long as each individual accepts responsibility for his or her, or its, life. And one knows that life is hard. On the other hand, if one lives, and works, and loves, life isn’t hard. Its just life.</p>John Strasberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04420004634564162847noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8497670367310767904.post-84612657688170940072021-11-12T08:45:00.005-08:002021-11-12T08:45:41.967-08:00A confusion of beliefs isn't always a bad thing<p class="p1" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Aside from the Pandemic, our country has been suffering from a massive divergence of opinion about what our problems are. On one side, people and politicians defend a confirmed lie; that the last election was stolen from a man who is a proven liar and mythomane. They justify their beliefs by saying that whatever is said against him are lies provoked by political interests, whom they believe want to take over the country. As though the man they defend didn’t try to overthrow an election to take over the power of the presidency. It’s kind of crazy.</p><p class="p2" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">On the other side, we are being forced to believe in systemic racism, prejudice, and lets not forget all the accusations of sexual harassment. If you disagree with any of these ideas, you are immediately labeled as a racist.</p><p class="p2" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">These are both extreme views, equally dangerous to me. The first resorted to physical intimidation, while the other, while partially supported by riots based on acts that may, or may not, be racially based, resorts to a form of correct thinking, which is better known as brainwashing. It was a tactic widely used by the Communist regime in the former Soviet Union. Dissenters were declared to be insane. In China, they were sent to the country to be “reeducated.”</p><p class="p2" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Luckily, we live in a free country. And, our freedom is not an illusion. It is very real. But, at the moment, it’s leaving us really confused. What to believe?</p><p class="p2" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">I don’t believe either. And, what I find to understand is why too many of us are unaware of our history? And, the history of the world?</p><p class="p2" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">For the election, and the effort to, once again, impose laws that restrict voting rights. Its directed, in particular, to limit the rights of racial and socially poorer citizens. Yes, whether you like it or not, citizens. Remember the Civil War? Do you remember that the southern states, who fought for slavery, lost the war! And yet, it seems to me that we’re still fighting it. As though people won’t accept the will of the majority, which is the basis of law in a free society. Without law, and mutual respect, we have anarchy. Or, fascism.</p><p class="p2" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">For the new woke, correct thinking, we have to take a look at the roots of slavery. Can anyone show me a civilization, regardless of race or color, that didn’t have slavery as a basis for economic growth? American Indians had it. African tribes had it, and they are still at war. There is no culture, regardless of color or beliefs, that didn’t have slavery. Arabs were slave traders. Some chiefs sold their own people into slavery.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">After the Civil War here, as the southern states insidiously reinstalled racism in place of slavery, the north was worn out from the constant pressure to uphold the law. And, not until the mid twentieth century did we see a movement to overturn the unconstitutional laws imposed in southern states. Even the Army was segregated in WWII. Of course it’s awful and a disgrace. Of course, our consistent betrayal of treaties we made with various AmerIndian tribes is a disgrace. Always has been, always will be. And, as Americans throughout our history have said, we will be judged based on our treatment of American Indians. To our credit, as far as I know, we are the only society to address and correct some of our errors. And, that is to our credit.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Some cultures, some people, still see women as a form of slave. I actually believe that if we looked at any culture’s treatment of women, and made women truly equal under the law, we would change the world.</p><p class="p2" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">To help us clear up the confusion, I strongly recommend looking at history. It helps to give us perspective on some of the serious problems confronting us today. It helps us get our beliefs into those that are false illusions, and those that the facts help us to see that they are real, clear perceptions of what we are living through.</p><p class="p2" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><br /></p><p> </p>John Strasberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04420004634564162847noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8497670367310767904.post-23453503703475604692021-11-06T14:20:00.002-07:002021-11-06T14:20:51.946-07:00<p> <span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue";">To Be Or Not To Be</span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Believe it or not, this is not a blog about Hamlet, or the Theater, or the Creative Process. It is about the problem I’m facing about my role as an American citizen. For many years, I didn’t vote, because I thought that if I voted it was giving politicians my tacit agreement to keep doing what they were, and are, doing. But, this is a free country, one of the few I know, and voting is a basic privilege in a free society, as we’re seeing nowadays as some Republicans try to impose Trump’s false assertions about a fixed election, and make it harder for people to vote, because they want people to believe that the election was stolen. God forbid that people actually voted to get Trump out of office before he caused any more damage.</p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">So, naturally, I voted for Biden. And what do I see? Not the moderate man I thought I voted for, but a man too weak to stand up to the Progressive sector of the Democratic Party. Progressive, or could we say Socialist? Or, dare we think Communist? Well, Communism wants to destroy the society that exists, in the name of creating a better world, in which all people are equal. The problem is, that better world fantasy is just that. Equality doesn’t exist. We aren’t born equal. It doesn’t exist. The best we can do is to try to give everyone the opportunity, the freedom to try to do what they want to do. But, Communism, or Fascism, two sides of the same coin, willingly destroy what we have, with the promise of something better. Granted, our world is flawed. But, these dictators, be they from the left or the right, try to impose their will on us, as though if we give up our freedom, we’ll live in a more perfect world. How can you have a more perfect world when you have human beings, and so many of them are not the healthiest people in the world? The world is a magnificent place. If only there weren’t any human beings in it.</p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">My first awareness of voting was when I was twenty, and too young to vote. I forced my parents’ who normally didn’t vote, herding them to the polls to vote for JFK. After that, I voted for a variety of Presidential candidates, from George McGovern to Ronald Reagen. It depended on whom I thought would be the best choice for the moment. I consider myself an Independent, and what I appreciate the most about being American is the amount of freedom we have. I doubt that most Americans realize just how much freedom we have, and seem so willing to long to be led, to have the difficulty of being free made easier.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Honestly, I’m angry too. But, not enough to be a terrorist or belong to some para military organization that thinks that all their personal difficulties are the fault of the Federal government.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">I think that the Republican members of Congress have behaved like a bunch of adolescents for quite a few years. And right now, the Progressive left is willing to prevent any form of moving forward to defend their political ideals. It really seems as though politicians, and Congress, are living in their own country, far away from us, and our needs.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Where is the willingness, and the ability, to respect one another, have a dialogue, and find a way to move forward. Or, at least, get out of the way and let the country take care of itself. Surely, we need law, we need respect. How about honoring the ten commandments! They are still the basis of law. Without law, we have chaos. I, for one, don’t want to live in that world. Just look at Africa, or Haiti, or China for that matter. These places are incapable of freedom. Not to mention Russia, which had a Czar in the early twentieth century, as China had an Emperor. Both systems quickly became dictatorships. How can they become free democracies?<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">The big problem is that the only way to be free is if each individual takes responsibility for their life.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">How can we establish simple respect, the ability to listen, without which we cannot confront the problems we have as a society? Unfortunately, we’re not going to get it from the people we elect to represent us, and who are supposed to do that for us. It makes you wonder what has to happen for us to change that, and be able to move forward.</p>John Strasberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04420004634564162847noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8497670367310767904.post-7657873796168203442021-02-15T09:56:00.000-08:002021-02-15T09:56:00.947-08:00Part of what's wrong is why Trump got elected and acquitted<p>Trump got elected because he wasn't a politician and people believed that he was anti-government and might change things in Washington. Well, he may have lowered taxes, and got tough on China, but he also lied, changed his mind often enough that you might think that he was slightly deranged. And, he just tried to subvert the constitution and the legal system and stay in office despite losing the fairly conducted election. He spread lies that some people actually believe. They have no sense of truth. They follow, blindly. I never believed that the United States would see a day when an elected official would act as Hitler did in the 1930's. We are a democracy. </p><p>Honestly, I don't like the government either. Well, the Senate, and particularly the Republican Senators, have now shown us why. I am angry at their inability, their selfishness, their distorting of the facts, in order to justify acquitting him to save their power. They try to cover their lies and betrayal with statements pretending outrage, hiding behind their lies that have allowed a serious criminal act to go unpunished. It is a disgrace.</p><p>But, they have no shame, no feeling, no serious belief in their responsibility to the people, and to protecting the laws of the country, and our constitution. Funny, how they don't speak about unconstitutional when describing Trump's acts. Their unconstitutional is based on Mitch McConnell's clever play to delay the trial until Trump was no longer President; as though that is what is important. It is another lie. </p><p>I'm an independent, I vote for the person, and what I believe to be the best solution, for the moment. But I don't know whether I could vote for a Republican again, for a long time. Well, at least there were seven who have principles. We'll see whether their political careers survive. I hope so. I have enormous respect for them for voting with their conscience, rather than protecting their power.</p><p>The rest of the Republicans believe that it doesn't matter to their power base that they have behaved as they have. They think that after voting for acquittal, a few strong words of criticism of Trump makes their actions all right. </p><p>Remember Nuremberg, when we declared that each of the accused Nazis were personally responsible for their actions? They voted to say that their power is more important than the truth of what took place. And, in our country!</p><p>Freedom only exists when each one of us takes personal responsibility for their actions. It is the basis of freedom. And why most people don't want to be free. As an East German actress I met many years ago said, when I asked her if she was happy to have come to the West, and was now free to live her life as she wished, during the years when the Berlin Wall still existed, "No I don't like freedom. It's too hard."</p><p>Yes, freedom is too hard for the majority of the people on the planet. Most countries on the planet are ruled by dictators. People living in those countries may be angry, they may be unsatisfied, but instead of changing their lives, they choose to be led.</p><p>The Senate has betrayed the country. Hurrah for a weak, irresponsible group of Senators who have chosen to lie, and have allowed an attempt to overthrow the government to go unpunished.</p>John Strasberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04420004634564162847noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8497670367310767904.post-82893054890500137242021-01-29T03:35:00.000-08:002021-01-29T03:35:17.050-08:00Surviving the lies and destruction with truth and love<p> <span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px;">We live in a moment, surrounded by life, death, change, defeat, hope, truth, and lies. Who we are as individuals, what we are, is fundamentally determined by what rules us, our desire for either power or love.</span><span class="Apple-converted-space" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px;"> </span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">To me, the means by which I handle the waves, the slogging through mud, the horrors of our times, watching men ignore lies, ignore their oaths to defend the constitution in order to maintain their fiefs of power and money, regardless of what it costs, is my devotion to discovering what I believe to be the truth. Truth and love are more powerful than any force or illusion of truth that man has invented. And, despite the deaths, the denial, the blind who cannot see, believing what they’re told, the truth is that we will survive. I hope all of you reading this will, at the very least.</p><p class="p2" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Personally, I believe that any American who incites the overthrow of our laws and Government should be tried and convicted of sedition. We are a symbol of democracy to the world, despite our problems. When you think about it, there are very few democratic countries in the world, in comparison to the number of countries ruled by dictatorships. We have stood as an example of individual freedom. To allow ourselves to lose that because politicians are afraid of losing power, is unconscionable.</p><p class="p2" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">The former president was able to foster his false claims, and desire to remain in office at all costs, by exploiting peoples’ anger, dissatisfaction, and ignorance. To be honest, I’m not very happy with our Congress, either. I believe it has functioned as a separate entity from the country it is supposed to serve. I think many members of Congress serve themselves and their party. But, my solution is not to create chaos and disorder. This country has more freedom than anywhere I have been in my life. It shouldn’t be thrown away because one man can’t stand to lose.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">My solution would be to have a referendum in the next election, where we could vote to limit the number of terms a Senator or Congressman could serve, as they limited the number of terms a President could serve, after Roosevelt was elected four times. I would limit Senators to two terms, 12 years, and Congressmen to 6 terms, 12 years. It seems enough time to accomplish something, without allowing any one of them to build the equivalent amount of power to control how the Congress functions. It might help to eliminate the polarization and lack of exchange and compromise that is the basis of how a democracy functions. Without that dialogue, we are dysfunctional. That must be ended. And since I doubt that Congress would vote to limit itself and its power, we the people should.</p><p class="p2" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">How many people have to die before people who deny the reality will see the truth? Will the man who tried to overthrow democracy be brought to justice? I wish I believed that politicians were dedicated to truth and justice, instead of self-interest. Yes, the country is in trouble. We seem to have lost our way. There is a sickness in us worse than the Covid. We suffer from a virus of inability to live our lives to the fullest. And, this unhappiness is a sickness that is destroying the world as we know it. It is what makes some people, too many, blind to the truth. And makes others willing to ignore the truth because of what the power they are afraid to lose. Power to do what? To me their actions are cowardly. We need a bit of truth nowadays. It cleanses the soul and the mind.</p><p class="p2" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">I’m not hoping that things will get better. Hope scares me. People hope when they are terrified, or don’t know what to do. They stop living. I’d rather trust to moving forward. If we keep going forward, no matter how hard, we may be able to create moments that make life worth living.</p><p class="p2" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">At the moment, any moment of live contact gives me joy, even though we can’t touch one another, need to wear masks, can’t even sit and have a cup of coffee outdoors. Well, someday, this pandemic will be over. And, we will look at the loss, the damage, the people and places that no longer exist, because they couldn’t resist. We must resist. We must demand change.</p><p class="p2" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">I know many people are depressed, which is normal these days. And, some have given up. It’s a poor choice in my profession. Living depressed is normal for actors. Some even stay depressed when they’re working, worrying about whether they’ll get another job afterwards. As for money problems, regular jobs, good luck. In reality, actors should be better prepared for hard times than everyone. We get a lot of practice.</p><p class="p2" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">I know I write about a lot of subjects, but life is the source of my work. It is what I am passionate about. And, living in these extraordinary times, as bizarre sounding as it may seem, can also be taken as a gift.</p>John Strasberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04420004634564162847noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8497670367310767904.post-31506503092683569282020-11-12T08:10:00.000-08:002020-11-12T08:10:28.198-08:00How can we move forward?<p> Living in a world where it feels like we're walking through mud all the time, it's difficult to keep moving forward. At least, I am working, and can keep moving as long as I have some people who need to keep working with me. I'm one of the lucky ones, meaning that I've worked hard, so have luck.</p><p>The elections are, or should be, over in the United States. The people voted, and chose a new president. But, the current president is unwilling to concede defeat, claiming fraud, where there is nothing to support his claims. However, there are followers, people who are angry and afraid, and who want to be led, who have been seduced by his image. And, it is an image. It reminds me of Adolf Hitler, amongst others. Imagine if our president were president in a country that did not have as much freedom as we do. </p><p>I never believed that I would live to see the ugly head of fascism rise its head in the United States. Regardless, it is gratifying to see that many people, and institutions, regardless of their political beliefs, are rejecting the lies of an unstable person. Have his followers ever studied history? Can they not see? Is blind belief a sickness? Is there any way to cure it? I guess, to begin with, it has to be exposed.</p><p>Regardless, I believe that the United States is a country that represents the best of freedom and democracy within its borders. </p><p>How do we move forward from this? Neither civil war, nor polarization by politics are helping. We need to be able to disagree but respect the other, and be able to come to an agreement. Most call it compromise, but I like to think of it as synthesizing so that everyone is satisfied. </p><p>To do this, to move forward, one of the ways I believe we can is to demand a referendum in future elections to decide whether we want to limit the number of terms a Senator and a Congressman can serve in Congress. After FDR died, Congress did vote to limit the number of terms a President can serve. They saw his longevity in office as a threat to democracy. I've never heard them say that this belief and perception of reality be turned on themselves. I wish they would. But, I doubt I'll see that while I'm still alive. John McCain was the only Senator I believed had an awareness that did lead him to try to limit campaign funding. If it had won approval, perhaps we'd see fewer politicians who seem to be working for private interests, and themselves and their political beliefs, instead of serving the country.</p><p>I don't believe that members of Congress will ever limit themselves. They have too much to gain in power, influence, and money. Are there other people in the country who agree with me?</p><p>Let's find a way to move forward.</p>John Strasberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04420004634564162847noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8497670367310767904.post-73760496894015760412020-10-22T06:53:00.000-07:002020-10-22T06:53:32.202-07:00Freedom is hard<p> I know that I have been extremely lax with my blog. I realize it's because I stop myself from writing the blog because I tell myself that, because I work in the theater, I'm not allowed to express opinions that don't relate directly to my work. I'm realizing that this is just a means too hold myself back. It's an old problem that can still affects me, unfortunately.</p><p>In reality, I believe that my work is wanting to know and understand human beings. It is my passion. I happen to express that passion working in the theater, writing, directing, teaching, even producing. I am fortunate to be my own boss. Whatever success or failure I have, I have no one else to blame or take the credit. I feel that I am free. It is what I love most about being American. I've traveled and worked in many countries, and deal with many people. I have never been anywhere that had as much freedom as Americans have.</p><p>In the times we are living in, which is changing our lives, we are seeing people's behavior when we are at our best and worst. It's hard to live through the pandemic we are in. To mask, or not to mask, don't get close, don't touch. We see people who ignore the reality completely, people who deny it's very existence. And, people who live in continuous fear and anxiety. It's very hard to stay rational, able to navigate our lives on a day to day basis. What should I believe? What should I do?</p><p>Freedom exists when people take responsibility for their actions. Freedom is not license to do whatever we want. Honestly, there are times I'm walking down the street somewhere and I see someone not wearing a mask. I want to say something. But, if they're not hurting anyone, if they're not close to anyone, what harm is it? </p><p>Some in Michigan planned to kidnap the Governor of the state because they don't like what she's doing. Is that freedom? Or license? How do you know what is real? People seem to believe what they want to believe, not based on much sense of what the reality is. How do you know what the truth, the clearest and most accurate perception of whatever reality you are focused on, is?</p><p>The only answer to that is because it's what you feel, what your senses perceive to be. It's not a great comfort because it's not a easy, mechanical reality to measure. History shows us that many great men and women who discover realities that the rest of us don't sense, are often ignored, sometimes murdered for perceiving a reality, a truth that most people don't see. And, that isn't in a book, or accepted officially.</p><p>This problem of perceiving what is true is the center of the world we are living in today. We are inundated with information, virtually. And, misinformation! To see clearly, one has to know that one is in contact with reality, which means with what we sense and feel, including contact with our emotions.</p><p>Of course, I think I can write about this because the need to be in contact, to sense and feel, perceive reality, is what I do for a living. The difference is that I have to create an imaginary world, based on the character and the life that surrounds that character. I have to read and understand the play, which will be greatly affected by what I know about life. I merge my life with the play. It is a fantastic life, honestly. I feel lucky.</p><p>But, applying that capacity to real life, as a doctor or a scientist, in the true sense of the word, does. And, nowadays, we see that even many of them are out of contact with reality.</p><p>So, we must know whether we can trust ourselves. And, that comes with experience. Experience that is based not on believing that whatever we think is true. But, on what we observe in Nature. Including human nature.</p><p>We are living in sick times. And, people are sick. They can't see what is real. The virus isn't simply the Covid 19 virus. It is the virus within us, that spreads. It is our fear and anxiety that leads people to want to be led, to be told what to do. We give our power away. Staying free doesn't mean that whatever I want to do is okay. I need to know what is real. This can only be done individually, through our desire to become the most human we can be. It is how I define greatness. Great human beings are more human than most of us. They see the world clearly. They do not get sick with the virus of fear and inability to trust their perceptions of reality. </p><p>Can you tell who sees more clearly?</p><p><br /></p>John Strasberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04420004634564162847noreply@blogger.comNew York, NY, USA40.7127753 -74.005972812.402541463821152 -109.1622228 69.023009136178842 -38.849722799999995tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8497670367310767904.post-71611467493181055342016-03-18T06:38:00.002-07:002020-09-19T11:04:09.156-07:00Donald Trump and the steps that gave rise to the ugly face of FascismIt is sad for me to be watching the rise of Fascism in the United States, but the extraordinary rise of Donald Trump to becoming a serious consideration for the candidacy for the Presidency is a reality. I'd like to explain my view on why this is happening.<br />
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Fascism exists because a leader understands two things. First, peoples' deep longing to be led and be told what to do. And, second, their anger. Hitler understood this very well. And, we are seeing the same symptoms here. Mr Trump has even counseled us that if there is any difficulty during the nominations, there will be violence. He has sent the message to his followers, who, up until now, are not wearing brown shirts. Hopefully, they never will. And, hopefully, he never will. Hopefully, people will become aware that they have contracted a disease. The dis-ease of Fascism.<br />
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The question is: How did we get this far? What did we do? I, for one, look no further than the polarization of our politics, both in, and out of, Congress. Certainly, having differences of opinion, and expressing them, is a fundamental signpost of freedom. But, we have arrived at a point where there is no exchange and discussion that leads to a solution and a resolution of problems. People dig in, and there is no middle ground. Look at the Republicans recent stand on the nomination of a centrist judge to the Supreme Court. This stagnant atmosphere builds up frustration, anger, hate, and hopelessness. Hence, Donald Trump flows into the hole we have dug for ourselves.<br />
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I am neither left nor right. I have voted both ways, according to what I believed was best for the moment. And, I didn't vote for many years, because I felt that by voting I gave my tacit approval to what I saw as a corruption in our government. It seemed to me that the government acted like a country of its own, with no regard to the mandate that elected officials have been given. They were in business for themselves. I was angry. I still am. But, anger is no excuse for stupidity, or the rise of Fascism.<br />
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In France, where elections have two stages, the anger of the population is often expressed in the first vote. In recent years, that has meant the increased voting for the far right party, the Front Nationale. In the second vote, that vote is less. People switch and vote for the candidate of their choice. Though, we are seeing an increase in the vote for the far right.<br />
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People want something done, and in general, they feel that things have gone too far. In France, that means that an immigrant arriving in the country is given a place to live, an minimum income, while French citizens can't get a better apartment, can't get help when they are in need, and are more heavily taxed to pay for the government's expenses of paying for the underprivileged.<br />
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In the USA, the problems aren't that clear. We have a large illegal population, but a part of that illegal population pays taxes and receives no benefits, as they aren't entitled to them. And, we can argue about what the problem of unemployment is. The loss of manufacturing has to be considered as an important contributing factor, too.<br />
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Certainly, the Government wants us to believe that the ugly depression we suffered, caused by rampant irresponsibility in the banking industry, partially fueled by government deregulation, is over. What we need to be able to do is figure out when regulation is necessary, without it interfering with people's ability to do business.<br />
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Also, the Government doesn't say that it is over because a lot of people did something to resolve their problems. And, now hold two jobs, instead of one, and are making less money in the process. Or, that people with one job are working longer hours, being paid less, and doing a job that formerly was done by two people. But, we are a resilient people, used to working hard. And, up to now, we don't want Socialism. Yes, we have Social Security and Health Care. And, regardless of whether we like it, Even people who don't like it, use it.<br />
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I believe that there is a social contract that defines a Nation. What ours is, according to our Founding Fathers, is: Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness. What an extraordinary contract. It says nothing about helping people who don't help themselves. And, we need to discuss what that means. Fascism will not discuss that. It will exploit peoples' weakness and feeling of helplessness. In the same way, Socialism exploits those same weaknesses by saying that, since we can't take care of ourselves, we need to take away peoples' unwanted freedom and responsibility and give more power to the Government. To regulate their lives, as they aren't capable of doing it themselves. They are two sides of a coin. I stand for neither.John Strasberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04420004634564162847noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8497670367310767904.post-90192182472662575372016-03-07T13:17:00.002-08:002020-09-19T11:12:43.670-07:00For a theater man, I have a lot of opinions, even about Apple and a terrorists phoneI was just reading some of my blogs, which is what led me to the title of this one. Having held myself carefully in place most of my life, it stirs me up to see my opinions about everything floating around in this virtual universe of the internet. I'm not even sure who sees them. Or, if they mean anything to anyone. So, I am left with the fact that I do this, primarily, to express myself. Because, I feel the need to share my perceptions with you, whoever you are. Staying silent, in fear of upsetting someone, is one of the traditions that floats around in our education. Fortunately, most of the great men and women I admire didn't seem to learn that lesson. They were, in their fashion, rebels. Or, more aptly, free men and women. It is not wonder that freedom of speech is the first amendment of the American Constitution. Those men really got it right.<br />
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Speaking of which, I think Apple is out of line, and has confused their definition of freedom to exclude them from any responsibility in the matter of helping the Government to discover information that may help to fight the war on terrorism. Of course, that means that I do believe that it is a war. Though, not a conventional war. Is war such a normal part of our existence, that there is a definition for a normal war? If I had to say, it would be that a "normal war" means sending a lot of young men, and now, women too, into battle against an opposing group of men and women. They may not be marching in the straight lines that wars were once fought with on battlefields, but lines are drawn, and each side tries to win the other's territory.<br />
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However, terrorism has no lines, and is designed to allow a few to disrupt the lives of innocent people, in the hopes that the terror they create will enable them to win their war.<br />
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As I have said for years, though not here, I think that the most political play I know is Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. Because, if people truly believed that love was the most important quality of life, they would never live the way they do. We would change the world; at least, our world. And, if each person changed their world for love, the world would be a different place to live.<br />
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Instead, people complain about the corruption of life that we are surrounded by in a sick world. And, expect that it is just normal, business as usual. Or, someone else's problem to solve. And so, nothing much changes. Because, the majority of people don't take responsibility for their lives, and change them. Whether it is because they are incapable or not, depends. I wish I believed that education could cure all the world's ills. Certainly, it provides a hope, that an educated population may be capable of seeing problems more clearly, understand what's wrong. And, be healthy enough to be able to change, fix them.<br />
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But, how long will that take? You don't change most people in a couple of years. Most never change. They are too afraid of life to change. Romeo and Juliet weren't afraid. And look what happened to them. They were caught in the sickness of their families' feud, and their love was destroyed by it. Our fear and hatred murders life.<br />
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To get back to Apple, that is what the Government wants to stop. But, Apple wants to protect its customers. Is it a form of treason, justified by a self-righteous definition of freedom of speech? Ask yourself what you would do if you might have information that could prevent another terrorist from murdering other innocent people? Its a simple question. And, it should have a simple answer.John Strasberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04420004634564162847noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8497670367310767904.post-69675616233025746922016-01-13T07:00:00.004-08:002020-09-19T11:13:05.712-07:00Happy or Satisfied? Freedom and Responsibility<div class="p1">
Happy New Year. Most of us are raised with the word happy as a reference that describes the degree to which we feel good about life, and ourselves. Are you happy? Do you want to be happy? Why aren't you happy? But, what does it mean to be happy? Is happy a proper way to understand our feelings about our lives? Or, does the word distort our ability to truly know how we feel? As far as I can tell, the only people I know who are happy seem to be living an illusion of reality, while the rest of us struggle along, wondering what is wrong with our lives, because we haven't attained this ideal state of being happy. Recently, in my ongoing passion to know myself, I realized that the more appropriate word would be, satisfied. Are you satisfied? Do you want to be satisfied with your life? Why aren't you satisfied? </div>
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Satisfied seems so obtainable, a rational, real way to measure our pleasure in living.</div>
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I live in the United States, though I work in Europe every year, and Latin America some years. Being American, I was raised in a world where everyone worked hard, and no one expected, or wanted, to be helped. Freedom was inseparable from being responsible for your life. No one less could order you to do something if you didn't want to do it. If you didn't like your job, you could try to find another one. If you didn't like your life, you could change it. It was, and is, very hard. But, it is the price one pays for one's freedom. I have always preferred this to the systems which raise people to believe that they will be assisted in living their lives. To me, assisted living is for people who are ill, or handicapped, and cannot take care of themselves. Most people don't fall into this category. But, more and more, I see Americans creeping towards assisted living, what we call, in political terms, Socialism. For them, freedom is too hard. They would exchange it for help, giving more power over their lives to the government. While I do believe that there is a common joining together in a society, I do not think that means that the government runs our lives in exchange for us having security, and money to live with, which we have not earned, unless, in rare cases, we cannot work. And, even this is relative. There are many handicapped people who want to work. It seems the only ones who don't want to work are those who are emotionally handicapped, and somehow, unable to fend for themselves.</div>
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I am thinking about this because I've received emails recently from students who want to come to New York to work with me, but who are having problems earning the money to do it. They complain about how difficult it is. Honestly, I've never found life, or making a living, easy. And, I grew up in a relatively privileged world. When people say, as they did in the past few years, we're in a depression, I laugh. The theater is always in a depression. You get used to the fact that its hard. I've known actors who have won academy awards who can't get work. Look at how Hollywood treated Orson Welles, or Marlon Brando, or Bette Davis. I could go on and on with naming names. So, according to my experience, after awhile, life isn't hard, its just life.</div>
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If life is so hard in the free world, why are terrorists trying so hard to destroy us? What is it that they hate so much? It certainly isn't the difficulties of life in the free world. So, it must be the freedom that they hate so passionately. They can't stand the feeling of watching living freely and taking responsibility for our lives. Seeing a man and woman holding hands drives them to murder and torture. A woman trying to educate herself is a crime worthy of death. Disobedience to their authority is punishable by death. They want to destroy, or control, us. The worst part of this is that, unfortunately, they are supported by a lot of people in the free world who, because they are afraid, and cannot tolerate their own feelings of aggression, say that these terrorists are justified in their hatred. And, that we should become more passive and helpless. They believe that we can reason with these sick, madmen. They hope that if we do this, the terrorists will stop their attacks. They are wrong. It won't stop it. It will increase. Because, the terrorists are mean, cruel, bullies who want to rule everyone's lives, so that they don't have to feel the pain they feel when they see someone living freely.</div>
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As difficult as freedom is, I hope that all of you reading this continue to fight for your dreams. It is the pleasure that we can do this, and perhaps, even have moments when we succeed, that makes life worth living.</div>
John Strasberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04420004634564162847noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8497670367310767904.post-47832228702273122632014-05-01T17:07:00.002-07:002020-09-19T11:13:27.463-07:00When life is most real, we think its unreal-Adams' Apples at 555I don't know a better way to say it. Monday night at around 1:30am we finished the first four days of filming Adams' Apples at 555, a feature film about a group of actors making a film of the play I wrote several years ago, Adams' Apples, that the Accidental Repertory Theater performed in 2011. I also directed and acted in it, and the dream was to make it into a film. I raised enough money to begin. And, hopefully, I will have enough to finish it.<br />
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Even when I decided to create the Accidental Rep, I wanted to make films, do live streaming of workshops, works in progress. Find a way to reach a public without always having to do the conventional methods for finding an audience to come to the theater. The low budget, showcase productions Actors Equity allows, while better than nothing, certainly are not ideal situations. One spends about the same amount of money that we will spend on the film, for a production or two, each one lasting sixteen performances, in the hopes that, at best, a few people will see it. And, one has to be around for years before the audience knows you, and begins to become a regular. A film lasts, and can reach a larger public. And, I hope that it will help bring people to our theater. Certainly, movie stars who do theater bring audiences to the theater. Maybe, our work will get noticed, too.<br />
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But, this is not the point of the blog. The point is that I have just lived through a dream coming true. The actors who had done the play before (three years ago), or those who hadn't, had no rehearsal. What I believed, and was betting on, was the fact that most of us have worked together for years, most have studied with me, and we share a philosophy of committing ourselves to do the kind of deeply personal, intimate work that defines realistic acting. As you may know, I believe that National theaters are founded by the playwrights who write about the culture they live in. American theater is founded by Eugene O'Neill and Tennessee Williams. Any actor who wants to believe that they are respresentative of what wonderful American acting is, knows that he or she must be able to be deeply personal. Meaning, for instance, that Eugene O'Neill's play Long Day's Journey Into Night, is so personal, that he forbid it to be published or performed until after his entire family had died. You can't get more personal than that. I hoped that knowing one another would bond us together, in a situation without any rehearsal, not really knowing whether we knew our lines. (I kept telling myself that because I am the writer, if I didn't remember what I'd written, I could always claim that I was rewriting). What I know, is that I didn't want to focus my fear on whether or not I knew the lines. Somewhere, I knew we knew the play well enough. And, the fact that the film is about a group of actors making a film, I knew I had a way of dealing with problems that might arise, and synthesize them into the structure. And, I wanted life, not the kind of casual behavior, or absence of feeling that often passes for reality, that I call naturalism. It may be real, but its real boring. I wanted life. And, life is spontaneous. I committed us to that. We wouldn't have any other choice. Except panic, or theatrical conventions. And, I wouldn't accept that. At any rate, there are moments in many acting classes when actors can't remember their lines that something real happens. It seems very interesting until you realize that the actor is trying to remember what they say. Here, I hoped that it would feel spontaneous, as though we were thinking about what we wanted to say. And, during the filming, I was continually surprised by what we were doing, in the positive sense of the word.<br />
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The photographer, Gary Nolton, whom I didn't know, was willing to do the entire filming handheld, which I wanted because I think that the camera was an active participant, and the movement helped to make the audience aware of the fact that, while the characters appear not to be able to react to what is happening to them, like people in life, there was inner movement all the time.<br />
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Hopefully, we will complete the filming during the final week of July, in the country, so that we have scenes on location to use to intercut with the scenes we filmed in my Studio at 555 8th Avenue.<br />
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So, sometimes, life is not only a dream, as Calderon de la Barca said, but a dream come true.John Strasberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04420004634564162847noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8497670367310767904.post-13273533799750051192014-03-05T07:59:00.001-08:002020-09-19T11:04:43.308-07:00Philip Seymour HoffmanIt's been a while since I wrote here. I was traveling, working in Paris and Barcelona. Lucky me. I heard about Philip Seymour Hoffman's death while I was in Paris. I never met him, didn't know anything about him, personally. But, I liked his work. I liked his spirit. I was caught off guard by his death. I had no idea that he suffered so much. I grew up around a lot of people who suffered, some of whom committed suicide. But, his type of suicide is like Marilyn, or John Belushi, people who have everything most people dream about wanting. And yet, they are unhappy, and they eventually succeed in destroying themselves. But, Hoffman had a family, seemed to have a stable life, which none of the other's did. It makes it more tragic to me. Because, he had children, a home, a partner for life. What on earth was wrong? Why couldn't he find peace? Certainly, anyone who truly lives will suffer. Life is hard. Most people live lives of quiet desperation. But, artists have moments in which they celebrate life. They have pleasure in their work, in their creativity, dreaming, making their dreams come alive. They share their vision of life, living true, at least in their work. And yet, it isn't enough. Something deeper, some sadness in the depths of them, some feeling of not being loved, not loving themselves, overrides whatever success, in work, in life, that they may have. The unhappiness eats away at the foundation of their lives, until they crumble. Seeing this, how does one define what success is? How does one know what satisfaction is enough that one feels that one's life is worth living. This cannot be measured mechanically, despite what many people want to believe. For certainly, life is not about the garnering of riches and wealth, or awards, or even recognition, important as that is. Life is about the pleasure of living, of enjoying breathing, at least some of the time. That pleasure cannot be measured. It cannot be made into a law. It cannot be imposed. It must be desired, worked for, and earned. How much life do we waste, really, in fantasizing about what will make us happy. We spend billions of dollars a year seeking pleasure, most of which is like sugar that dissolves instantly, and lasts less that a moment. Life, after all, is not what we strive for in the future, or what we regret from our past. But, what we do in the moment. Life is now. After all, if some of those who died had taken one more breath, they would not have died. I have many friends, and family, who believe in reincarnation. Personally, I have difficulty believing that the human being is the only reality in nature that lives eternally. I am more inclined to believe in recycling, in which all my memories, all my knowledge, floats in the Universe, and eventually becomes part of some new life, object, plant, animal, earth, sky, water, consciousness, whatever you want to imagine life to be. Certainly, it is far more beautiful than the mechanical world that many believe the Universe to be. After all, we dream, we imagine, we transform life. It is so sad to think that someone as fortunate as Philip Seymour Hoffman was unable to feel enough satisfaction in the life that he had to want to keep living it. Certainly, I do not know what his life was like. I can only look at a series of realities. But still, it is sad that what he had was not enough to overcome whatever wounding he suffered that he never seemed to recover from. If in fact reincarnation does exist, or if there is a place where what is left of us after we die go, I hope that he will find the peace that he sought to numb his pain. I do believe that some people really suffer so much that they do not want to continue living. I do not believe that he was one of those. But, what I say here comes from the pain I feel at his loss, at the waste of a life that brought us pleasure and insight into ourselves. I only wish that he could have healed himself, so that he could have had some of the satisfaction in life that he so well deserved.John Strasberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04420004634564162847noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8497670367310767904.post-59754501334919985012014-01-09T11:21:00.001-08:002020-09-19T11:04:49.654-07:00Twelfth Night, Mark Rylance, and other thoughtsI saw the production of Twelfth Night with Mark Rylance last week, and enjoyed it immensely. From the moment I entered the Belasco Theater, one of my favorites, the night was a success. The theater, which has a long history, being home to the Group Theater in the 30's, has been beautifully restored. Unfortunately, they are also allowing the audience to bring drinks into the theater. I guess it's a compromise with an audience that is more used to going to movies than theater. However, watching the actors dress and makeup, and Mr Rylance warm up, in particular, is wonderful theater. Fortunately, it continues throughout the play itself. Watching a wonderful actor warm up is a treat, and a lesson in concentration and how they use themselves. Mr Rylance is no exception. My only regret is that he isn't American, as I said that he was in my last blog. He was raised in the US, and his first exposure to theater is here. But, he is English. There is still something particular about his spirit that comes closer to what American acting at its best could be. Imagine if Marlon Brando, or Robert DeNiro had done the work that he has done: Had the dedication to acting that he has. What would they have done with some of Shakespeare's characters?<br />
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I want to make it clear that when I write about a play I've seen, it's not my intention to write a review. I could. I know what each artist's contribution to the whole is. But, this blog isn't just about what plays I've seen. So, I want it clear, as those of you who follow this blog know, that I use this blog to write about all kinds of subjects. Because, as Shakespeare said, "All the world's a stage..."<br />
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The night we went to the play was the day after the snowstorm, whose name I have already forgotten. There was so much talk about people staying home, because it was dangerous to be outside. that the talk made me check to see whether the show was on, or not. Honestly, while there is a need for caution, the panic created by all the warnings before the storm comes, means that even if the storm doesn't happen, it has already done a lot of damage. Grocery stores were emptied of products, as though it was the end of the world. I am not used to Americans behaving with such fear. It seems Un-American to me. We are a nation of immigrants. And, pioneers. Fear of life is not part of our history. Until now. I find it very sad. I, actually, like storms. I feel normal. For years, I have thought of my inner life as a micro weather system. When I was younger, I'd go jog in Central Park during a snowstorm. It was beautiful. I'd like to be like that now. I should get back in shape.<br />
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Several blogs back, I wrote about Waiting for Godot, and Beckett. And, said that Beckett was the most modern writer that theater has. You may wonder why? One has to read the plays to discover that. How can a character talk about a toothbrush, in so few words, and be talking about life? That happens in Happy Days. Beckett is very difficult to read. You have to read the stage directions, or you don't understand what he is doing. For me, reading Beckett is the most difficult of all playwrights. It is so essential, and so poetic. As all great playwrights are poets in disguise. Their words go from the superficial to the profound, reverberating through layers of reality. And, the more modern the playwright, the fewer words are needed. It is what we mean when we say, Modern Theater. For to me, theater is the art of the spoken word. Not to say the word well spoken, but spoken with profoundly simple, human, truth.John Strasberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04420004634564162847noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8497670367310767904.post-50644154368785675972013-12-25T04:06:00.003-08:002020-09-19T11:04:56.530-07:00Merry Christmas-Waiting for Godot and other wishesMerry Christmas and Happy Holidays to everyone. If you are in New York and want to do something enjoyable during the holiday season, go see Waiting for Godot at the Cort Theater. It is considered by many to be Beckett's best, certainly most famous, play. We sat in the second row, and watching Ian McKellan living his character onstage is a treat. He and Patrick Stewart seem to have a real complicity between them, which makes the play work. It is one of the few productions of Beckett that didn't put me to sleep. Beckett is the greatest modern playwright the world has, in my opinion. And, being a great writer should mean that we love his plays. And, understand what he is saying. We do in this production, though, like every successful production of Beckett I've seen recently, they do it at the expense of his pauses. Like all productions, the pauses here are less than one breath, if at all. But, that said, the production is funny. We sat next to a couple whom I overheard saying that they had never been to anything except musical comedies. They were here because the girl loves Patrick Stewart from Star Trek. During intermission, they asked my wife what the play was about, as they heard her speaking French. And, obviously, French people must be intelligent and know about Beckett. She encouraged them to simply listen. They did, and enjoyed themselves, while we all were Waiting for Godot. The rest of the actors, Shuler Hensley as Pozzo, and Billy Crudup as Lucky, work hard, are very competent. But, they are not in the same league with Mr McKellen. In truth, there were moments when I thought that he and Mr Stewart should have changed roles, as he seemed so much more intelligent and thoughtful, and I think that the characters of Vladimir, played by Mr Stewart, and Estragon, played by Mr McKellen, are the opposite. But, it didn't stop me from enjoying their relationship, or the play. After all, I didn't go to the theater to see my production of the play. But, theirs. They seemed to warm up as they went along, and by the second act, they were flying along. From the beginning, the audience began to laugh, and I knew that they were reacting according to what review they had read. But, human beings, unfortunately, have lost their childlike ability to respond honestly and spontaneously to what they are experiencing. In this theater, like when I saw The Jacksonian, they sold drinks in the orchestra floor, and it was littered with playbills, and empty plastic bottles and paper cups by the end of the evening. I just don't like that. But, if you've been sitting around waiting for Godot, go see this production. It will make life interesting for awhile, and help you to feel that life is worth living.<br />
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On that thought, I have some Christmas wishes. As the United States enrolls in Affordable Health Care, I wish that the Government, including Congress and the President, will do something about making Health Care affordable. Like, regulating the prices of drugs. Years ago, my wife needed a prescription for eliminating toenail fungus. It cost $900.00 here. We bought it in Paris for 47€, about $62.00. And, aspiring should not cost $38.00 in a hospital. Nor should a forty-five minute physical therapy session cost $2,700.00. Etc. etc. And, the government is trying to negotiate trade agreements to force other countries to raise the prices of drugs, instead of lowering them, here. I guess the $500,000,000 yes, half a billion dollars spent on politicians by the drug lobby is working well.<br />
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Another wish, Congress will decide to limit the length of terms of office of its members. We have limited the Presidency to two terms. Why not limit Senators to two terms, and Congressmen to five or six?<br />
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Another wish, that the Internet will remain free, and that it will revolutionize cable television, and television, the way television revolutionized movies. And, movies revolutionized theater, along with the Kennedy's, whose policies of government support for non-profit theater outside of New York City revolutionized the Theater. Maybe, not all for the better. But, it certainly gave us more choices.<br />
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I realize that my blog's are about many subjects. And, I am aware that is not always a good thing. Because, people may not be able to say what my blog's are about, in a simple and clear way, so that people know how to think about my blog. Well, just think about it as being about life. After all, isn't that what art is, the artist's reflection and expression of his or her's perception of life?<br />
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Again, Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays. And, please, if you like my blogs, turn other people on to them. And, subscribe, here.John Strasberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04420004634564162847noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8497670367310767904.post-87092367443728108802013-12-10T06:12:00.004-08:002020-09-19T11:05:02.776-07:00The Jacksonian by Beth Henley and American actingWell, I feel great. Finally, I saw a production with a wonderful group of American actors, whose work exemplifies what is uniquely American, and is equal to any of the English actors one can see in productions in New York. In this period in New York theater, the English dominate the acting scene, whether I like what they do, or not, the English have a skill that is admirable to see. To see Americans with the same level of skill is a pleasure, and a relief.<br />
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On the night I went to The Acorn Theater, one of a series of small theaters on Theater Row at 42nd Street, the audience had a large number of tourists from the Southern United States. Normal, it's a play written by a Southerner, with famous American actors. The theater is one of several that have been redesigned. The architects took the five buildings that were formerly there, which housed small, railroad, black box theaters, and completely transformed the space into wide, comfortable, well done Off-Broadway theaters. This one has 199 seats, all of them good, with legroom! There is a bar on the second floor, and some of the spectators brought their drinks into the theater. I'm not a fan of that, and don't know whether they snuck them in. Or, whether the theater has a policy of allowing drinks in the theater during the performance. At any rate, alcohol in the theater is not the equivalent of drinking tea during intermission in London.<br />
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The play was a surprise. I like Ms. Henley's work. And, I liked this one, too. But, it is very dark. I think that the audience was surprised, especially those from the South. Because, we were all waiting for the lovely, sad and funny world of Crimes of the Heart. And, this is not that. It has the wonderful characters that Ms Henley knows. But, the situation, which also has a murder in it, and a family with problems, and heartbreak, also is, well, just darker. I'm not going to tell the story. Go see the play.<br />
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All of the actors are good. I've always liked Ed Harris. A nd, he is superb. I saw him and Glenn Headly years ago in Fool for Love. And, have followed their work ever since. They have a scene in this play that is fantastic. And, to my mind, their work in this scene exemplifies a level of work that has an energy in it that exemplifies the best American acting. Amy Madigan is wonderful as Mr. Harris' wife, in a role that could disappear, she doesn't. And, the rest, Bill Pullman as a barman, and Juliet Brett as Mr. Harris and Ms Madigan's daughter, hold their own with this group. Especially the work of Mr Pullman and Ms Headly, who play character roles, exemplifies the difference between what the Engish do, and what Americans do. Because, both of their characters are rendered with the same reality and skill that we see in major roles in most English productions. But, not with the secondary roles, which are played by competent actors, but they are not as real and skillful as the actors who play major roles. Here, all the actors are on the same level of skill. There are moments I might like it to be more real. But, I always think that. I am obsessed about not wanting to be aware that an actor is acting. This is especially true in the first part of the play. Perhaps, some of the playing I didn't like comes from some style that may be imposed by the director, but Robert Fall's is a good production. But, at the end of the evening, I was more than satisfied Go see it!John Strasberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04420004634564162847noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8497670367310767904.post-62729616042941011422013-11-25T08:36:00.001-08:002020-09-19T11:05:10.918-07:00Freedom, health, and the theater of life that inspires an artist's visionAs you will see as you read this blog, while I work in the theater, my blogs may not be exclusively devoted to that subject. After all, Shakespeare said, "All the world's a stage." At the moment, in many countries in the western world, we are being confronted with decisions that affect our lives being made by men and women whose sickness leads them to believe that what we need is more government. They do not believe that people are capable of being free, and responsible for their lives. And, millions of people vote for them, and support them.<br />
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In the United States, the Affordable Health Care law is an example of this. It is the result of a problem that has existed for years. Many Americans could not afford Health Care, as it was run by Insurance companies whose goal was not to provide Health Care, but to make a profit. Under the name of making a profit, they refused Health Care to many people, and refused to pay for procedures that were necessary because they were too expensive. Their behavior forced people to fight with them, or resign themselves to not being able to be healthy. This is, to me, a conscious choice by the corporation to commit murder, which they justify to themselves by claiming that they have a right to make a profit. I feel that every American should have health care. I believe it is part of the social contract in a country as rich as the United States. The first defense of a society is a healthy, educated citizen. It is not a new concept, or even solely a Socialist concept. It exists in tribal society, much older than Socialism, where the medicine man treats one and all. It is a normal, healthy desire to take care of any sickness in the society.<br />
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But, and this is a big but- the solution to the problem isn't more government intervention, and more limitation of freedom. It is true that the law has come into being, like many laws, because something is wrong. But, rather than fix it, which the Government could do by taking Insurance companies to court, or Congress being willing to regulate the Insurance companies, we make a new law that gives the Government more power to run our lives. The government should have taken the companies to court, as you would any criminal. That is what Government is for: To keep us honest. It is not for the Government to run our lives. I wish the arguing between politicians was rational, based on what the real problem is. But, it gets lost, or is unseen, by men and women who only have a political agenda. This isn't a problem of left or right, but what is the best way to have a healthy society.<br />
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I think that this problem, of Governments believing that the solution to problems is limiting our freedom, because we aren't capable of being free, is the same in Europe, where the Central European Government is regulating people's lives by ordering them to do things like destroy Olive trees in one country, trees that have existed for hundreds, if not thousands, of years, because some bureaucrat thinks that is the best way to establish fair trade. It is astounding to me that people are not screaming out against this, what is clearly, fascist behavior on the part of the bureaucracy. It is senseless, and life-killing.<br />
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Once we give up our freedom, it will be very hard to get it back. It will be against the law! It will be against the law for someone in the United States not to have insurance if they don't want it. It will against the law for someone in Italy to grow olives. It will be against the law for a fisherman to fish, when the problem isn't the small fisherman, but the large boats that over fish the world, and destroy the ecology of the Oceans of the world.<br />
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It may seem strange to you, but I think that this does relate to theater. Because theater, when it is practiced as art, reveals life, and human behavior, to ourselves. "to hold as 'twere, the mirror up to nature". The Greeks, Shakespeare, Chekhov, all of the great writers reveal us to ourselves. They are inspired by what they perceive of the world they are living in. People who believe that life is machine-like, break life down into small areas of expertise, and believe that people only know about a small part of the world. They cannot see the big picture. This is not what we learn from great artists. Or, great men and women. Art begins with life, not with a technique, but with their passion for life, to live and see what life is, how people behave. Then, their art, their technique, develops, so that they can express, with simple, profound, truth, what they perceive. Writer's in writing, actors in the characters that they create, directors in their vision of a world. This is what I have learned from the great artists who come before me.<br />
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There are members of the profession who do not believe that acting is an art form. Most of them happen to be directors. They say that the actor only interprets what the writer writes. Anyone who has ever seen more than one production of a play, or more than one Hamlet, knows this isn't true. Actors are creative, in their visions, in their capacity to express themselves in a form. Theater, and I include film and television, occasionally is more than simple entertainment. Though rare, the art of theater, and acting in particular, does exist. Because, good actors, like all artists, have something to say about life.<br />
<br />John Strasberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04420004634564162847noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8497670367310767904.post-76474502902457888052013-11-20T10:07:00.003-08:002020-09-19T11:05:19.049-07:00Speaking of acting Shakespeare, read an article in Friday's New York TimesHere is the link for an article by Christopher Isherwood about acting Shakespeare in The New York Times today. Is it coincidence that Mark Rylance, whose work I like a lot, is American? Or, is some of the spirit and energy of his work due to that?<br />
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http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/17/theater/mark-rylance-and-other-shakespeareans-at-work.html?nl=theater&emc=edit_cu_20131120&_r=0John Strasberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04420004634564162847noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8497670367310767904.post-7897642378475446872013-11-18T08:20:00.000-08:002013-11-18T08:20:19.131-08:00More thoughts on what I dream Shakespeare to be in NYCMy last blog was about the English production of Julius Caesar I saw at St. Ann's Warehouse in NYC. I thought that I should elaborate on that. Because, though I said I always admire the English, whether I feel their production has feeling or not, I know that the overall feeling I left with you, was that the production wasn't very good. I actually would love it if Americans mounted Shakespeare as well as the English do. I believe that it is the failure of my generation not to have carried the deeply personal, intimate reality of our work into classical theater. We came after the height of the artistic movement in the United States, the generation of my father, Elia Kazan, Marlon Brando, Tennessee Williams, etc, whose intimate and personal work changed theater, film and television all over the world. I believe that our responsibility was to apply the principal of reality to classical material. Regardless of the efforts of Al Pacino and Dustin Hoffman, we have failed to do that. I think that I have done it, to some extent, but in productions I've directed in Europe, most of which lacked the deep reality that I seek in everything I do. Anyway, as my friends and colleagues said to me years ago, "Johnny, why do you want to work in Europe? You'll ruin your career here." So, whatever I've done, it doesn't count here. The best theater production of Shakespeare I ever saw was Franco Zefferelli's production with the Old Vic, of Romeo and Juliet, starring John Stride and Judi Dench. It may have lacked deep feeling, the grief that marks great tragedy. But, it was alive. And, I saw the player's scene from Hamlet done at in workshop at The Actors Studio, with Kevin McCarthy, Geraldine Page, and a host of wonderful actors that were part of the ensemble that the Studio had in those days. It was directed by Walter Beakel, who later became an agent in Hollywood, much to the theater's loss. It had life! It was exciting and alive, and had a physicality, and personal relationships, that I believe marks American acting at its best. Passionate, intimate, physical, life. I imagine an entire production done the way we could do it. But, I've only seen it in my dreams. Most of the American productions I've seen are watered down, second rate versions of English productions, lacking the kind of skill and energy that the English have. We never have learned to speak the classics from the heart. Yet! I thought I owed you, and the English, the thought I am expressing here. I wonder if I'll ever see my dream come true before I transition, as my sister would say.John Strasberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04420004634564162847noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8497670367310767904.post-83185621134800806562013-11-11T07:42:00.002-08:002013-11-11T07:42:51.101-08:00Shakespeare without feeling at St. Ann's Warehouse Nov.9, 2013I have neglected this blog for too long. And, hope that I won't, again. Sometimes, I feel that I have too much to say. And, feel overwhelmed and lose focus on what is important in the moment. The other night I went to see the final performance of a well received an all-female production of Julius Caesar at St. Ann's Warehouse in New York. I like this theater, which focuses on many imported productions, and productions that have an unusual perspective. I always admire the English, regardless of whether I like what they do, because their energy, commitment, and skill is admirable and professional. This production was a version of Shakespeare's play, set in a prison. I often like the initial images of English productions. Though, I often feel that they never follow through on the promise of their beginning. This was true this time, too. So much of what was said and done seemed disconnected from the text. And, more specifically, the context of the character's lives. It is well presented, but without one iota of feeling. For years I have said that one can go to any National Theater in the world, and hear actors screaming. And that, whenever you do, you know that they have no idea of what they are saying or doing. Lots of excited movement and action, without any sense. Forget reality. Except for moments with Harriet Walter, a very good actress who plays Brutus. She speaks well and clearly, with a human voice, not an actors voice. She makes sense out of her text, as opposed to the rest, who tend to recite their lines. Though, with a lot of energy. But, general energy is no substitute for real feeling. Despite my criticism, I would tell people to see it, as it is a very professional evening. I just prefer theater that has a little more feeling and reality, where I am moved and educated by the production revealing something about how human beings behave. To me, that is the least to expect from any production of a Shakespeare play.<br />
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I think it is my generations failure, speaking of American acting, not to have carried on the artistic movement that comes from the Group Theater and the Actors Studio, into classical plays. I have seen glimpses of work that I would call a truly American way of interpreting Shakespeare, with a deeply personal involvement and physical life that is one of the qualities that define the best of American acting. That we haven't done this is why I recommend seeing productions like this one. So, that one can dream of what else is possible.John Strasberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04420004634564162847noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8497670367310767904.post-88811811238073440182012-11-30T13:19:00.003-08:002020-09-19T11:05:25.756-07:00FeelingsWell, when I started this blog, I was very excited. And, thought I'd be writing often. It's been months since the last one, so anyone who is trying to follow me, I hope I don't disappoint you in the long run. Sometimes, because I travel a lot, and am doing several things at the same time, I have come to realize that I can't do everything. So, for instance, the blog has been neglected. Even though I have a lot of desire to develop it. And, keep it up.<br />
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The elections are over in the United States. No real issues were discussed. No one seems to be really trying to identify and address the real problems we have to confront. But then, anyone who believes that politicians are there to solve our problems, shouldn't be allowed to vote. Once in a long while there is a real caring politician. One who truly has a vision, and has not succumbed to the pressure of making deals, which leads to corruption and loss of faith. I can't tell you whether it's possible to compromise and still truly get something done. Everyone says that you have to do this. But, I've always found that when a deal has to be made, if it's a compromise, one person has submitted to the other. When it works, I call it not compromise, but synthesizing two different ideas or desires in a way that a new reality is created that everyone believes is what they want. However, to do that, one needs clarity, truth, and mutual respect. That seems to exist nowadays in very small doses.<br />
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And, when I wonder why, I come to the subject of today's blog. Feelings. I went to the theater last night, to see a play from South Africa, a version of Miss Julie. It has gotten wonderful reviews. But, to me, it had no real feeling. And, in a play as dramatic and passionate as Miss Julie, that seems essential. I'm sure there are a lot of people who've seen it that loved it. And, disagree. They'd say there was a lot of passion. Well, there was a lot of tension, a lot of screaming, a lot of arbitrary violence, none of which was real. How could there be. They were actors, acting. There was no real relationship between them. They represented what they believe their characters feel. But, they didn't really feel it.<br />
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It's the same when watching politicians. There is no real feeling in what they say. Most of the time, we know that whatever they say, they are not going to do. Like how most people talk. They use language to hide what they feel. The opposite of what, for instance, an artist does when they express how they feel in their work. Or, the caring that a real doctor has when treating a patient. It comes from their feelings.<br />
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And yet, we are brought to believe that feelings are not to be trusted. That seems so strange. In the animal world, the most sensitive animals survive the best. Why not with human beings? Sure, we have all made mistakes. But, was it our feelings that betrayed us? Or we who betrayed our feelings? Or, ignored them for so long, that anything we feel confuses us? It's true that when most people have deep feelings that they need to express, they are incapable of doing it. How can we get anything done if that is how we behave?<br />
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As Einstein said, "The question that drives me hazy: am I or the others crazy?"<br />
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I wished I lived in a world where feeling was revered and respected, not blamed for our mistakes.<br />
John Strasberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04420004634564162847noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8497670367310767904.post-40841357663455523182012-06-05T05:28:00.002-07:002020-09-19T11:05:32.009-07:00Lessons from historyYesterday, I was an invited guest at a day long celebration of The Group Theater at CUNY (City University New York). I saw some rare footage of interviews with my father, Stella Adler, and Harold Clurman, talking about the Group. It stirred up a lot of memories, familial, and work. It was also a Full Moon. So, normal. What struck me most, after all, was how my life has been driven by the same dreams they had. I love history. It was always my favorite subject in school. I never suffered studying it. Knowing how life was, how people thought and behaved, was more exciting than anything you could make up. That there is nothing more theatrical than life itself. But, that's not the lesson I'm thinking about. What history also teaches us is where we come from. And, how that influences who we are. And, what we do. At the end of the event, there was time left for questions. More than questions, we heard some comments, mostly criticisms of the panel. And, that the Group, and Brecht, yes, he was brought up by a European attending the event. The declaration was that all of this was passé. That young theater people were looking for new forms. My reaction, other than anger at the stupidity of the thought was- In other words, young people believe that great theater, which was what Brecht did, theater that was entertaining and provocative, and spoke to the problems of the audiences lives, and actors whose work was dedicated to being deeply real and truthful, was old-fashioned and passé. Does that mean that young people in the theater today are trying to be awful? I wondered if the gentleman had read Chekhov, It's not a question of old forms, or new forms, but that one speaks from the heart. (My paraphrasing). I hope that young people embrace their history, not ignore it. The risk is that you might learn something. What comes before defines where you come from. And, helps you understand why you are where you are, now. And, sometimes, helps you to understand where you are going. Imagine if we actually learned from history. What would the world be like? Nature learns. Plants and animals develop immunities, as they learn to survive in a changing world. It is totally natural. Most of us human beings have forgotten that we are part of the world we live in. Too often, we think that nothing came before us. Or, that everything came before us. History teaches us to understand, so that we can live in the moment. And, not be afraid of life. It's not a question of old forms or new forms, but to speak to the world we are living in. And, are a part of.John Strasberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04420004634564162847noreply@blogger.com