Monday Morning Rock Out!

Archive for the 'Monday Morning Rock Out!' Category

Published

on June 28, 2009

. 1 Comment

Green peace sign Normally I slowly weave and tease my way into the video I share for the Monday Morning Rock Out. This week, though, as we watch the future unfold before us in a way we rarely witness, it seems disingenuous to do anything but get right to the point.

Each day, as we watch the news unfold from Iran, we are inspired. We are encouraged. We are frightened for the violence faced by those who are holding themselves accountable for creating not only the future of their country, but in many ways, the future of our whole world.

So this week’s Rock Out is a reminder of the power we have together that we do not have alone. It is a reminder of those who are holding themselves accountable with their very lives. And it is a reminder of the power of art to convey all of that.

I can think of two other Monday Morning Rock Outs that have used this song - one to share the power of the arts to connect us with what is possible, and the other to address the message that is so strong as we watch the news unfold in Iran - the power we have when we all stand together.

And now this one, by Jon Bon Jovi and Iranian superstar Andy Madadian (check out the background about this endeavor here.)

If a song has landed in this spot three times in three different ways - if so many people are using this song to provide the same solid message - then it is a message we must keep in mind as we head out to create the future of our communities this week.

We have power when we stand together, holding ourselves accountable for accomplishing something bigger than ourselves.

What will you hold yourself accountable for this week. And who will you link arms with today, this very hour, to make sure you can accomplish that?

Make it a great Monday and a great week, all.

Many thanks to Phabiola Herrera (aka @Phabi), a new follower on Twitter, for the heads-up about this video.

Photo credit: The Boston Globe I strongly recommend clicking the link, to see the rest of their breathtaking and powerful images.

Monday Morning Rock Out!

Published

Hildy

on June 14, 2009

in Changing the World and Monday Morning Rock Out!

. 0 Comments

big bird It’s Monday - another week ahead, another chance to hold ourselves accountable for creating the future of our communities and our world.

Given the events of this weekend, that somehow seems more critical this morning than it does on other Mondays.

The election in Iran, deciding how that country will interact on the global stage. The extent to which the whole world connected via Twitter to bear witness to the events in that country at the moment they occurred, far away and yet so close.

If this weekend proved anything, it is the extent to which we are realizing that all of us, all around the world, are really just one big family.

In 2001, eleven days after September 11, two hundred artists of all kinds (not just musicians - actors, sports figures) gathered to record this video at the invitation of Nile Rodgers - the man who originally wrote the song. What was once a disco anthem became an anthem of the heart we all share, all around the world. And then it became a movement.

Since that day, Nile and his life partner, Nancy Hunt, formed the We Are Family Foundation. Together they have been doing whatever it takes to link us to each other. Their latest effort is aimed at having US Congress and the United Nations to declare March 11th We Are Family Day - “a day to celebrate our common humanity and provide an opportunity for teachers, parents and educators of all kinds to teach our youth about different cultures, different religions and the importance of respecting our fellow human beings.”

But can one day do it all? As we hold ourselves accountable for creating the future this week, isn’t it time we stopped thinking of our differences, and started linking arms to accomplish what none of us can do on our own? Pollyanna Principle #3 states that everything and everyone is interconnected and interdependent, whether we acknowledge that or not.

The power comes when we do indeed acknowledge those links. The power comes when we see that truly, we are all family.

Have a great Monday and a great week, all.

Why the photo of Big Bird? Just one more project We Are Family created - this one for kids!

Monday Morning Rock Out!

Published

Hildy

on May 31, 2009

in Monday Morning Rock Out!

. 5 Comments

Heart-shaped Cactus Happy Beginning of the Week!

As we head into this week to create the future of our world, we all know it’s not always easy. The thing that gets us through the rough patches, though, can be defined in one word: Love.

I am fortunate. I am surrounded by people who love me. They are my friends, my family, my support, my rock. When I am unsteady, they are strong. What would we do without love such as this in our lives?

That is why the images in this week’s Rock Out are haunting. As we face the a world so hell-bent on making life hard, who could possibly be against love?

I love the love in this video. I am saddened by the love in this video. I am inspired and mortified. And I cannot watch this without thinking of the eloquence with which Keith Olbermann stepped out of his normal dragon-under-the-stairs persona to ask that same question: Who could possibly be against love?

Pollyanna Principle #3 states that “Everyone and everything is interconnected and interdependent, whether we acknowledge that or not.” That connection is so much a part of who we are that when we see a cactus pad shaped like a heart, we stop, grab a friend’s arm, pointing and smiling.

We need each other.

As you head out to do your work this week, embrace anyone who cares about the same thing you care about. Link arms. Create a movement. Make things happen.

The Beatles were right. Love is all we need. So please, get out there and love each other.

Have a great Monday and a great week, all!