To the editor:
I was at the gym the other day listening to music as I do, although I confess I go back and forth between music and lectures/talks. This day I happened to listen to Gordon Lightfoot’s “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald” and began reflecting on the power and importance of music.
There are some songs written to tell a story in a lyrical way and these seem to be very powerful, both emotionally and spiritually. Now do not get me wrong, much of the music today is catchy and entertaining with an oft repeated refrain, etc., but there are still songs that are different. Mr. Lightfoot’s gift was to convey a story through music and convey the history behind the event as well as the emotions of the crew and families of those who were lost at sea.
I have heard this song many times and every time I do and he sings about the minutes turning to hours, there is something visceral to his words. I feel it in my core. I suspect that anyone who has been in a firefight, natural disaster or life and death situation feels the same way. As you listen to the words you can feel what it must have been like to be a part of her crew. The panic, the helplessness. Yes, even the hopelessness. The insignificance of humanity in the face of a powerful storm as a vessel loaded with 26 tons of taconite is tossed around on the 25-foot waves like a champagne cork.
To most people, the Nov. 10, 1975 sinking of the SS Edmund Fitzgerald, one of the largest ships on the Great Lakes, in Lake Superior would have evoked nothing but a nod of a head. But to the families of the 29 sailors who were lost, it was devastating and life-altering. Gordon gets the listener to feel empathy with these families. The sorrow is almost palpable.
I like to think that my passion for film, theatre and music all goes back to my roots at my liberal arts university and the Jesuits who helped and taught me to appreciate the arts. I feel wiser but more well-rounded than most. It saddens me to see that so many colleges and young students will not have the opportunity to have these experiences enrich the fabric of his or her life.
Some might say, “Well, you received a degree in Philosophy” that does not translate into a job. I respond, “This is where you are wrong. I learned how to think critically and appreciate other perspectives, cultures and people. My mind was opened and forever changed. I am an ‘outside the box’ thinking kind of guy.”
We would all be more tolerant, less xenophobic, racist and islamophobic, and possess a sense of humanity if more people had a liberal arts education. We would all treat one another with dignity and respect.
Jerry Krieger
Greenwood
