These days, the bad words in my house aren’t the typical ones of my upbringing; the words that somebody a long time ago said sounded ‘bad’…slang words for sex and excrement and the place where sinners might end up. No, those are passé and used to make a point if necessary or maybe to reinforce a frustrating moment. The ‘dirty’ words in my house are more nefarious and destructive like “avarice” “hubris” “fear” and the like. Don’t get me wrong, we still use and discuss the “A” “H” and “F” words; they just make us cringe and wonder how we’re not smart enough as American’s to realize their control on us. We hope they become verbal relics of the past and that someday the history books will consider them so. Maybe the texts of the future would read something like this: “…there was a time when the nation was awash in avarice and it drove the decisions of the powerful healthcare industry…” or “…it was not uncommon for the hubris of the day to allow a particular group of people to blindly follow the rhetoric of the hyperbolic media…” or even, “Fear caused people to exercise their rage in public settings saying the unthinkable about change advocates without facts or reason…”

It’s easy to dream about what we might become as the free people of a country that has cognitive dissonance about its “greatness.” Currently, it can be argued that opportunities aren’t equal and the current outcomes are disastrous. If we are writing our own story then we have surely found the ultimate climactic moment where something must swing us the other way. The extremists are bashing the president because they are told to do so making it unlikely that his leadership will be able to move the boulder of despair. It must come from each individual who cares enough to do what’s right for the sustainability of the collective. Spewing invectives on the capitol steps will only further inflame those who desire an “us and them” mentality. This is exactly what’s tearing us apart. Coming together is now the biggest challenge of our nearly mythological plot. We must agree that we all largely care about the same things, and that sacrifice can make those principles available to all who are willing to work for them. If we don’t, then we may, using a taboo word from my past, be damned.

It was one of those days…that catches you looking for answers…no synchronicity, no balance…and at the end of it, the kids in bed, Amy my wife not feeling well so she’s out, and me standing in the kitchen, my tired body looking at a sink full of dirty dishes and I know that I must find the strength…so I dial up the iPod to Patty Griffin and “Burgundy Shoes” and start the dishwater. Behind me in perfect time, my son walks into the kitchen carrying the dirty clothes he forgot to take to the laundry basket earlier. Yes, he got out of his slumber to do a chore that he had forgotten. He saved the day for me. Czelaw Milosz said, “there are nothing but gifts on this poor, poor earth.” Jake’s disciplined action was a timely gift that reminds us of the goodness and purity that life can offer; and suddenly, scrubbing the dishes seemed more like a gift than a chore.

I’m constantly asking my students: “what will be your story?” Will it be magnificent? Do you believe it can be? I was thinking this morning that as a songwriter I always attempt to write the perfect song; the song that touches indiscriminately and deeply. Most of my time these days is spent writing songs in the fleshy form of my children. They are my attempt at writing masterpieces. And soon, like my songs, they will begin writing themselves; the ebb and flow of verse and chorus aching to be free. Will they know that they can write any lyric they wish? Through my children-songs I reach beyond the universe to places my lyrical songs will never go. They are left to paper and the venerable walls of local coffeehouses. And like my songs my children will learn, if my writing is true, that they are not bound by place or convention or rule or fate. They are as agile with possibility as the many different ways a song reaches heart. I will write some more today and listen to the telling soul of the search for masterpiece.

Music & Beyond…

Scroll down for information on my 3 upcoming shows and some personal recommendations, but first my latest ruminations…Author David Korten talks about ! the Great Turning in his book: The Great Turning: from Empire to Earth Community. He says “…that we humans are a choice making species that at this defining moment face both the opportunity and the imperative to choose our future as a conscious collective act.” In this “defining moment,” I’d like my part to be using my music as a vehicle for connecting people to each other and ideas. There is possibly no more important time for civic involvement than right now…from the upcoming elections to lowering your carbon footprint. For anyone paying attention, it’s obvious we cannot sustain our current way of living. If we are ever to turn around the rapid degradation of the earth and its people and resources, we will need to strengthen our communities by building social capital, but of course that happens one person at a time. It begins with each of us making a special effort at relationship, which is not always easy to do in our fast-paced and over committed culture. In my few discretionary moments, I’m much more comfortable with a book, my guitar and a warm fire. I could easily make it as a reclusive cynic, but I know that I must reach out in order to understand, to find meaning, to change myself, my community, the world…

My favorite gigs are the ones where I meet new people and know that my music was responsible for making other connections happen. So with that said, at my show on Feb. 22 (see below), I would like for everyone who attends to bring a book that has inspired them or given their life meaning. You can bring one already collecting dust on your shelf, or buy a new copy. My hope is that you will make a connection to someone at the gig to whom you would like to give your book. If you forget to bring a book, the gig is at a bookstore! If you don’t read much, bring a story to share…I borrowed this idea from John Crowley, visionary Irishman from Petaluma who created the pub crawl as a way to build social capital. I will be playing in March at his new shop, the Aqus Cafe.

Upcoming Performances

Friday, February 22nd, 7pm – 9pm

North Light Books & Cafe (next to Oliver’s Market)

550 E. Cotati Ave., Cotati CA. 94931

707.792.4300

Great Coffee, Beer & Books…what else do you need! My parents are coming all the way from Missouri to this show so come on out and show some California love…and don’t forget to bring a new or used book to give away (read above)!

Saturday, March 8th, 10:30am – 12:30pm

Aqus Café

189 H Street, Petaluma, CA.

707.778.6060

John Crowley’s new Cafe…a must visit in Petaluma…and yes, that’s 10:30am!

Friday, March 14th, 8:00pm – 11:30pm

The Black Rose Irish Pub 

2074 Armory Dr., Santa Rosa, CA. 95401

707.546.ROSE

This is a Robert E. / Five A.M. joint production

Maybe your last chance to see 5AM in a venue this small!

Recommendations

Check out Five A.M.s new web site and video. They are really doing some progressive work for peace with their music; check out their web site and the “Love” link. Their music is something everyone should listen to lyrically and melodically. The video is something every group/family should have a discussion about. You can get to the video at their web site or go to youtube and punch in five am.

Check out the Leadership Institute for Ecology and the Economy. This year long leadership training program on sustainability and social change has been a powerful experience and motivator for personal change. If you’re interested in applying, go to the web site above.

Also, please watch the documentary, Howard Zinn: You Can’t Be Neutral on a Moving Train. Howard Zinn is an author and activist with an incredible story and commitment to social change.

Read the book, “The Impossible Will Take A Little While,” by author Paul Loeb. It’s a fantastic and inspiring collection of essays by some of the world’s greatest authors, visionaries and leaders. I’m using it in my classes this spring and would love to get your feedback. Paul will be speaking at SRJC on April 14th.

After hearing Mark Inman speak, the charismatic co-owner of Taylor Maid Farms coffees and teas, I highly recommend that you buy his brand the next time you need your fix. His company really does it the right way. They pay at least a living wage for all employees, no matter the job; they buy beans from only farmers using sustainable agriculture with 100% organic coffee; they use low emission coffee roasters; and package all their coffees in recyclable steel. Support your local coffee wholesaler.

And no, I don’t have a recording yet or a website of my material, but I’m working on it…

Hope to see you at a show this spring, Robert E.

Vaclav Havel, the former Czech president that helped to bring down the Communist dictatorship in his country, once said that the difference between hope and optimism is that optimists believe with conviction that everything will turn out well while those with hope are certain, that the outcome good or bad, will eventually make sense; they will find meaning in either. In his book Logotherapy, Victor Frankl refers to his time in a Nazi concentration camp, and said the only way he made it through was by “finding meaning in his suffering.” Finding meaning gave him hope. This ability to give meaning to any situation is uniquely human and one of the most under-utilized homo sapien characteristics. Our current course of self-destruction, avarice and arrogance will surely doom us, if we don’t collectively get a conscience and impart some meaning to what we have done to the earth and its inhabitants. Without a critical mass of people to change course, shift trajectory, and create the defining moment now, I don’t know whether we’ll make our way out of our current global mess or not. I’m optimistic that we can, and if we can’t, I HOPE that something is learned by the survivors of our poor choices; that they give meaning to what happened before them. To reference the author, Malcolm Gladwell, society needs a Tipping Point to avert its own demise. We need an epidemic of common sense and kindness, love and courage. Will you be a part of the movement? To read a great book about hope in cynical times, I encourage you to check out: The Impossible Will Take A While by Paul Rogat Loeb. It’s a great collection of essays on hope and the power of individuals by some of our finest authors, visionaries and leaders.

My grandfather was a tank gunner in WWII. When he returned from the European Theater in 1945, he came home to a new baby girl, my mother. He then went on to father nine more children…and the story goes that he never again left the bucolic surroundings of Boone County, Missouri. After the war, he wanted to do little more than raise his children and work on the farm. The mark of death and destruction left him sentimentally attached to the primal and most important elements of living. Many of the stories shared at his funeral this past September, remembered him as a simple man with a profound yet humble knowledge of the land and its lessons. The only clothes I ever saw him wear were overalls. I doubt he ever touched a computer or a cell phone. Every time I would talk with him it would slow me down, making me listen to myself and where I was heading. While flying home to his funeral, I penned the eulogistic poem below. It is how I will remember him and and it has better helped me understand the impact of his life on me. Regardless of how you feel about war in general, you can’t deny that the sacrifice of previous generations is the reason many of us are here today.

for Grandpa Schooler (1918 – 2007) 

Autumn has descended as the black-eyed susan’s wane

   and the deer eats in the clover knowing there is peace today

Somewhere a boy is talking to his classmates in a room

   he is speaking of a hero who fought in World War II

He’s the grandson of a daughter of a gunner of a tank

   and he’s living in a moment that connects him to his fate

He is Cherokee and blacksmith and orphans off the train

   and the dust kicked up by plowman and settled by the rain

He’s the letter of a postman sent to future years

   and the medal on the jacket full of sweat and blood and tears

The overalls are faded and stained with tractor grease

   they’re hanging on the clothesline and singing in the breeze

And the juice of fat tomatoes is tattooed in the cracks

   the tattering of denim are the hard Midwestern facts

What is a man but love that is clothed in fleshy steel

   now lay down your shell of armor as you climb the final hill

And your brothers’ rifles fire and they flash their epaulettes

   they’ve saved a seat for warriors in the mess hall of the vets

The body goes six under and your spirit paints the sky

   your stories live forever ‘cause the children never lie

 

When I was young and believed that wisdom came only from the mouths of adults, all the stories I was told located God somewhere other than where he was most needed. God would help from a distance, wherever that was…only God could help you…and God is responsible for everything. I was listening the other day to the Rabbi ask questions of the Hebrew school children. His question was, “Where is God…What is God?” My daughter Emma raised her hand (which is enough to make any doting parent happy) and when called on replied, “…in a big red tomato…” Those words really excited me. Now maybe she got it from one of the books we read around bedtime, but regardless, it seems she is closer to the concept of spiritual omnipresence than I ever was at that age. And if God is in you, then maybe you’re responsible for what ails the world, not God.

In the movie Evan Almighty, there’s a great scene where God asks a question to Noah’s wife, “…if you pray for courage, does God give you courage or the opportunity to be courageous?” I believe that God is in every opportunity to do the right thing, to make the world healthier, to show love…so what will you do when your opportunities arise? This is your purpose, is it not?…to find opportunities to show leadership, to make a difference, to transcend our physical selves? Everyone senses the moment of opportunity, fleeting, but starkly memorable where they can make a defining decision. This is where God is found, I think; in these moments, simple, yet compelling moments. Right now, I’m just thrilled my daughter finds God in those things right in front of her, not in some bearded white guy somewhere up there…I don’t want her to find God where I say she is, but where she knows it is…a big red tomato, her tiny hands or an opportunity to change the world. RE.

Students Hiking in Pepperwood Preserve 

There never seems to be enough time in class for everyone to have a voice. It’s disappointing to know that students are leaving for the day with so much to say, if only to clarify what they really think. My hope is that this blog will present a 24/7 opportunity for both emotion and intellect, insight and observation. Not bound by the convention of time, I want to share my thoughts on leadership, life’s joys and frustrations, spirituality and lessons learned. I want to share my lyrics and the meaning behind them. Eventually, I’d like to post some of my music once it is recorded. None of this means anything simply kept to myself. I share it with you, my students, family, friends, colleagues and fans of my music…for reflection. I value accolades, cynicism and brutal honesty alike.

As Alexander Supertramp (Chris McCandless) in Into the Wild finally realizes on the Stampede Trail in Alaska, you can’t truly experience happiness in isolation…it must be shared to bring true joy. It is a human absolute to seek these relationships, to be part of a pack. It is my desire to emote with those who will listen. For those of you who have ever wanted to walk into the wild, or for those who do everyday, this blog is to remind us to never stop seeking what brings us the greatest joy and moves the planet to a better place.