Summer of Love

If you’re looking for a frame of reference, history has been all too often overlooked. I think you’d have a broader connection utilizing film and television. They seem to weave a web that touches nearly everyone around the world. I’m sure there are still some aboriginal outliers who have yet to have their first big screen adventure, but it’s only a matter of time before they are standing in a Disney line to catch a glimpse of how their ancestors lived.

I grew up on Tarzan and spaghetti westerns with a dash of Marx Brothers’ wit. Imagine developing a world view wherein Squid Game needs to fit? The Godfather showed us how Italians foreshadowed All the President’s Men. We could use another season of the West Wing to remind us what we stand for again.

The headlines scream we’re all in Jeopardy while nations play a version of the Dating Game. We run a gamut from Too Hot to Handle to the sister wives of Salt Lake City. There is something for everyone, but nothing for us all-ever since we finished Seinfeld and Sex in the City. News can no longer be trusted. Half the anchors have been busted. Imagine Tom Hanks plowing through nature in a hummer while we wait for Tom Cruise to save another summer.

The planet is more connected than it has ever been and yet it’s harder than it ever was to find common ground. Apparently we’ll need an alien invasion to unite us. It’s either that or our own creations take control. Whatever happened to a battle for the soul? Have we given up on trying to make ourselves whole? Is there a wave of something wonderful growing just beneath the surface? Can all of this madness actually serve a purpose?

There are doctors without borders. There is art for art’s sake. There are countless ancient rituals with lives at stake. There are suicide hotlines and World Central Kitchens. There are millions of kind hearts devoted to their missions. Before we feed upon the swill we’re being sold, we owe it to ourselves to honor the giving and the bold.

For the moment we are siloed since it suits the greedy. But there are those among us still serving the needy. Somewhere there is a story that can play upon our heartstrings and a filmmaker who can make the story sing. Our better angels will always believe there is a chance. Humanity loves an impossible romance.