“The majority think that only they are important and others are not.” That’s Tolstoy’s thought for today.
Wow, that truly hits home this morning after I awoke to an update on the president’s plan to close the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts for “renovations.” According to the Washington Post’s reporting, Trump is planning to mostly tear it down just as he did to the East Wing of the White House.
“I’m not ripping it down. I’ll be using the steel,” he told reporters.
After digesting more of the article, I clicked on the comments, which resulted in even more angst. One commenter wrote: “Does he not know that the Carrera marble was a gift from Italy, the chandeliers were from Austria and Norway, the silk stage curtains are from Japan…all gifts to the United States from countries around the world to honor President Kennedy. The building is not just a performance center, but a memorial to a slain leader loved and respected around the world! He has no right to arbitrarily make any changes and certainly absolutely no authority to destroy what was so lovingly built and cared for over the years!”
And another added that major renovations to the building were completed in 2019, costing more than $200 million, so it’s not in shambles or dilapidated as Trump claims. We’re not stupid. We know the true reason that he’s closing the Kennedy Center and likely tearing it down is because he cannot control the fallout from adding his name to the building in front of Kennedy’s. With many artists and patrons boycotting the Center, he’s decided to close it altogether to avoid the embarrassment of empty seats and canceled performances.
It’s hard to convey my emotions. I feel for the Kennedy family and the Center’s staff who must stand by and watch as this autocratic leader plays with our history and people’s livelihoods without a care. And, I must admit, I feel bitter hatred toward our “leaders” who do nothing while allowing this crazed individual to demolish our republic and the institutions that our predecessors worked so hard to establish.
I reread Tolstoy’s words just now, which do bring some comfort. “There are, however, kind and clever people who understand that the lives of others and animals are as important as their own, and genuinely care about others.” Yes, they are out there, but, sadly, they are being killed and deported and silenced by a minority that holds power.
Humans have a long way to go before Tolstoy’s words ring true, if ever they do: “You will understand this l life only when you will see yourself in every person.”