Hi.
It’s been a while. If you’re expecting to see something deep, something about food or family, I’m not doing it today. Well, actually, I’m sorta thinking deeply. I’m thinking about kindness, the crown of human decency.
The news this week has been about Dolly Parton and Tim Curry. Broadcasters and YouTubers are trying to outdo each other with remembrances of Dolly Parton while I feel like most of us have been stunned into silence, that specific kind of silence one experiences when a good person dies. I didn’t know a lot about Tim Curry. My niece’s response to both of them dying on the same day was,
“What is happening?!”
As for me, I was trying to process Dolly Parton’s death. People wanted to know, “Why is a Black woman mourning the death of a White female country singer?” Because she was more than a color or gender or musical genre. I never knew or met her, but I have felt the kindness she brought to this world.
In this time of political insanity, a genuinely kind person and an extraordinary philanthropist felt compelled to use the money God gave her to help millions. She’s gone. I’m sad.
There have been many public figures, men and women, Black and White, Asian and Hispanic, Religious and Secular, whose death blindsided me. But something about Dolly Parton’s death broke me.
Ms. Parton helped save the lives of millions through her donations to Vanderbilt University Medical Center for research of the COVID-19 vaccine. Her Imagination Library has gifted over 300 million books to children around the world. She made public statements about the worth of every human being and stood behind Black Lives Matter after the killing of George Floyd. She gave millions to revitalize a Black Tennessee community. She paid for housing, medical expenses, food and more for people she did not know. Not out of obligation. There was no fanfare or chest beating. She did it quietly and with humility. She did it out of genuine, deeply rooted kindness.
Meanwhile, politicians filled with malice promote meanness and vile, tawdry behavior, and justify merciless violence — killings — while corrupting the messages of diverse scriptures. These demons take away millions of lives.
For a moment, but only a moment, I felt despair. A good soul left this earth while bad ones eat, drink, and live their lives without a thought of one good deed (just say “good morning,” to somebody, damn it!) for another person.
Janis Joplin sang, “Take another little piece of my heart now baby.”
There was a song I listened to as a young girl. Both Frank Sinatra and Nat King Cole did covers of this song. The refrain is going ’round and ’round in my head:
“Pick yourself up
Take a deep breath
Dust yourself off
And start all over again.”
I’m takin’ back the pieces of my heart, baby. There’s a piece drenched in empathy, with a tiny sliver set aside for those I consider demons. Another piece carries generosity and the desire to serve. Still another corner is for clarity. The soft, cottony section is for tenderness; it allows me to accept and feel love. And, of course, there is that brilliant Light within that illuminates kindness.
Thank you, Dolly Parton. Your authenticity is a shining example. A reminder to always ask myself: am I being kind?
Sala
KINDNESS: THE CROWN OF HUMAN DECENCY
Hi.
It’s been a while. If you’re expecting to see something deep, something about food or family, I’m not doing it today. Well, actually, I’m sorta thinking deeply. I’m thinking about kindness, the crown of human decency.
The news this week has been about Dolly Parton and Tim Curry. Broadcasters and YouTubers are trying to outdo each other with remembrances of Dolly Parton while I feel like most of us have been stunned into silence, that specific kind of silence one experiences when a good person dies. I didn’t know a lot about Tim Curry. My niece’s response to both of them dying on the same day was,
“What is happening?!”
As for me, I was trying to process Dolly Parton’s death. People wanted to know, “Why is a Black woman mourning the death of a White female country singer?” Because she was more than a color or gender or musical genre. I never knew or met her, but I have felt the kindness she brought to this world.
In this time of political insanity, a genuinely kind person and an extraordinary philanthropist felt compelled to use the money God gave her to help millions. She’s gone. I’m sad.
There have been many public figures, men and women, Black and White, Asian and Hispanic, Religious and Secular, whose death blindsided me. But something about Dolly Parton’s death broke me.
Ms. Parton helped save the lives of millions through her donations to Vanderbilt University Medical Center for research of the COVID-19 vaccine. Her Imagination Library has gifted over 300 million books to children around the world. She made public statements about the worth of every human being and stood behind Black Lives Matter after the killing of George Floyd. She gave millions to revitalize a Black Tennessee community. She paid for housing, medical expenses, food and more for people she did not know. Not out of obligation. There was no fanfare or chest beating. She did it quietly and with humility. She did it out of genuine, deeply rooted kindness.
Meanwhile, politicians filled with malice promote meanness and vile, tawdry behavior, and justify merciless violence — killings — while corrupting the messages of diverse scriptures. These demons take away millions of lives.
For a moment, but only a moment, I felt despair. A good soul left this earth while bad ones eat, drink, and live their lives without a thought of one good deed (just say “good morning,” to somebody, damn it!) for another person.
Janis Joplin sang, “Take another little piece of my heart now baby.”
There was a song I listened to as a young girl. Both Frank Sinatra and Nat King Cole did covers of this song. The refrain is going ’round and ’round in my head:
“Pick yourself up
Take a deep breath
Dust yourself off
And start all over again.”
I’m takin’ back the pieces of my heart, baby. There’s a piece drenched in empathy, with a tiny sliver set aside for those I consider demons. Another piece carries generosity and the desire to serve. Still another corner is for clarity. The soft, cottony section is for tenderness; it allows me to accept and feel love. And, of course, there is that brilliant Light within that illuminates kindness.
Thank you, Dolly Parton. Your authenticity is a shining example. A reminder to always ask myself: am I being kind?
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Posted in Commentary, Creative Non-Fiction, Empathy, Essay, Kindness, Philosophical rants, Political reflection, Reflection, Writing from the heart
Tagged Dolly Parton, life, music, Political reflection, Writing