Over the four decades I have been performing music, I have become aware that whether we like it or not, we musicians reflect and promote values with every song we sing, every story we tell, and every interaction we have in the music world. Teachers, civil servants, food servers, and many others are in similar situations in their respective fields.
The question is not whether we promote values. The question is what values are we promoting? I think it’s a good idea to recognize what these values are and make sure we can stand behind them. This, by no means, gives us the right to attempt to change people’s minds or hearts. But it does give us the opportunity to see whether our music adds to or subtracts from the overall welfare of society. And this brings us to a dilemma.
Promoting vs Preaching
Once you are aware of the values you are giving voice to – and thereby giving life to – how do you stay true to your values while not imposing them on others?
One approach I have found is to make sure you actually know what values you are promoting while always remembering that you have no monopoly on truth. What may be right for you may not be right for somebody else. And you may simply be wrong. Because I believe in this approach, one of the values I unwaveringly and consciously promote is democracy.
Democracy vs. Autocracy
Today, we stand at a fork in the road of history. Beyond this fork lay at least two paths. One continues to pursue democracy. One veers off toward autocracy. Sizable portions of our population have ventured down each of these two lanes. So what is the difference?
Democracy is defined by Merriam-Webster as “government in which the supreme power is vested in the people.” The word comes from the Greek words dēmos which means “people," and kratos which means "rule.” So democracy literally means “rule by the people.”
Autocracy is defined as “government in which … unlimited political power is invested in a single person." That single person is an “autocrat” - “a person (such as a monarch) ruling with unlimited authority.” What he or she says is assumed to be automatically correct despite the science and regardless of whether credible evidence exists to back his claim.
Today, America is facing a stark choice. Do we veer back onto the path of democracy or do we continue further down the path toward autocracy? In other words, do we trust that we, the people, can rule ourselves through representative government? Or do we not believe in our collective selves and need a king, queen, pope, or demagogue to make decisions for us?
Equality in a Democracy
Democracy is sloppy. It rests upon a number of principles that are forever under attack - especially today. One of those is the ideal that “all men are created equal.”
Arguing about the original intent of these words, I believe, is a distraction that weakens the power of the ideal. Regardless of what this term may have meant in the past, we know today that “all men,” does not mean only white male landowners. We know that today “all men,” in its ideal sense, means “all people” including whites and blacks, male and female, rich and poor.”
Pete Seeger used the term “regardless of the color of your skin, the shape of your eyes, or the language you speak.” I add to that, “… or who you love or how you identify.”
Obviously, individual people are unique in many ways. It can be a great disservice to ignore that. But our political value, our spiritual value, and our treatment under the law should be equal.
Truth in a Democracy
Another democratic principle under attack today is the understanding that nobody has a monopoly on truth. Nobody has a more direct pipeline to the divine than does anybody else. Unlike in an autocracy, in a democracy, nobody is automatically correct. We are, as individuals and as a society, at least in theory, doing the best we can to understand what works and what doesn’t. And as humans, we can make mistakes.
When dealing with hard factual things like the laws of physics we use the “scientific method” which allows us to repeat experiments and expect the same results each time. With other sciences like evolution, economics, or government, there are few experiments we can repeat so we use observation and logic to make our best guesses.
Trust in a Democracy
It follows that if this is going to work, we need to trust the “experts” and decision-makers. It’s not a good idea to have blind trust in them. But for years detractors of democracy have been feeding the public flimsy ideas designed to wither away any trust at all in experts (and often make millions of dollars selling herbal and other “alternative” products along the way).
Instead of contributing to the search for good answers, they refute findings, make unfounded claims about the integrity of the process, question motives and attack the character of the scientists and our democratic-leaning leaders. Some go as far as to insinuate violence against them. This scenario extends to the legal system, voting administration, and beyond.
So, What Can a Musician Do?
I believe musicians, including myself, would do well to understand how our songs, stories, and interactions help build up or help tear down democracy. Do we bolster the belief in our own collective wisdom to govern ourselves responsibly or do we add to the cynicism that tells us we cannot?
There is a boatload of wisdom embedded in “folk” songs – especially the songs of Pete Seeger. I believe it is important to shine a light on these tidbits of wisdom in the least preachy, least confrontational way possible. I already do this in every concert - in my songs and stories. And now, I look forward to sharing some of the tidbits that I have learned from Pete and others in these posts. Until next time, …
Keep the Flame Alive!
Well stated.
I think I can branch off on this one and write a few more stories about the wisdom and values I have learned through folk music.