NINA SIMONE / “Isn’t It A Pity”

01 Isnt It A Pity.mp3 (15.33 MB)

 Times tough. This a time sweet. Stock market going down. Hope going up. Election ’08, Obama’s going to win. Economy 2008, we’re all going to loose.

What gives? How much more can we take? How do we deal with this historic moment, this particular time of maximum stress, maximum opportunity?

Well, the sweet of it is easy to swallow, but we gag on the bitter. I’m sure I’m not alone when I say I have been thinking a lot about the contradictions of our existence, especially about the extent of our own complicity. Many of us have bought into the basic beliefs of the system and we are just as adrift as the most patriotic true believer.

For many of us, life without things, without possessions, toys, gadgets, bling, two cars, a big house (our very own big house!), whatever, you know what I mean; life without the material acquisitions we now deem to be necessities instead of wants, life without that is all but unthinkable. I mean our definition of the “good life” is essentially the same as what is show on TV or playing in the movies of our Hollywood-soaked/stroked minds, the poverty of our reality notwithstanding.

Moreover, and worse yet, just when there seems like a chance for many of us to get involved, what happens? Things fall apart!

Nina Simone has a song for us to meditate on.

Last year, February 11, 2007, I featured “Isn’t It A Pity” on BoL. I don’t like to repeat myself but sometimes it just seems so necessary. We all need to listen to “Isn’t It A Pity,” just sit down and listen to it. Give Nina our full attention. And then, after the song is through, we need to meditate on what Nina says, Nina sings. Play it again if necessary. But think about the words, the meaning.

And ask ourselves, what am I doing to make this world better, to make my life more real, less plastic? Am I doing all I can do?

Let us not take false comfort in the upcoming Presidency of Barack Obama. We have tough days ahead, really tough. Obama is going to need a lot of help. We are going to need a lot of help. We are going to have to help  each other survive these dangerous and difficult days about to arrive on our doorstep.

Think of this as a reality check. Think of this as an encouragement to be the better we seek. Think on this and get ready for tomorrow.

—Kalamu ya Salaam

"Isn't It A Pity" available on Emergency Ward.

This entry was posted on Monday, October 13th, 2008 at 2:48 am and is filed under Classic. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

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