Radio Commentary
Several years ago a local 6th grade student wrote a lovely
poem that is very appropriate to revisit this time of year:
The
conductor stands up tall, and taps his baton three times.
He begins to
conduct the violins, and even the horns and chimes.
He suddenly
stops, and lets out a big sigh,
He says to
the players, “Okay, one more time.”
This is a
story, it’s sad, but it’s true.
He does it,
she does it, and you might do it too.
The
orchestra could not play; they were all out of tune.
The flutes
played so softly and the bases made booms.
The
conductor stopped and shouted, “This is not fun!”
“Stop making
jokes. Now, all play as one.”
But they
couldn’t play. They did not even try.
It was
caused by the prejudice-ness under the sky.
It was
caused by people hating each other.
Because of
their religion or of their skin color.
Then we were
not enemies, and we all joined hands.
Then we made
a difference, all across the land.
Then
suddenly everything changed. It changed from bad to good.
And the
orchestra played a beautiful Symphony of Brotherhood!”
I think
that’s a true work of art. It also meshes perfectly with our overall focus on
tolerance — we might all be playing beautiful tunes, but to create the
sounds of an orchestra, those melodies must merge and harmonize.
We must work together to rebuild a community of beauty.
We must celebrate differences while encouraging harmony. There’s real hope when
sixth graders articulate these ideas so beautifully.
