Historic Black Voter Drift to Trump and Did Apple Cancel Jon Stewart to Appease China
U.S. Ranks 41st in Longevity--and It's Getting Worse, Maya Angelou Gives Insightful Advice, Why "The Holdovers" and "Next Goal Wins" Are Worth Seeing, James Taylor Sings
Quick Note: Due to Thanksgiving there will not be another newsletter this week. I will be too busy stuffing my face with stuffing. Happy Thanksgiving to all of you.
What I’m Discussing Today:
Kareem’s Daily Quote: Maya Angelou reminds us not to forget who we were on our way to becoming who we are.
Historic Number of Black Voters Back Trump: When I read that, my eyes felt like cartoon eyeballs popping out on springs. But there’s more to this than just numbers.
Did Apple Cancel Jon Stewart to Appease China: China’s influence on Hollywood is affecting our own culture and values.
U.S. Women Live 6 Years Longer Than Men, But Neither is Living as Long as They Should: The U.S. ranks 41st in the world in longevity. Can we do better?
Kareem Goes to the Movies: The Holdovers and Next Goal Wins should be on your must-see list.
Kareem’s Video Break: A young girl dances like she’s powering an entire city.
James Taylor Sings: A man. A guitar. A dreamy song.
Kareem’s Daily Quote
We delight in the beauty of the butterfly, but rarely admit the changes it has gone through to achieve that beauty.
Maya Angelou
This quote is deceptive. It seems to celebrate the process of metamorphosing from a slug-like caterpillar crawling on the ground, to a gorgeous butterfly soaring above the weight of the world. It appears to be a metaphor for how we can transform ourselves from something lowly and earthbound into something light and heavenly.
However, a closer look tells us there’s a different message: How we don’t want to admit the horrendous suffering and the shameful mistakes we often make along the way. In fact, it is the suffering and mistakes that inspire the transformation. It may happen naturally for the caterpillar, but not for humans. That bitter and damaging process should not be forgotten, but rather commemorated.
In Joni Mitchell’s song “The Last Time I Saw Richard,” she laments how the disappointments of life have eroded her hopeful romanticism and left her “cynical and drunk and boring/Someone in some dark cafe.” In the end, she hopes that this depression is only a cocoon phase that she will soon burst free from:
Only a dark cocoon before
I get my gorgeous wings and fly away
Only a phase, these dark cafe days
As lovely and aspirational as the thought of it is, I don’t think we are butterflies in training. Instead, like Joni, we are all caterpillars dreaming of being butterflies.
The key is understanding what that butterfly represents to each person. For some, it is being a celebrity, adored by fans. For others, it’s being rich enough to have a yacht you can land a helicopter on. Some crave political power. Ironically, these dreams are heavyweights that keep the person from ever leaving the ground. The desperate need for approval of others or dominance over others will stake you to the earth.
Even at my age, I still dream of being a butterfly. But for me, the butterfly represents being a good, kind, compassionate person who finds a way to demonstrate those qualities every day. No, I am not always successful. Not nearly. After all, I’m a caterpillar. Then I think of James Taylor’s song “That’s Why I’m Here”:
James, I'm wondering could I borrow your truck?
I said that's why I'm here. Got no other reason,
that's why I'm standing before you, that's why I'm here.
James Taylor reduces his existence—all of his fame, his musical accomplishments—to this moment in time when someone needs to borrow his truck and he says yes. We are faced with butterfly-defining moments like this every day. In every single one of those moments, we get to choose to crawl or soar. That’s why we’re here.
When we reach out to others, whether to share a meal, a kind word, or even a truck, we feel like we’re rising. That feeling is close enough to actual flying. I’ll take it.