The following post focusses on ideas and the brilliance shared by Ken Burns.
Who is Ken Burns? Kenneth Lauren Burns is an American filmmaker known for his documentary films and television series that chronicle American history and culture. His work is often produced in association with WETA-TV or the National Endowment for the Humanities, and distributed by PBS.
A VISIT WITH KEN BURNS…
A famous actress once said: “Put down the measuring stick.” I LOVE THAT. Because we know when our stories contain truth. So while listening to Burns, I jotted down statements he’d made. Why? Because I put down the measuring stick, enjoying his wit and intelligence. You will too.
BURNS: Dr. Martin Luther King…he believed in love, the sanctity of human life. He approved of the rich giving up things. His marches underlined activism, the building of HOPE. He had passion for the possible.
Dr. King spoke of what people were feeling, and maybe what King was feeling, before he was assassinated. He talked about the mountain top, that in the darkest of nights, we see the stars even better!
He spoke of Brian Stevenson, a human rights lawyer, who still shares some hard truths about America’s justice system. Because Stevenson believes there is a massive imbalance along racial lines: a third of the country’s Black male population having been incarcerated at some point in their lives.
And…these issues, which are wrapped up in America’s unexamined history, are rarely talked about with this level of candor, this insight and persuasiveness. But Ken Burns KNOWS WHAT NEEDS TO BE SAID. And he will applaud and record those who will say it.
On a very different issue, Burns says: Baseball is about family; it’s about American Destiny. We need to sing together: the national anthem, Sweet Caroline. Because there is NO in-difference in American Baseball. Yes. Truth! A brilliant thought, whether you love baseball or not.
Burns also states: Don’t blame “them”. We are living our human nature. We need to stop violence and learn how to live together. ONLY OUR STORIES CAN CONTAIN OUR TRUTH. Thus: Have courage. Use your parents as examples. The sky is not falling. Find humility in some Americans…and go on living. Write books. Remember those in the past that helped forge the future: Samual Johnson and patriotism; how to stop wars; Edmond Burke. And Demi Moore. She being the one who instructed: put down the measuring stick.
AND WHAT DO YOU THINK?
In our world today there are no ordinary people. And there is no indifference in American Baseball. We hear and cheer the Star Spangled Banner and the game begins. And we are blessed with this wonderful thinker, Ken Burns!
So thanks for reading…and if you have some statement that we need to hear, SHARE! Brilliance is fleeting. The thought comes and goes. Hold on to it, put down the measuring stick. We are all thought-full people.
