Leonid Goldin | There is no escape from fate

Escapism is an attempt to escape from unpleasant reality through
entertainment, fantasy, and other forms of activity that allow you to transition mentally and emotionally to another state.
Wikipedia

Save our souls

Science, new technologies, and liberal democracy promise to bring the world into the realm of reason and well-being, and they are increasingly invading all spheres of being and thinking. However, the world and the state of public consciousness are being plunged into chaos and unpredictability. Medical statistics are full of evidence of increasing mental illness, antisocial, and deviant behavior. Psychiatry and pharmacology thrive, but fail to cope with the crisis of the mind and often exacerbate it. It is not the client who should be treated in the first place, but society, the environment, the way of being, the meaning of existence. Who, when, and how to cope with this task is an unanswerable question. And if we do not put special hopes on authorities and heavenly powers, we should think about what we can do here and now, with our strength and capabilities.

Biological nature and human psyche have not been sufficiently adapted to the abundance of information uncontrollably falling on a human being, which is dominated by manipulation, aggression, ignorance, obvious lies, and meaningless noise. To understand, to check, and to separate grain from chaff in everyday life is an impossible task for many people. But some palliative solutions are possible. Experts and common sense strongly advise limiting time and access to information sources. The recommendations do not apply only to schoolchildren; a pensioner often spends as much time at the computer and TV as a student or an office clerk. Electronic addiction is no better than any other. It’s not just a waste of time. Most seriously, there are cognitive health consequences, intellectual and emotional degradation.

[adinserter block=”7″][adinserter block=”8″]Going into hermitages, caves, forests, and deserts, not everyone has the guts, and few people are attracted to it. But in recent years, spiritual and meditation retreats, Vipassana (silence and self-contemplation), are proliferating; you can go away for a long time in Tibet or a weekend not far from home. There are classical ashrams with a long tradition, and New Age centers promising liberation from worldly vanity and enlightenment of consciousness, balance of mind and senses.

Churches and synagogues are biblically commanded to serve as sanctuaries of soul healing, rapprochement, and hope. I can’t judge the churches, but Reform, Reconstructionist, and many conservative synagogues have replaced religion with liberal ideology and have become propaganda centers for the Democratic Party, focusing on fighting Trump, criticizing Israel, supporting illegal immigrants, minorities of color, and gays.

Since ancient times, there have been religious retreats offering deep dives into biblical texts and commentaries. The study of Kabbalah gained popularity not only among Jews. The tradition required a strict selection of candidates and teachers; today, it is available to all creditworthy aspirants and enterprising mentors with dubious credentials. But perhaps someone can find a path to mental harmony and the realization of higher meaning.

Many corporate leaders put aside the worries of profit and power for a while and travel to faraway lands for stress relief and soul salvation. Yuval Harari, historian and philosopher, super bestselling author, media superstar, favorite of the kings of the universe, regularly attends ashrams and Vipassana meditation and silence in India, lasting up to two months. Without a computer, phone, or other sources of information. His example is not a science to everyone; it will help to some, and to some, it will be depressing.

It is possible to limit oneself to not-so-radical and inexpensive measures. The first step, clearly beneficial and affordable, is to give up participation in social networks. 75% of Americans use social media, and for many, it has become an uncontrollable obsession, no better than drugs. The promise to connect, understand, unite people, expand their worldview, and mental space has turned into loneliness, social alienation, or political bigotry for many. Many social media have become a breeding ground for hatred, intolerance, aggression, lies, fraud, perversion, and pornography.

The negative impact of social media on physical and mental well-being, perceptions of people and relationships, impoverished thinking and speech are inevitable consequences of living on networks that supplant real life. Government and corporate controls, technological protections, and doctors’ advice do little to help. It takes a conscious decision and an effort of will.

The influence of television is not much better. News reports gravitating toward sensationalism, scandals, and tragedies are a powerful source of fear and anxiety. According to the American Psychological Association, 83% of Americans who regularly use the media are stressed about the future of the country, and 73% are overwhelmed by information about the endless crises in the country and in the world. Paradoxically, in the face of an avalanche of information, most feel confused, find it difficult to adequately understand and evaluate what is happening, and to make a decision. The majority selects only sources close to their beliefs that confirm their opinion and mood.

There is an obvious correlation between the growth of radicalism and extremism, social antagonisms, alcoholism, and drug addiction, and the amount of media information consumed. Recently, there have been many articles and books with a radical call: Unsubscribe From Everything! But few people follow the call; there is neither strength nor desire to break the attachment. “Abandon hope, everyone who enters here” is the inscription over the gates of hell in Dante’s Divine Comedy.

[adinserter block=”10″][adinserter block=”11″]I’m in a better position. The computer and the internet never appealed to me. When all learning changed from live communication to electronics, students fell into a computer-telephone obsession, and lost the ability to listen, think, and speak and write clearly, I realized that my long career in teaching was over. Online propaganda played a major role in turning educational institutions into centers of anti-Semitic bacchanalia. I was not attracted to social networks for finding and communicating with friends, either; in my opinion, they are at best a waste of time, a surrogate for relationships, and at worst narcissistic and exhibitionistic.

A complete rejection of modern media is unrealistic and unjustified. There are quite worthy and indispensable sources. For me, they are Tablet, Jewish News Syndicate, materials from The Heritage Foundation, the Zionist Organization of America, and sites devoted to classical art and literature. The trouble is that there is a hundred times more internet filth.

I listen only to classical music on TV, and when my life partner listens to Farid Zachariah on CNN on Sundays, I leave home. I have more trust in newspapers and magazines; they are more responsible and professional, and you can stop, reread, think, and make notes in the margins. But lately, even the respectful press has increasingly become a tool of the parties’ struggle.

“Beauty will save the world.” Or will it not?

The famous maxim from Dostoevsky’s “The Idiot” finds little confirmation in real life. Art is no less politicized than education and media; there are messages and statements everywhere, and cultural figures win popularity and recognition not so much by masterpieces as by declarations and participation in the party struggle.

My life partner and I decided on an experiment: on the occasion of her birthday, to disconnect fcompletely from the flow of information for a week, and instead, every day to be at the opera, ballet, concert, or Broadway theater. Our choice – nothing topical, no current affairs, no politics or fight for truth and justice, art for art’s sake and soul salvation!

We started our retreat with opera, this genre is harder to adapt to the newsfeed. At the Metropolitan Opera, much of the repertoire is classical, has a multinational cast, and is less influenced by political debates and the latest news. We chose Richard Strauss’s “Salome” and Giacomo Puccini’s “La Bohème.”

The opera Salome is a loose retelling of the biblical legend of Salome, daughter of Herodias, stepdaughter of King Herod, and the prophet Jokanaan (John the Baptist). The era of decline and decay, the moral degradation of the Roman Empire. Despotic, uncontrolled power, immense wealth, exotic beauty of everyday life, but the whole atmosphere is permeated with agony, anxiety, and gloomy forebodings. The voice of the prophet carries the truth, but he is in chains and in a dungeon under guard.

Salome is distraught; the prophet’s speech thrills and attracts her, but she too is at the mercy of pathology, possessed by a pernicious erotic passion. The prophet rejects her claims, and the princess is ready for cruel revenge. In response to Herod’s request to dance for him, she demands only one reward: the prophet’s head, and receives it on a silver platter.

The events take place in Israel, and Salome is a Jewish princess. Herod and Herodias are the biblical bearers of evil, with the blood of many innocent victims on their hands. Among the characters in the opera are Jewish theologians. There are endless disputes, divisions in Israel, and under these conditions, the country has been unable to maintain its independence. The associations with modernity do not only concern the centuries-old strife between Jews. The Roman Empire, the cradle of Western civilization, perished under the invasion of barbarians. Salome’s manic desire for the prophet’s head is reminiscent of the pathological ambition of Trump’s opponents, obsessed with getting his head at any cost.

Opera usually has a tragic ending. “La Bohème,” one of the world’s most beloved and frequently performed operas, is no exception. The content is well known: young, talented poet, painter, musician, actress, flower girl (each character had real prototypes) want love and honest service to art, but cruel reality dooms them to irresistible tragedy. Puccini himself wrote: “When I finished the opera, I cried like a child….. I thought I had lost my child.”

[adinserter block=”13″][adinserter block=”16″]The plot is noble, the music, voices, and orchestra are beautiful, the listener with sentiments and empathy experiences seriously, and not only from sympathy for the characters, but  also thinking about himself. As one reviewer wrote, “Love is too fragile feeling for this world.” For the brave new world of the marketplace and high technology, even more so.

The ballet program at City Center featured some of the country’s leading companies and soloists: the New York City Ballet Theatre, American Ballet Theatre, Alvin Ailey and Parsons Theatres, and a large group of independent artists. The charity program, established 15 years ago, raises funds to benefit the American Cancer Society. Nearly all of the participants have dedicated their performances to their family members and friends affected by cancer.

The choreographies presented are mostly contemporary. The technique is impeccable, the audience is delighted, but if you were brought up on “Swan Lake” and “Giselle”, there are doubts about where and why classical ballet is going. The program even includes a “Ladies of hip hop” number.

The goals of the performers and the audience are noble – to help the country’s health care system, which, although the most expensive in the world, with the highest per capita costs, serves primarily the medical and pharmaceutical complex, not the citizens. Americans’ physical and mental health and life expectancy are lower than in most developed countries in the world. This will be the case with any reforms as long as medicine and pharmacology remain a private, super-profitable business with a powerful political lobby. Moreover, under the current welfare system, the idle and manipulative are often better off than the law-abiding hardworking taxpayer.

The other ballet on our program is Strauss and Lehar’s Viennese Waltzes at New York City’s Ballet Theatre, choreographed by George Balanchine, a spring gala performance. Waltzes gained popularity in the eighteenth century in the palaces of the aristocracy, but soon the common folk followed the fashionable dance as well. Balanchine brought the waltz closer to modern dance. The waltz entered everyday life, it was danced in restaurants, clubs, city parks, and at family and friendship gatherings. Now the waltz, elegant, graceful, charming, can be seen at a ballroom dancing competition, but in everyday life, it gave way to variations of hip hop, freestyle and hardstyle, aggressive, rough, dirty body movement under the wild, to take out the brain instrumental accompaniment, which is a sin to call music.

One of the most vivid musical experiences of my youth was Van Cliburn’s victory at the Tchaikovsky Competition in 1958. During the height of the Cold War, his victory was not only a musical sensation but also a political one. He became a national hero in his homeland and an idol to Soviet music lovers.

Cliburn studied at Juilliard with Rosina Levina, an immigrant from Russia, and his repertoire included Tchaikovsky’s First Concerto as his crowning number. Richter and Gilels were among the jury members, and the recognition of the American pianist was unanimous. We stood outside the National Hotel until late at night, sang “Moscow Evenings”, lit candles, and Cliburn went out on the balcony, crying.

Since 1962, there has been a Cliburn competition in America. The last one was won by Sunwo Yekwon. We listened to him in Carnegie Hall, the program included Robert and Clara Schumann, Chopin, and Rachmaninoff. Asian musicians gravitate toward European Romantic repertoire, relying less on philosophical insight and emotional perception than on technical mastery. In diligence and discipline, they are impeccable, many of them virtuosos. But Cliburn was above all a musician of deep and subtle emotional experiences, not learned, not imitated, but personal, reflecting inner states and perceptions of the world. His brilliant technique served to express his deep contemplations and experiences and was not an end in itself.

Asian musicians dominate the classical scene today, just as Jews did until recently. The future lies with Asians, but still there are no Heifitz, Horowitz, Oistrakh, Gilels, Rubinstein, Minukhin among them.

It was not just the talent of the musicians. The listener was different, with different cultural values and expectations. The great musician was a prophet, not an entertainer. The genesis of music, perception, and attitude to it is a reliable illustration of the dynamics of social consciousness, moral, and aesthetic values. Musical classics still occupy a prominent place in culture, but their share in the number of listeners and in the sales market is only two or three percent.

Jazz and musicals do not appeal to me, and devoting two evenings to them was not my choice. On the occasion of my life partner’s birthday, I resigned myself to it.

In times past, jazz was central to the American musical entertainment. Legendary names in the genre were world-renowned. We listened to one of the last Mohicans of the great jazz era, Vince Glordano and his gang at Birdland, one of the last of the famous jazz clubs. The club has been around for 75 years, and all the world’s superstars of the genre have performed here.

The program was music from the 20s and 40s. Saxophones, trumpets, and drums behaved moderately and dignified, without pathos and hysteria. It’s not for me to judge the quality of the performance, but I can repeat the words of a classicist: “Nothing annoys me in this music.”; it is interesting and pleasant to listen to it, even without being a fanatic. I don’t understand how jazz has been displaced by the massively wild modern repertoire. Bach and Shostakovich may not be for everyone, but jazz is easy to understand, and there is no malice and aggression in it.

Our plan of cultural escapism has generated a lot of controversy beyond the musical arts. There were many bright, pleasant, interesting impressions, but also many not at all happy associations with modern life. The perception of art is always connected with the place, time, and personality of the listener and viewer. But sometimes the phenomenon of culture or anti-culture goes beyond personal perception and truly becomes an epochal event reflecting the change of historical paradigms and perceptions.

The musical “Hamilton” has won countless awards, including 11 Tonys, a Grammy, and even the Pulitzer Prize, which recognizes artistic and intellectual excellence. “Hamilton” has been called a “major cultural phenomenon.” He became part of the ideology of “Woke” (awakening), “Critical Racial Theory,” and “Identity Politics,” aimed at revising the fundamentals of American history. Hillary Clinton drove her most generous donors to the show. Leading critics were delighted. Even the great Mel Brooks echoed the praise.

The musical has been on Broadway for 10 years, has been shown in the movie, but the halls are full, even though for the price of a ticket, you can hear an opera or a Beethoven symphony three times. There is constant hysterical screaming on stage, the overwhelming rumble of the recording, jumping, waving arms, scenes of intoxicated psychosis. I don’t judge by myself, but those who grew up in America have a hard time understanding the text and the logic of events. Perhaps the play even benefits from this. It is impossible to think, to critically evaluate, in this atmosphere.

The musical is praised for its enlightening role and innovation. The author compares Hamilton to modern rappers – the great politician, like the rappers, grew up in poverty. The country’s founders were highly educated intellectuals and treated the values of Western Civilization as sacred; it is hard to see anything in common in their worldview with today’s progressives, who seek to destroy it.

The founding fathers, the leaders of the country, are all black on stage. There is innovation and prediction in such stage decision-making. At the time of the American Revolution, whites made up 80% of the country’s population. Today, there are over 8 billion people in the world, and whites are about 8%, and their proportion is steadily declining. If history follows the path of liberal democracy and the borders remain open, the picture presented in “Hamilton” will be realized in the not-too-distant future.

[adinserter block=”14″][adinserter block=”17″]My life partner knows and loves musicals, She started a great career on stage from the famous “West Side Story”; it is one of the treasured memories of her life. I don’t have the experience to compare and judge, but I have seen “The Producers”, and fondly remember that play. But at “Hamilton,” we both regretted the time spent and the ticket price.

I want to mention one more concert: the Shostakovich Piano Quintet, performed at the home of our friend, clarinetist Joseph Rosen. Joseph began his career as a professional musician, then went into automobile racing, heading the Ferrari Club. After sports, he opened a music store, and in retirement, he regularly hosts classical music concerts at his home on Broadway. Attendance is free, and he covers all expenses, including payment to guest musicians. 40-50 people show up, and the atmosphere is free and friendly. Joseph, his Korean wife, Christina, and a small mixed-blood dog, Paz, are very friendly, welcoming, and hospitable.

All would be well, but there is also politics involved. Joseph is a staunch liberal Democrat, and he can’t imagine how a modern thinking person could support Trump. And in my mind, I can’t see how a sane Jew could vote for Obama, Biden, and Harris, under whom anti-Semitism has risen to the level of a national crisis and shame. But for now, Joseph still sends me invitations, for which I thank him.

The outcome of our experiment is this: even if one reads and listens to nothing, and tries to find refuge in the temples of high art, the atmosphere of place and time will not allow to isolate and detach oneself from the realities of existence. But I do not consider our experiment unsuccessful and depressing. We live in an interesting, momentous time of great changes and revelations, decisive battles for the salvation of civilization. There is much to observe and much to think about. “Blessed is he who has visited this world in its fateful moments” – Fyodor Tyutchev.