The Blue Moon Calls– At West End Gallery
I allow myself to hope that the world will emerge from its present troubles, that it will one day learn to give the direction of its affairs, not to cruel swindlers and scoundrels, but to men possessed of wisdom and courage. I see before me a shining vision: a world where none are hungry, where few are ill, where work is pleasant and not excessive, where kindly feeling is common, and where minds released from fear create delight for eye, ear and heart. Do not say this is impossible. It is not impossible. I do not say it can be done tomorrow, but l do say that it could be done within a thousand years, if only men would bend their minds to the achievement of the kind of happiness that should be distinctive of man.
— Bertrand Russell, Human Society in Ethics and Politics (1954)
…a shining vision: a world where none are hungry, where few are ill, where work is pleasant and not excessive, where kindly feeling is common, and where minds released from fear create delight for eye, ear and heart…
That is my New Year’s wish. It may seem a naive request, especially given where we are as a country and species at this given moment. It might seem an impossible task but, as Russell states, it is not.
It may take much time to achieve, spanning many generations and even centuries. Maybe many centuries or even a thousand years as Russell wrote.
Unfortunately, we have become such creatures of instant gratification that anything that requires effort and time is viewed as impossible and not worth even the effort required to start since many of us will not live to see it through to completion nor reap its rewards.
That is, of course, a short-sighted view, one that discounts the incremental improvements in our world that might come as we progress along the long path towards the desired goals. There have been times in my lifetime when I have thought we were beginning to make real inroads toward this goal, that it well be possible in the near future.
But the cruel swindlers and scoundrels that Russell recognized over 70 years ago were never fully vanquished and, realizing that if the goal were to be achieved their ability to operate corruptly would be eliminated, plotted and worked feverishly to destroy any signs of progress. They knew that we are an impatient people, easily swayed by fears and the shine of empty promises. They knew many would likely quickly throw up their hands in submission and our journey forward would stall and possibly fail.
That seems to be where we are today, at least as I see it. One man’s opinion.
But I hold fast to that goal as Russell described above as my New Year’s wish on this first day of 2026. We may not achieve it soon. Most likely will not in my lifetime. But let us be satisfied with being known as the people that had the resolve and willpower to put us back on that path of progress toward that goal.
Let us hope that history and future generations are able to view our efforts in this time not with scorn and revulsion but with kindness and gratitude.
Happy New Year.
As an example of what might be achieved with minds released from fear– Russell’s delight for eye, ear and heart– here is the late and legendary Flamenco guitarist Paco de Lucia with his Entre dos aguas from 1976. Interestingly, this song began as a recorded improvisation to fill out his first album. The album bombed badly and was pulled from circulation. But soon after this song took hold and the album was rediscovered, becoming the basis for a remarkable career.
His playing here seems impossible to most guitarists, but it has been done.
A lesson in there somewhere.
Redtree Times 