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Songshi QuanUniting Humanity With Matt Harding
September 29th 2008 02:00
Uniting Humanity with Matt Harding
This Beagle has doggedly pursued and reported on examples of humanities decline. Article after article, example upon example, we have seen some of the worst elements of those we call our fellow humans. On a larger scale, the media bring us horrific stories of even worse atrocities committed against our own kind. Terrorism, murders, kidnappings, human slave traders, child abusers, the list goes on.
In an age of mass media, the internet, and computers that masquerade as phones, the world is now a much smaller place. We are connected to one another via new media such as U-Tube, Facebook, MSN Messenger, Yahoo Messenger and so many others.
Here I sit on the Gold coast, Australia and blog to you on a United States blog site on issues in Russia, Italy, and so forth. I receive feedback and comments from as far away as Sweden, the United Kingdom, Canada and Thailand. And, so it is, that with this revolution in world-spanning media comes the ability to touch millions of lives in a positive way with something as simple as song, video and dance. Ok, maybe I should have said movement instead of dance, but this Beagle is being positive today.
I am talking about Matt Harding and his renowned series of U-Tube clips – “Where the hell is Matt Harding?” (2008). What started with one man deciding to travel the world with a colleague and on an impulse doing his ‘silly dance’ on location at one of his destinations to be recorded by his friend, has exploded into an internet and social networking phenomenon that has captured the spirits of millions of people. No matter where you live, what language you speak, what religion or culture you call your own, you will find yourself smiling as you watch this amateur video clip and listen to the accompanying song titled “Praan” by Garry Schyman.
Most people won’t even understand the lyrics, (I know I don’t), and it won’t matter a whit. The angelic vocals are by 17 year old Palbasha Siddique in Bengali and the lyrics are adapted from a Rabindranath Tagore poem called “Stream of Life”, where the poet describes an epiphany in which he sees all of existence, from the natural world around him to the entire history of humanity, dancing with the same blood – the same stream of life. Really Long Link
The above link is a more detailed account of this truly remarkable compilation. And for an interview with Matt Harding by Jim Walsh, visit Really Long Link
For me, these few people – Matt Harding, Melissa Nixon, Garry Schyman, Palbasha Siddique have managed to reach out and touch the world. For a species capable of such unfathomable cruelty and senseless destruction, this video clip for me is a shining beacon of hope that as a race of beings, we are not totally without redemption.
It brings a tear to the eye to see people from all over the world join with Matt and dance, laugh, cheer and love as one. Why does it take something as simple as music and dance to demonstrate that we are not a world of nations, a world of differing religions, languages, tastes, cultures or colours. We are human.
It’s time to stop furthering the interests of self at the expense of others. It’s time to stop squabbling over pieces of land, differences in beliefs and religions. If you don’t do something exactly as I do, it does not make you wrong or less deserving of my respect. I do not need to tear someone else down and ridicule them to elevate myself in the eyes of others. There is room on the podium or dais for everyone.
I watched a man play poker the other night. He was deaf, although that has no real bearing at all on this example, except to say that at least he could not hear the derisive snickers of those around him. He played in a manner different to the “accepted” norm. He played cards that were considered ill suited to be a winning hand. The gallery of observers scoffed at his style of play and rolled their eyes when he revealed his cards, amazed that anyone would play such ‘garbage’. But, the man won, hand after hand, after hand. Although I did not keep count, he lost around 1 in 7 of the hands he played and out of sixty players; he was still playing at the final table where only 6 remained. Scoff all you like, but how he played seemed to work just fine for him.
I did not see if he won the night, but even had he won, the more seasoned, regular players would still be scoffing at his “beginners luck”, still laughing at his poor skills compared to their own vaunted talents. Of course, they had already lost and were part of the gallery.
It is intolerance of anything other then what we deem to be the “best way” that is one of the root causes of humanities continued in-fighting. The act of doing something differently does not automatically infer that how you do it is in any way inferior. It is just different.
Matt Harding didn’t care how people danced; he just wanted them to dance together.
For the Americans right now, preparing to vote for a new president, you do not have to ridicule a candidate to make your choice of the other candidate valid. There are now two choices and both of them have strengths and weaknesses. Both of them are human and both of them would strive to do the best they can for their people. Identify the positives rather then target the negatives. Vote for whom ever you like, but do not assassinate the character of their opponent as you pass them by, for it will achieve nothing and offer no additional support for your individual choice.
If you know of other examples of inspirational people uniting the globe under a positive auspice, then please let me know. Maybe we can help them make a difference.
Woof.
Business Beagle
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Comment by JeffersK
Comment by Songshi Quan
You're right, this does restore Faith in Humanity.