The Authorial Rabbit wept at news of the death of John Prine. AR is not alone in mourning his loss, one of our era’s greatest songwriters. His poignant art described our beleaguered and imperfect humanity with deep insight and compassion. He was a gentle, loving man of enormous talent and resolve. Perhaps one of his finest gifts was his generosity of spirit to the young as he aged. AR’s condolences to his wife and family and all who knew him.
Losing him is to mourn a generation, all generations, ourselves, to mourn everyone who must die, everyone everywhere, and in particular those who are dying now and their loved ones who remain to remember and to suffer.
Here are two of his performances, selected because one was near the start of his career and one near the end.
In our renewed collective awakening to the fragility of human life as a result of this virus, we must plan for a better future. CBC news correspondent Alexander Panetta provides a valuable history lesson on the Spanish flu and its effect on the years following that pandemic.
The New York Times Editorial Board in today’s “Opinion” presents another history lesson for America in this regard and offers a plan. The virus is a terror; it is also an opportunity, and we who live should reject hate and build upon love, which is the true foundation of our survival.
J. B. Thompson 