Should art reflect world incidents and accidents, or be refuge from life’s dramas and disasters?  With today’s communications networks, a catastrophe on the other side of the planet quickly becomes a tragedy for us all.

This past week my daily thoughts and prayers have been focused on Japan and their earthquake survivors.  Times like these I am both thankful for the opportunity to make art, and reflective on the value of it’s creation.

On a totally different note, I couldn’t help take notice that Charlie Sheen’s upcoming show in Detroit sold out in minutes. I wonder what people are paying to see?  At least, the press for the event does mention that $1 from each ticket sold will be donated to the Red Cross Japanese earthquake relief fund.

I’m not sure what to make of the juxtaposition of innocent people having their lives torn apart by the ravages of this earthquake with the media circus focused on this actor addled by addiction.  Maybe it’s a cautionary tale to live each day as well as you can. Some people have tragic lives because of poor choices, others do all the right things and yet circumstances beyond their control dramatically change their lives forever.  I’m still struggling with what I can do, or should do in the shadow of this.

I think of this Anne Lamott quote “Life is like a recycling center, where all the concerns and dramas of humankind get recycled back and forth across the universe. But what you have to offer is your own sensibility, maybe your own sense of humor or insider pathos or meaning. All of us can sing the same song, and there will still be four billion different renditions.”

The piece below is one I started after September 11, 2001.  It’s evolved over time.

"Red, White and Blue Legacy"