IT HURTS ME TOO

The song, “It Hurts Me Too,” written by the great Elmore James, is a rare song by a man stridently singing out against abuse. This time we’re in, it hurts me too and it hurts all of you. It hits and hurts some people way more than others. None of us are immune. It calls for a world-wide upwelling of compassion.

So many feelings – frustration, love, sadness, anger, fear, hopelessness – are circulating - some from our everyday lives, some from the sensationalistic “news”, some from mental and emotional habit.  Most healthy may be first to sit with and cultivate compassion.  Compassion comes from the root words meaning “to suffer together.” Immunity, interestingly enough, comes from words meaning “exempt from public service.”  “Community” is the opposite of immunity; it comes from root words meaning, “a willingness to serve one’s community.”  Immunity is based on the idea of defending ourselves against pathogens coming from the “outside” world. Community is the opposite – serving together. Community implies not a defended individualist posture, but rather seeing oneself as part of the larger whole, nourished by the world around and within us and giving back to this world.

With compassion, everything we do can become a contribution to the health of our community.

I acutely mourn the loss of friends and the vast numbers of people I don’t know who suffer or who have died during the last few years.

In tribute to them, I am trying to keep compassion foremost.

Here is my version of “It Hurts Me Too.”

And, it was too raw until recently, I am posting here a “Song for Ira” written in honor of my dear friend, Ira Dekoven, who died just about 5 years ago.  The photo is of us playing together as we accompanied each other through the early years of our lives.

“We don’t know why we live or we die.  Try dying or die trying, it’s all right, either way.”