Dear Kiantha: Living in harmony means finding value in each other

Dear Kiantha,

I recently returned to the Pacific Northwest after spending some time in Africa. I can’t quite put my finger on what I am feeling upon return, other than to say disconnected.

There was a sense of community that even as an outsider has changed me forever. I want to experience that here. Is it even possible to experience community in the United States in the same ways that community is experienced in villages around the world? The closeness, the genuine care for those around you. How do we get there as a community?

Dear Friend,

Yes, it is possible and yes, we can get there. However, how we get there is by first examining the root cause of us not being there. We must be willing to be gut-level honest about who we are and why we are the way that we are as a local community.

There is a saying that art imitates life. I believe this to be true. I have found insight to many of life’s challenges through the arts, particularly music. In 2004, tenor saxophonist Von Freeman born in 1922, released what has become one of my favorite albums, “The Great Divide.”

In this compilation is a mixture of both original pieces and Freeman’s interpretations of some his favorite standards. Freeman plays tribute to his major influences by representing the divide between vulnerability, muscular swing, and cerebral hipness. What makes the album so special and relevant is that nothing is left out. All is included and it is this inclusion that creates a symphonic masterpiece, a community of instruments and sound.

In truth, communities and villages around the world have discovered how to work in harmony, with each person lending a unique sound yet complimenting the whole. No one is left behind, no one is excluded.

The great divide for us here in the United States is in our inability to value each member of society without regard to their class and socio-economic status. Imagine for a moment a community where a political figure like a mayor or governor was equally regarded as a person with minimal resources. Both being deserving of food, shelter, opportunity and dignity. Is that not what is demonstrated in communities and in villages around the world?

This is not to say that there is no divide or deference in villages or tribal communities however, the line of divide is much thinner. We can have that kind of community. One in which we all live in harmony, but it will take us first seeing each other as one. One song, many instruments. All valued equally for our individual offerings.

Soul to soul,

Kiantha

Dear Kiantha can be read Fridays in The Spokesman-Review. To submit a question, email DearKiantha@gmail.com.