September 12, 2015 by IdealisticRebel

Blowing in the Wind

Fifty years ago, there was a folk song that was played frequently on the radio. The song was “Blowin’ in the Wind.” The Vietnam War was going on and so many Vietnamese and our boys were killed. We had a draft here in America and dinner was spent in front of the television. They pulled the numbers of the brothers, friends, boyfriends, cousins that were going to have to go to war. Needless to say, it was gruesome.

The song signified all the questions we had about life on this world. Why people wanted to fight wars. Why we wanted to hurt other human beings. Why life was so dangerous. Some of you will remember this song and many of you will experience for the first time. I hope it makes everyone think. I hope everyone thinks before it is too late.

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Where have all the Flowers Gone?

Pete Seeger wrote this song to remind us that when we wage war, we are destroying ourselves. We lose so much during wars. We lose lives, we lose nature and we lose ourselves. It is 2015, and we still haven’t learned.

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What I am saying is that war has never fixed anything…not ever.

Namaste

Barbara

September 5, 2015 by IdealisticRebel

This Land is Your Land

This land is your land

–Woody Guthrie

This land is my land
From California to the New York island
From the red wood forest to the Gulf Stream waters
This land was made for you and Me

As I was walking that ribbon of highway
I saw above me that endless skyway
I saw below me that golden valley
This land was made for you and me

I’ve roamed and rambled and I followed my footsteps
To the sparkling sands of her diamond deserts
And all around me a voice was sounding
This land was made for you and me

When the sun came shining, and I was strolling
And the wheat fields waving and the dust clouds rolling
As the fog was lifting a voice was chanting
This land was made for you and me

As I went walking I saw a sign there
And on the sign it said “No Trespassing”
But on the other side it didn’t say nothing
That side was made for you and me

In the shadow of the steeple I saw my people
By the relief office I seen my people
As they stood there hungry, I stood there asking
Is this land made for you and me?

Nobody living can ever stop me
As I go walking that freedom highway
Nobody living can ever make me turn back
This land was made for you and me

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America is founded on one idea: That ALL are created equal. Regardless of color, country of origin, religion, ethnicity, sexuality, social class, education, economic status, this land belongs to us all.

May there be no quarrels. May there be no hatred, because truly, this land was made for you and me.

Rest in Peace, Pete Seeger

Namaste,
Barbara

February 18, 2015 by IdealisticRebel

The Magic of Folk Music

Today’s post is dedicated to the folk music movement that enjoyed great popularity in the 60’s and 70’s. I grew up listening to the Beatles and Pete Seeger. The Beach Boys and Arlo Guthrie. So as you can see, it was Rock and Folk back then. Folk music is the music of the people. It’s lyrics deal with poverty, injustice and suffering.

I went to a Pete Seeger concert and took my husband, we sat in the grass and the entire audience sang with the band and the birds joined in with enthusiasm. We felt connected to every other person we could see. Pete has passed now but the beauty of his music endures.

Folk music deals with the lives of “the masses”. The lyrics dealt with the coal miners, the railroad workers, the poor and the ill. It deals with those who are out of work and hungry. Those children who quit school to go to work to prevent the family from starving.

It also celebrates every life, big and successful or small and difficult. Folk music sees us all as equal and essential to the life of this planet. We are all one human species, and dwell upon this planet without borders. What effects you, effects me even if I don’t realize it. I am sure you know many of these songs and I hope you might enjoy singing along.

There is no difference between religions, skin color, ethnicity or how much money you have. It may seem like there are differences, but there aren’t inside where “we really live.” Inside we are all the same, the children of God. We have bodies that work the same and we are all loved by the Divine. Folk music promotes peace and the atrocities of war. I hope you enjoy my offering today.

PovertyisAWeaponofMassDestruc

Khalil Gibran's heart

WeCon

photographed and copyrighted by Barbara Mattio 2015

Photographed and copyrighted by Barbara Mattio 2014

HarmPosi

January 28, 2014 by IdealisticRebel

Pete Seeger

I grew up listening to folk music. Pete Seeger and Arlo Guthrie sang the words that stirred within our hearts. His songs were authentic and real. He has died and we have lost an important bit of Americana. His voice will remain a reminder to all of us of his generation of the incredible lightness of his heart. He cared about all people and lived the way he sang.

I can remember a beautiful summer afternoon sitting on the grass in a field. I and others were there to hear Pete Seeger sing, as only Pete could sing. It was a wonderful concert and a bright memory in my mind and heart. Parents were sitting listening intently and the children were running around in rhythm with his banjo. I am sad that he is gone, but his voice and talent will ever remain a reminder of his words and tunes. His grandson has been touring with him the last few years and I am sure he will carry on with his grandfather’s legacy and also develop his own style too.