Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes

What change, big or small, would you like your blog to make in the world?

Once again, the prompt kicks in an earworm that will be with me the rest of the day.

As for the prompt itself: I’ve become a bit cynical over the years about effecting change in the world. I spent 31 years as a college professor trying to educate students, not just in theatre, but in critical thinking, creativity, and the art of being human. (Note: no grooming for liberal or progressive thinking, though by suggesting that all people are created equal, I might be accused of such a thing.) But in the past few years that became an uphill battle, as students arrived unprepared for college and often unwilling to learn.

So how does a random blog effect world change? Since it’s a part of my literary and creative output, I’m hoping that people will read this, and maybe check out my books or listen to my podcast. And since I call the podcast, Audio Chimera, “A subversive podcast taking refuge in the Sanctuary of Allegory about the fragility of memory,” I try (often subtly, with allegory) to present ideas that will help shape the future: let’s worry about things like racism, water usage, and global climate change, because ignoring them won’t make them go away.

In my directing, even when I selected a farce, I looked at the deeper significance of the play. At Berkeley, surrounded by a tradition of academic thought and the legacy of the Free Speech Movement, I realized everything is political, and that idea serves as a background layer to everything I do.

Can I change the world with my blog, books, podcast, and shows? Maybe not. But I won’t stop trying.