One important passage I forgot to mention was the death last month of folk singer, social conscience, and fellow Unitarian
Utah Phillips at the age of 73, who once suggested that you know the Unitarians are protesting when you find a question mark burned on your lawn. Utah was a voice for many social causes, especially on behalf of workers, the downtrodden, and the environment. As Utah put it: “The earth is not dying, it is being killed, and those who are killing it have names and addresses.”
There’s an Asian connection, kind of. Utah once said he went to a zen acupuncturist…the doctor just closed his eyes, said a prayer, and used darts.
Apropos of this week, here’s a quote from Utah Phillips on freedom:
“The state can’t give you freedom, and the state can’t take it away. Freedom is something you’re born with, and then one day someone tries to deny it. The extent to which you resist is the extent to which you are free.”
Rest in peace, Utah.
2 responses so far ↓
1 Ken Wedding // Jun 8, 2008 at 2:12 am
Thanks for the sad news about Utah Phillips.
He was a Unitarian who was able to sing, probably because he wrote his own words. (The old joke is Unitarians can’t sing well during services because they’re always reading ahead to see if they agree with the words.)
And thanks for the great quote about freedom. I’d not seen it, but wonder if it showed up in lyrics I am not familiar with.
2 Jeremiah // Jun 10, 2008 at 7:43 am
Ken,
I had forgotten that great line about the Unitarians’ singing. Thanks for reminding me.
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