One of the great truths of Buddhism is that suffering is. Not that suffering is because of something....but that suffering just is. We lost one of our number in the music community in DFP this week. I didn't know him, but the thing about community is that any loss presents a ripple effect.

For most of us, it lies in the fact that the kid in question accidentally bumped into a car at a gas station, and then the guy whose car was hit instigated a high speed chase which left the 24 year old kid dead because of road rage.

There's nothing you can say or do to soften violence. There's nothing you can say or do to take it back.

In the face of violence and hatred that strong, there are few things as comforting to me as the fact that I'm a musician and a teacher. Music gives me a voice stronger and more powerful than all the violence in the world. It gives me peace and a sense of calm in the midst of suffering, and most importantly, it keeps me in the moment. Teaching gives me hope. My freshmen drive me crazy with 3am emails, with their inability to remember that they're emailing their TA instead of their buddies; but they're all good kids. They try hard and they care about each other. What better view of the future can we hope for?

Peace, Love, and Tunes,

Mac.