Hardin and Weaver were the dominant morning radio co-hosts for the going-to=work drive in DC in the 1980’s. Right before the 7:00 AM news update, they would finish their broadcast hour with a morning hymn.
I was reminded of this practice in this observation by academic Ti,pthy Snyder from his current trip to Ukraine. In a front line town, he describes moments of incredible kindness by residents living under never ending threats of drone attacks. He writes:
Always be kind.
Does kindness seem like a naive message during a war of extermination? Not to me. I admire friendly parents and kind children in the best of times, and I will admire them in the worst of times.
To defend you have to have something to defend. It will always be out of reach, but it matters whether or not you are reaching, or teaching others to reach.
The following anthem, Until Love is Spoken, was written in 2022 during Covid. But the words are appropirate for today’s’fraught circumstances. In this interview the composer Karen Marolli relates her musical background.
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OZq7gLsRfrg&t=216s)
The words call for community engagement and hope. One verse is:
And when our path of justice leads us to the dreadful fight,
Grant us vigor and entrust us with the power to do what is right,
Grant us courage to be kind,
Grant us singleness of mind to free the world from hate and fear,
So only love is spoken here.
While not overtly religous in tone, it celebrates the power of purpose for a cause. Or, what matters is that your are reaching or teaching others to reach.