On the Stephen Colbert show last week, Sir Ian McKellan delivered an impromptu monologue from the play Sir Thomas More, with some lines added, it is nowadays believed, by William Shakespeare himself. What a powerful statement against the hate-fueled cruelty of unthinking mobs, then and now.
Shakespeare was not merely good with words: he saw through human nature and understood what makes people tick; and always upheld a kind-hearted, broad-minded Christian morality. This is the sort of thing one ought to gain from a study of good literature, properly taught.
Today, St. George's Day, is the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare's death, and much as I admire his genius, I am loath to repeat the many praises and tributes flooding the intertubes on this occasion. Instead, I offer my truckbuddies the chance to reacquaint themselves with the entirety of his marvelous oeuvre by way of the spirited efforts of the renowned Reduced Shakespeare Company, who, with typical American gusto, specialize in presenting the Bard's complete works onstage in just an hour and a half - believe it or not. A sample of their work:
Should anyone care to watch the whole performance, he can do so here, in a somewhat better video version. It may also be available on Netflix.
Lord, make me an instrument of your peace. Where there is hatred, let me sow love; where there is injury, pardon; where there is discord, harmony; where there is doubt, faith; where there is despair, hope; where there is darkness, light; where there is sadness, joy. Grant that I may seek not so much to be consoled as to console; to be understood as to understand; to be loved as to love. For it is in giving that we receive; it is in pardoning that we are pardoned; and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life. Amen.
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We cannot all do great things, but we can do small things with great love.
and welcome to the Blue Truck, a blog for mature gay men with news and views on gay rights, history, art, humor, and whatever comes to mind. Plus a few hot men. The truck's all washed and gassed up, so hop in buddy, let's go.
CAUTION: For mature gay men only beyond this point. Some posts and links may not be suitable for children or the unco guid. You have been warned.
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Churches say that the expression of love in a heterosexual monogamous relationship includes the physical, the touching, embracing, kissing, the genital act - the totality of our love makes each of us grow to become increasingly godlike and compassionate. If this is so for the heterosexual, what earthly reason have we to say that it is not the case with the homosexual?
It is a perversion if you say to me that a person chooses to be homosexual. You must be crazy to choose a way of life that exposes you to a kind of hatred. It's like saying you choose to be black in a race-infected society.
If God, as they say, is homophobic, I wouldn't worship that God.
