Amidst the cacophony of 24/7 repetitive media about allegations of Republican Presidential candidate Donald Trump sexual misconduct and Democratic Candidate Hillary Clinton's mishandling of State Dept. emails and activities The Clinton Foundation, we were pleased to read the selection of Bob Dylan as this year's recipient of the Nobel Prize in literature.
The New York Times reported earlier today that:
Mr. Dylan, the poet laureate of the rock era, has been rewarded with the Nobel Prize in Literature, an honor that elevates him into the company of T. S. Eliot, Gabriel García Márquez, Toni Morrison and Samuel Beckett.
Mr. Dylan, 75, is the first musician to win the award, and his selection on Thursday is perhaps the most radical choice in a history stretching back to 1901. In choosing a popular musician for the literary world's highest honor, the Swedish Academy, which awards the prize, dramatically redefined the boundaries of literature, setting off a debate about whether song lyrics have the same artistic value as poetry or novels.
Wow! This is "heavy stuff"
In speeches and in our writings we have often quoted Dylan's lyrics from his legendary song, "Blowin In The Wind". Artists as diverse the Chad Mitchell Trio, Eddie Albert, Cher, Elvis Presley, Sam Cooke, Peter, Paul, and Mary, and Marlene Dietrich have performed and recorded it.
His lyrics are timeless and appropriate for our nation, and the world today when he asks:
How many roads must a man walk down
Before you call him a man?
How many seas must a white dove sail
Before she sleeps in the sand?Yes, and how many times must the cannonballs fly
Before they're forever banned?
The answer, my friend, is blowin' in the wind
The answer is blowin' in the windYes, and how many years can a mountain exist
Before it's washed to the sea?
Yes, and how many years can some people exist
Before they're allowed to be free?Yes, and how many times can a man turn his head
And pretend that he just doesn't see?The answer, my friend, is blowin' in the wind
The answer is blowin' in the wind
Voters in this 2016 Presidential election should reflect on Bob Dylan's questions before they cast their ballot.