THE SCREAM

The feeling of empathy or sorrow for people in danger or facing tragedy and loss is one of the things that still give us me faith in humanity. The ripple effect in the aftermath of the brutal killing in Norway will spread far and wide. Young people with the energy, optimism and idealism of youth have had their futures stolen from them. We live in a society of cynicism and apathy and i love to see young people being passionate and articulate and wanting to make a difference instead of sitting around moping, moaning and sponging. I feel a sickness in the pit of my stomach at the thought of people being hunted down by this heartless madman and it brings to mind the picture above. It is THE SCREAM by Norwegian artist Edvard Munch showing an agonised figure against a blood red sky. The view in the background is Oslo. I feel it must sum up the feelings of helplessness and despair being felt by Mothers, Fathers, Brothers, Sisters, family and friends. A web of sorrow spreading wider and wider across borders, seas, cultures and beliefs. It is a reminder and wake up call to THE FACT that within our own circles there are people with so much hate and fear in their hearts that they have the potential to unleash varying degrees of hate and poison into our world. I hear it all the time, even in my local pub. That's why i'm all for allowing people a platform to vent there beliefs. Let people show their true colours. Let them join the debate because almost always in these situations they proudly display their ignorance in full view of the public. Take away the mystery and underground appeal of a secret society and you take away a huge part of it's attraction.
This weeks tragedy of lives being stolen, contrasts starkly with the wasted life and talent of Amy Winehouse. I have experienced the desperation of trying everything possible to bring someone back from the road of self destruction. The frustration and futility of watching a friend slip away until you almost expect the inevitability of that phone call, and when it happens you still ask 'what more could i have done?'

When i think of the friend i lost, my mind always conjures up images of the good times and the laughs we had and i try not to think of the damage he was doing to himself. When i think of Amy, i can't help wondering who was there for her, particularly backstage in Belgrade a few weeks ago. How was she allowed to take to that stage? Being seen in that state is a tragedy in itself as it was for Elvis and the contrast from that to the incredibly talented young singer songwriter we can see and hear on cd and dvd.
As a musician and lover of music i can't help selfishly thinking of the unwritten future songs from Amy, John, Buddy etc. Songs that we will never hear and i'm sure that the families of the young Norwegians will be painfully mourning the loss of so many bright futures and the positive energy that could have been added to our world . Sometimes when we close our eyes, we can hear that SCREAM.
Right now though we should strive to picture a better world.