Spend It All

It was my great pleasure [always for pleasure] to spend a week at the Flaherty Seminar in 2011 with Les Blank. His films define generosity and what means to be fully present, and I borrow from filmdom's other great loss this week here as one way in this first, stunned moment of life after Les Blank to try and capture how I felt watching Les's films:

“Kindness” covers all of my political beliefs. No need to spell them out. I believe that if, at the end, according to our abilities, we have done something to make others a little happier, and something to make ourselves a little happier, that is about the best we can do. To make others less happy is a crime. To make ourselves unhappy is where all crime starts. We must try to contribute joy to the world. That is true no matter what our problems, our health, our circumstances. We must try. I didn’t always know this and am happy I lived long enough to find it out.

If we are fortunate enough that such a place exists in any realm, there must be beer, garlic, and cochon au lait in heaven. But my suspicion, thanks to Les, it that it is here, all around us, all the time, and all we need to do to attain it is be in its midst and strive to really see other people for the gorgeous beings they are.