Auditions

When a singer auditions for another
person a lot of things go through the mind.

How important am I, How good am I?

What do I have to offer this person(conductor, listener, judge)?

What do I expect to gain from this? best case... worst case...

How good is good enough?

The answers to these questions are central to a professional singer's
life. The most interesting thing for me today, is that the answers
apply no matter a a person's role. When we are certain in who we are
and what our role/position is.. all of the difficult things in life,
become so much easier... We have a reason to get up in the morning, we
are able to plan and actually execute/accomplish things in our earthly
domain. I sang today for a conductor in whom I now have a lot of
respect. He listened, was warm and courteous, and no matter what he
actually thought of my "performance", he was appreciative of my time,
as I was of his. We each audition for everyone around us, all day,
every day. The best part of my audtion today, was that I was
comfortable and he was comfortable. We were getting to know one
another...

It seems to me that whenever possible, the relationship and context
are paramount, and must always precede the judgment part of our
personalities. I know that talk is cheap, and that we do all tend to
judge each other, figure out the pecking order, and then tailor our
communication accordingly. This is the REAL world, but I have to
believe that in order to better ourselves, we must seek out a new
path, a new approach. The system we live in, loves to create castes.
Even when those castes are not mandated by law, we as humans give them
credibility by supporting them subconsciously. For change to occur,
energy must be spent. Each person must make take action. If we
remain, passive and refuse to embrace change, the one thing we can be
certain of is that nothing will change. A new world, starts with
understanding a vision linked with our mission. We make decisions
every day in how we treat one another, how we judge, who we talk or
don't talk with.. Maybe we should be begin to approach our daily life
audition focusing more on what we have to offer, and less about what
we expect to get. This perception and action approach is certainly
different from today, but it can happen. It only takes patience and
time. Lets think of a new "vision" for a second.... just imagine....
some new paradigms.

We are all valuable, each to his own ideal, skill, approach. Clearly,
we have different things to offer, but in the grand scheme, we all do
need each other. We are all part of a body, or a constantly changing
story, not a machine. When we meet a new person, our first reaction
is to treat them as the most important person in our life. We
sometimes extend our relationships and "hire" one another to do work,
but even that exchange is based on the search for diversity, not on
judging... We are not "better" than one another, we simply are
different. We embrace our diversity, and we celebrate that God makes
each of us special and unique.

Strangely, I don't think this idea is new... it is an old thought,
just one that we have interpreted, and manipulated so much that it is
virtually unrecognizable.

My scripture passage for this post.

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.

Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they
will be filled.

Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy.

Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.

Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for
theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all
kinds of evil against you falsely on my account.

Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for in the
same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

You are the salt of the earth; but if salt has lost its taste, how can
its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything, but is
thrown out and trampled under foot.

“You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hid.

No one after lighting a lamp puts it under the bushel basket, but on
the lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house.

In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may
see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.

Matthew 5:3-16