1 00:00:07,759 --> 00:00:13,919 A beautiful summer day, sitting on a porch in Connecticut, looking at boats 2 00:00:14,439 --> 00:00:20,280 anchored in the cove, grateful that I don't own one. It's one foolishness 3 00:00:20,320 --> 00:00:25,399 I've avoided in my life. Most of the other numbskull boxes I have check'd. 4 00:00:25,519 --> 00:00:30,559 And as I sit here, enjoying the breeze off the water, I 5 00:00:30,679 --> 00:00:40,280 torture myself with memories of dumbness, mistaken romances, real estate stupidity as vivid 6 00:00:40,359 --> 00:00:45,600 as the incident on Wednesday when I was stepping out of a New York subway 7 00:00:45,719 --> 00:00:51,320 car and I paused to make sure it was forty second, and the subway 8 00:00:51,399 --> 00:00:58,439 doors closed on my neck, Yes, on my neck. I had bags 9 00:00:58,479 --> 00:01:03,359 in my hands and I dropped them to try to pry the doors open, 10 00:01:03,479 --> 00:01:07,840 my head poking out, and I couldn't. And then a man pulled them 11 00:01:07,920 --> 00:01:12,200 open, and I got out and turned and said thank you. He was 12 00:01:12,200 --> 00:01:19,439 a construction guy and an orange vest. He looked concerned, and then I 13 00:01:19,519 --> 00:01:23,239 remembered that Penn station is at thirty fourth Street, not forty seconds, so 14 00:01:23,480 --> 00:01:30,599 I had to catch the next train for one stop back. I got on 15 00:01:30,760 --> 00:01:36,519 that train and got off without incident. So I'm a man whose head is 16 00:01:36,640 --> 00:01:40,439 caught in the doors while getting off at the wrong stop. There are worse 17 00:01:40,519 --> 00:01:48,079 things the guillotine, for one. I beat myself up because I'm an old 18 00:01:48,200 --> 00:01:56,280 fundamentalist and self mortification is our specialty, and I've been having too much fun 19 00:01:57,000 --> 00:02:04,680 lately, which confuses me doing shows in Red States to crowds that include a 20 00:02:04,719 --> 00:02:08,919 good many Republicans who voted for the landslide winner in twenty twenty, but nonetheless 21 00:02:09,400 --> 00:02:15,840 were warm and receptive to me who voted for the thief. In Blue states, 22 00:02:16,560 --> 00:02:23,960 audiences are listening to make sure you check the boxes of inclusivity, diversity, 23 00:02:24,120 --> 00:02:31,639 equity, and anti racism. These in Red States are people who don't 24 00:02:31,719 --> 00:02:39,680 mind that many theaters refuse to do our town because the hour does not acknowledge 25 00:02:40,319 --> 00:02:49,120 that Grover's Corners were stolen from indigenous people. I use the possessive pronoun in 26 00:02:49,280 --> 00:02:55,120 singing My country tis of thee, which audiences in Red States enjoy singing with 27 00:02:55,360 --> 00:03:06,280 me and also our national anthem, ignoring the fact that Franciscotki did own slaves. 28 00:03:07,000 --> 00:03:09,800 Back in the sixties when I was in my twenties, we sang we 29 00:03:09,840 --> 00:03:16,520 shall overcome, and clearly we did not overcome, we only created new hairstyles. 30 00:03:17,520 --> 00:03:23,159 So we passed the torch to the young, some of whom feel the 31 00:03:23,199 --> 00:03:30,319 word person shows gender by us and want to change it to her self, 32 00:03:30,639 --> 00:03:37,039 to which I say, good luck with that. Meanwhile, I studied the 33 00:03:37,080 --> 00:03:43,360 pictures from the NASA Telescope, a million miles out in space, pictures of 34 00:03:44,199 --> 00:03:52,879 light emanating from suns billions of light years away, and I made freshly aware 35 00:03:53,800 --> 00:04:01,919 of our insignificance on this tiny, fragile planeting our sun. There may be 36 00:04:02,719 --> 00:04:13,840 planets out there who are studying us and observing our decline and inevitable self destruction, 37 00:04:14,919 --> 00:04:21,160 much as we observe a lightning bug flash and expire on a summer evening. 38 00:04:23,120 --> 00:04:32,920 I'm not discouraged by insignificance. I'm content to be a bug. Insectitude 39 00:04:33,879 --> 00:04:40,839 is no problem at all. I grew up with stories in which God is 40 00:04:40,959 --> 00:04:46,240 seen as a person or three persons, and he speaks to his people directly. 41 00:04:47,240 --> 00:04:51,879 But when I look at light that is billions of years old, coming 42 00:04:51,920 --> 00:05:02,040 from an infinite number of galaxies, it shocks the imagination into gratitude for existence 43 00:05:02,600 --> 00:05:12,439 itself, nothing more, nothing less. It also makes my political registration less 44 00:05:12,480 --> 00:05:18,480 than interesting. I feel this in church on Sunday morning, feel myself disappear, 45 00:05:19,199 --> 00:05:28,600 my opinions, likes, dislikes, and believe myself loved by the Creator. 46 00:05:29,399 --> 00:05:35,240 And in that moment I am joined to others surrounding me, which was 47 00:05:35,279 --> 00:05:42,360 the feeling down South recently when we sang O Lord, My God, when 48 00:05:42,399 --> 00:05:46,480 I an awesome wonder, consider all the worlds thy hands have made, and 49 00:05:46,600 --> 00:05:51,920 we were briefly united, all of us equally. I was on stage, 50 00:05:53,000 --> 00:06:03,160 but still a firefly singing bass. I became an author because books appeared sort 51 00:06:03,199 --> 00:06:09,560 of permanent to me, and now I see it's not true. But the 52 00:06:09,639 --> 00:06:16,000 recognition of brevity makes one grateful for this day, not assuming there will be 53 00:06:16,079 --> 00:06:24,519 another. I felt this when the subway doors bit me, and I imagined 54 00:06:24,639 --> 00:06:33,360 the headline author decapitated on sea train, but it didn't happen. Being bitten 55 00:06:33,439 --> 00:06:42,800 by doors is a chastening experience, but it's also a privilege to discover the 56 00:06:42,959 --> 00:06:49,879 kindness of strangers, a discovery worth the price. We are surrounded by goodness. 57 00:06:50,879 --> 00:06:55,879 The man in the orange vest was brought up to rescue the perishing. 58 00:06:56,800 --> 00:07:04,120 The country is full of those people are counting on that every day of our 59 00:07:04,199 --> 00:07:10,759 lives cheerfulness. It's a simple virtue that can turn the tide in gloomy times. 60 00:07:11,319 --> 00:07:15,680 It's also the title of Garrison Keeler's new book, Funny, thought provoking, 61 00:07:15,839 --> 00:07:20,240 whimsical. It's an uplifting read and a great gift cheerfulness. Check it 62 00:07:20,279 --> 00:07:24,639 out at Garrison keiller dot com.