On Friday night, hundreds of people fled the shootings in downtown Milwaukee after a Bucks basketball game. That was very close to where I waited tables and a few blocks away from my apartment when I lived in Milwaukee years ago when downtown Milwaukee was safe and often pleasantly uneventful. Saturday, we learned of the racist shootings of shoppers in a Buffalo, New York supermarket. Today, Sunday, someone opened fire in a church in Orange County, California.
The horror. The heartbreak. We are in nightmare that seems to never end.
I hope this doesn't sound juvenile, but these are times when I miss the annual network TV presentation of THE WIZARD OF OZ. Many of us grew up with that. This was before VHS tapes, DVDs, cable TV and multiple channels. THE WIZARD OF OZ gave us color, laughs, optimism and hope.
It would be soothing to see a movie in which evil is destroyed and goodness survives.
When some folks say that Dorothy got back home to Kansas by clicking her heels three times with help of the Good Witch Glinda. To me, that's partially true. Regardless of how frightened she was, Dorothy had to destroy the lethal source of evil and negativity. How did Dorothy do that? At the height of her fear -- when she, Scarecrow, Lion and Tin Man are running for their lives away from the Wicked Witch -- she and her three friends are trapped. The Wicked Witch sets Scarecrow on fire. Dorothy blasts through her fear to unselfishly help a friend in need. She sees a bucket of water and puts out his fire. Dorothy's brave good deed also puts out the lethal source of evil and negativity when water splashes on her. Dorothy's ultimate bravery, goodness and care for others -- which she put in action -- open more power of the Ruby Slippers and send her back home.
There's a wonderful lesson in there.
Yes, I miss that annual network TV presentation of THE WIZARD OF OZ.
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