I happened on
Time Magazine's Person of the Year
edition in a book store today. The persons of the year are, I was very
glad to see, Bono and
Bill and Melinda
Gates. I couldn't agree more with this selection, with a difficult
choice to not include Nelson Mandela in the group. Perhaps his
retirement from public life...I purchased the magazine using my
discount bar code swipe on the key chain, and went straight home and
read all of the related articles and interviews related to these
enormously interesting, thoughtful, and passionate people.
I am more interested in Bono than the Gateses, I confess. But I am no
less admiring of the Gateses. Among the enormous amount of support their
foundation provides is a grant that has enabled the Lusaka Urban
District Health Management Board to have computerized medical records
systems placed in the last three years. This is one of hundreds of useful,
efficient, and accounted-for projects supported by Bill and Melinda
Gates.
I've been a U2 fan since the 80's.
They're Irish, and my roots are Irish, having discovered that fact after
an adoption search that led me to
my Hennessey and O'Brien backgrounds. They play great music that
means something. And it's good music to boot. I've quoted the lads
on these pages more than once....in poking fun at studying neurology (P
One), in lamenting the loss of family member (Sometimes
You Can't Make It on Your Own), and in a reflection on the
enormous fortune I have been given by knowing my adoptive and biological
parents after decades of not knowing them (With
You).
So I'm a fan...and recently, as I've worked in AIDS I've noticed that
coming on alongside my trek is none other than one of my favorite
musicians. How about that. Bono and his wife first experienced the vast
need of the poorest of the poor in Ethiopia in the 1980's. They vowed to
do what they could to help.
AIDS hit, and no one that I knew, including myself, had the faintest
clue about the devastation of this disease in Africa, or what it would
do around the world to devastate millions of lives. I lived in South
Laguna, which has a sizeable gay population, so I was vaguely aware of
the HIV tragedy there, particularly in the 90's. On my merry way in Life
though, and really couldn't have cared less. I indict myself for
that.
What Bono has done is trained himself in the economics, statistics,
and realities of health disparities in Africa. Then he has also made
many friends in these places, and learned their stories - listened
to their stories - and brought them back for people to hear. He tells
their stories at U2 shows, to the Pope, to US Congress, and to the
President of the United States, to academics and NGOs, to conservatives
and liberals alike. In an unlikely matching - a trademark of his
modus operandi, Bono brings smart people together to talk about a
problem that he is able to articulate to them. In addition, he convinces
them of the necessity of acting now, acting big, and changing the world.
The powermongers are brought to their knees, or to their senses...to
action.
Amen, brother.
I'll end this entry with some lyrics from one of my favorite songs
off of U2's most recent album. The album is called How to Dismantle
an Atomic Bomb. The Song is called Miracle Drug, which to me
talks about the peace and calm the comes from listening to the still
small voice of someone who knows real suffering. This is on the one
hand, and on the other is the faith that dedicated folks in medicine and
other disciplines can solve the unnecessary problems that come
with the deepest poverty.
I want a trip inside your head
Spend the day there...
To hear the things you haven't said
And see what you might see
I want to hear you when you call
Do you feel anything at all?
I want to see your thoughts take shape
And walk right out
Freedom has a scent
Like the top of a new born baby's head
The songs are in your eyes
I see them when you smile
I've seen enough I'm not giving up
On a miracle drug
Of science and the human heart
There is no limit
There is no failure here sweetheart
Just when you quit...
I am you and you are mine
Love makes nonsense of space
And time... will disappear
Love and logic keep us clear
Reason is on our side, love...
The songs are in your eyes
I see them when you smile
I've had enough of romantic love
I'd give it up, yeah, I'd give it up
For a miracle, a miracle drug, a miracle drug
God I need your help tonight
Beneath the noise
Below the din
I hear a voice
It's whispering
In science and in medicine
"I was a stranger
You took me in"
The songs are in your eyes
I see them when you smile
I've had enough of romantic love
Yeah I'd give it up, yeah I'd give it up
For a miracle, a miracle drug
Miracle, miracle drug
