On Saturday night, Marty and I rented “1917.” If you haven’t seen it yet, I highly recommend it. Toward the end of the movie, Benedict Cumberbatch’s character says, “Hope is a dangerous thing.” That really struck me. It’s true - it is dangerous to hope, because it means counting on things yet unseen, with a chance that our hopes may be dashed. I can imagine that this would be especially true in war time.
Our present situation is not unlike a war, because so many have lost their lives to the enemy. But for most of us, we’re sitting at home, just trying to stay away from it and keep ourselves busy. The sacrifices made in wars across history go far beyond what most of us are experiencing now. The exception, however, is our army of health care workers, first responders, and policemen. They are our soldiers on the front lines in this terribly difficult time. I am in awe of their bravery and sacrifice.
Antonio Fragoso is a little-known Portuguese pianist and composer who lived just 21 short years at the beginning of the 20th century (1897-1918.) He showed so much promise at a young age that he was accepted into the Paris Conservatoire. Sadly, on 13 October 1918, he became one of the casualties in the influenza pandemic, just two weeks before he was to travel to study in Paris.
His Nocturno is a lovely piece in the style of Chopin’s nocturnes. It was published posthumously, 5 years after his death.
Yes, hope is dangerous. Yet it is all we have, and it is what we need right now. Love one another. Do what you can to help one another. Stay well.
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