Going by what I see in the monkey cage it goes back a bit further than religion David. Thinking someone bad because of a differing opinion seems a bit primitive.

Dear Fester,

We are primitive. I am more likely to read sources which reinforce my opinions. I am more comfortable with people whose opinions agree with mine.

I am enjoying Victorian poetry especially from those such as Swinburne, Clough and Arnold who challenged the religiosity of their time. The religiosity of their time is pretty much the same as the religiosity of our time but those like Dawkins, Dennett and Harris who challenge the religiosity of our time are not also making beautiful poetry.

I have the mentality of a tribes person but try to be polite to the members of other tribes who live in the Old Folks Home with me. Many of them are members of the local Christian Reformed Church which pushes the idea that the earth is 6,000 years old and was created in six literal days.

Good old Swinburne:

From too much love of living,
From hope and fear set free,
We thank with brief thanksgiving
Whatever gods may be
That no life lives for ever;
That dead men rise up never;
That even the weariest river
Winds somewhere safe to sea.

Then star nor sun shall waken,
Nor any change of light:
Nor sound of waters shaken,
Nor any sound or sight:
Nor wintry leaves nor vernal,
Nor days nor things diurnal;
Only the sleep eternal
In an eternal night

Dear David,

I will not bother you this time with opinions you disagree with,
but I may use this opportunity to ask for your advice.

My orchestra regularly plays in old-folks homes, so any feedback about the types of music and/or any specific pieces that you and your colleagues/inmates like to hear most, is most appreciated.

We have so far been playing shorter pieces and avoided long classical pieces on the assumption that the attention-span of older residents is short, but is this assumption correct?

Perhaps also your view on an incident we had in 2011: following Japan's big tsunami and nuclear catastrophe, I brought in the music for the Japanese anthem, which we practiced and were going to add to our program in solidarity, but then our leader decided to take it out due to the potential sensitivity of these older people who still fought in WW-2 and considered the Japanese as monsters. I must mention that this is the new, post-war Japanese anthem which has no resemblance at all to the imperial one. What do you think?

Dear Yuyutsu,

I don't enjoy interacting with you.

Dear David,

Thank you for introducing us to Algernon
Charles Swinburne and his writing. I loved
the poem.

Dear Yuyutsu,

I am sorry to be so churlish. I find your observations re god to be very offputting. They have affected my feelings toward you, but I will try to respond to your post. It is admirable that your orchestra entertains old people.

I do not share the musical preferences of most of the fellow inmates of my old-folks home. I stopped listening to pop music when Elvis and the Beatles came out. They have played long pieces in the social hall such as St. Matthew’s Passion, and there were about 30 people who sat through the whole piece. The attention span of old people varies widely as does the attention span of young people. I listen to music very rarely. I enjoy natural sounds – the patter of rain, twitter of birds, thunder, the chirp of a gecko etc. Occasionally I listen on youtube to Spike Jones, the Hoosier hotshots or Russ Columbo. As far as classical I like Bach, Rimsky-Korsakov, Enesco but my tastes are not the same as those of my wife so I have to be content with the sounds of nature.

I avoid the social gatherings in pwa village. I lie low during Christmas as I do not relate to that holiday. There is a lot of Christmas related activity in the village. Many people in the village belong to the local Christian Reformed Church which pushes the Genesis Project. The GP promotes the idea that the earth is 6,000 years and was created in six literal days. However, there is beautiful landscaping in the village and medical help on call. I don’t feel that I am a good representative of the inmates in the village.

I don’t understand the hostility toward Japanese music. We can enjoy great German music even though Hitler was not a man of good will. We fought the Germans in WW2, and the Nazis were not nice guys.

My father spent some time in Japan about a hundred years ago. In Russia he was a despised Zhid. In Japan he was just another blue-eyed, red-haired European. He loved Japan.