Honest Impact

This week I watched the 2009 documentary "No Impact Man" - one I had on my lost ever since I saw the trailers last year. You probably saw the movie's self-titled hero, Colin Beavan make the rounds on various morning and late-night talk shows, discussing his yearlong project to minimize or eliminate his and his family's impact on the environment. Yes, he was sometimes referred to a freak, or the kind of extremist that gave the green movement a "fringe" reputation, but I enjoyed the film's earnest message: everyone just needs to do something, and preferably as much as one can do, to not only protect the environment, but to really make the world a better place for us and for future generations. We don't all have to not buy anything new for a year, not travel, not take elevators, shop only from farmers markets, cut out electricity or switch to solar power only, eliminate television and refrigeration, or do all the other things that the movie documents he tried. But in showing that maximum extreme, the movie made a lot of other minimum steps much more easily imagined possibilities for me (and maybe other viewers too). And all that "No Impact Man" was hoping to do was to inspire thought and action, and he certainly managed that.

The next night, I watched a production of "Master Class" at the New Conservatory Theater Center. Terrence McNally's Tony Award-winning play that centers on the lessons and recollections of legendary diva Maria Callas giving a master class to some aspiring opera singers. The writing was absolutely smart and sharp, and the lead is definitely a defining role for any actress lucky enough to tackle it. I enjoyed the story, but I felt that the lead actress (who more than capably pulled off the role) was more focused on getting the lines right than really living the role. So for a play with the central message of artists who sacrifice and struggle to live their art honestly, I just missed the emotional connection to the production, which made it difficult to take the message to heart, as much as I appreciated and respected the message.

But for two nights in a row, I certainly had enough in my head to keep me musing: how do I live my life honestly, and how can I minimize my life's negative impacts while maximizing its positive impacts? There you have it: the eco-freak and La Divina - both speaking to me about living truthfully and beautifully...I hope.