Forgiveness

What a loaded word, "forgiveness," eh?

But it seems to be the lesson I'm working on right now.

Two things are weighing the most on my mind. One is my grandmother, and her incessantly cruel, unfeeling words and actions towards her family, immediate and extended. That is tough enough to deal with, especially now that she's deceased, since the pain still lingers like Frodo Baggins' Weathertop wound.

The other weighty topic is how Chris Squire, bassist and holder of the band-name copyright for Yes, has recently been a complete douchebag towards Jon Anderson, their frontman, these last 18 months by going behind Jon's back and hiring a replacement singer from a Yes tribute band based in Quebec...and then reannouncing the 2008 tour without even consulting Jon, who is more or less considered by most to be a cofounder of the group.

Considering my views of simply treating people with respect, I have found it very difficult to forgive Chris. He's made the future of the REAL Yes--the one with JON at the helm--very tenuous at best...even though Jon says he's more than ready, physically, to come back and sing. (I have proof of this via Jon's Facebook page, btw.)

Why have I found it difficult to think of Chris without either extreme anger or sadness?

Because, plain and simple, I, and thousands (if not millions) adore Jon. We see his Light and we just can't quite wrap our heads around why Chris would be so blind to that beautiful Energy-That-Is-Jon as to be totally disrespectful.

Here's the thing that sort of mollifies me, though: this would not be the first time the rest of the Yes-lads have lost sight of the real reasons they chose to make music together: spreading the ideals of Love, Peace and Harmony that united them for so many years. And of course, Jon has ever remained at the core of those ideals, embodying them so beautifully with his lyrics, compositions, his Sun-God voice, whether or not he is singing for Yes.


So I do still have some vestigial hope that Jon will raise his voice once more with his Yes-brothers...and it's that hope that prompts me to work at forgiving Chris...after all, there is that axiom of "hate the sin, not the sinner." I don't necessarily believe in "sin," but I do believe in karma, which is simply "cause and consequence." Chris decided to listen only to his ego, and to be disrespectful of Jon--and by extension, those who would not listen to Yes without Jon--and so Chris has caused a lot of suffering, which has naturally manifested as feelings of betrayal and deep disappointment, to say the least.

My first question about forgiving Chris for his actions was: "What would Jon do?" He's already answered that question for me by showing that he's allowing himself to be enveloped in the love that his wife Jane, and his kids, Deborah, Damion and Jade provide, and simply engrossing himself in his other creative endeavors, whether it's more music, his paintings (which I absolutely adore, they are SO gorgeous!), or sharing his spiritual insights. Not that he does not feel disappointed about the recent events surrounding him and Yes, for he loves making music with Chris, Steve, and Alan (Rick has left the band for health reasons and his son, Oliver, has replaced him on keyboards). But he's truly being a Mensch about it all...

And that right there humbles me, making me feel ashamed of my anger at Chris, even though my ire has been on Jon's behalf all this time. But every beautiful, positive thing Jon posts on Facebook keeps wearing away at my stubbornness, and all I can do is say, "I have to forgive Chris, for he knows not what he does." All I can do is humbly walk in my Muse's loving footsteps...for the love he shows to humanity through his music is a very earnest attempt at showing Cosmic Love itself via Krishna, Gautama Buddha, Yeshua, Quan Yin and any other Ascended Master one cares to name off.

Because of these feelings, recently, I wonder if there truly is such a thing as "righteous anger."

But that's a topic for another time.

Blessed Be,
Rev. Kat ^.^