Here is "Small Planet", a song and video composed by local DC musician Linda Rosch, and she explained to JTMP what the song is all about, read below.
"We are 'Learning to Love' from the Planet we're "Travelling on……….” is a very 'delicate way of saying' the Earth is Teaching the Human Race to Cross Over into the New Paradigm — the Paradigm of Cooperation as a ruling "ethos" for humanity, ABOVE competition. In my view, the Planet isn't really "Teaching" us to "Love." It's essentially "Teaching us that we Must Love or We will Perish. The 'Game is Up.'"
"The definition of "Love" in Small Planet would have to be the 'Agape' definition. " …..human reciprocal love for God; the term necessarily extends to the love of one’s fellow man " This is from the Wikipedia definition of Agape."
CLICK READ MORE FOR REST OF INTERVIEW
“All graphics were done using GIMP Open Source – a program similar to Adobe Photoshop but 'free download' from Internet. The graphics were done as individual "digital paintings/designs." They were then put together using Windows MovieMaker with its transitions and effects (as my older Adobe software doesn't work with Windows Vista. If it did, I certainly would have used it). Some of the individual graphics used parts of photographs from NASA or the FDA or a couple of other sites (photographs in the public domain.) I pulled elements out of these photographs and manipulated them to the desired 'effect' to integrate into my concept for the graphic. For example, I took elements of NASA sky shots, picked certain sections of them to accentuate or use as 'patterned backgrounds' for original designs/drawings/text. I took some elements of photographs from the Fish and Wildlife Service, isolated these and placed them in the context of a graphic… for example…to create the "water" scenario in one graphic, I took some elements of a F&WLS photograph of a rapidly running river or other body of water — rearranged the parts, accentuated color/tone/opacity, overlapped portions and added "highlighting" in 'gold.' I cut pasted and re-arranged 'parts' to create the effects I wanted. I credited all sources at the end of the video."
"The concepts for all the graphics were totally original, and for many of them I tossed out any number of variations (not good enough) until I hit on something that worked 'for my eye.' That's why it took me soooooo long! I was learning to use GIMP as I created. Some of what I like the best in the video is a product of recognizing "a great accident" I had created — like what call "the aqua loop" which is a feature of a number of the frames. I was learning to use Bezier curves and having trouble with that. In the process of 'messing around' I created some shapes/curved lines. I really liked these and began to manipulate them until I came up with the "Aqua Loop." I now consider it the logo of the video. Later, I split the "aqua loop" up into pieces and made the pieces small. I used these "pieces" to form the letters in the " AWAKEN" frame, so the lettering is totally a unique style. No such font exists anywhere."
"We're on the cusp of a climate crisis, particularly with the issue of the Canadian Tar Sands Mining, which can make the Planet uninhabitable for humans before long. A big article just came out on "Fracking" which Bill McKibben mentioned on Twitter (after I had already read it.) The article says it is discovered that chemicals mixed into fracking fluid can leak up to surface areas and into aquifer waters in 10 years or less (studies done in the Marcellus formation – demonstrate how fracking makes the rock formations more porous, etc.) We have Fukishama debris and BP spoiling of the food-chain in the Gulf for God-only-knows how long."
"It appears that we continue to be too bound to the paradigm of "Besting Each Other" on every level (as we perceive ourselves divided up into so-called "nations" at this time) — at least — in the "Market/Wall Street/Free Trade [sic] paradigm. As we cling to this OLD and WORN OUT PARADIGM, the Planet is starting to KICK US IN THE TEETH."
"In my opinion and in that of many, the Planet is a rather stern taskmaster. It's trying to TEACH US SOMETHING — we have to respect that the 'stuff of our Being' is the "stuff of ALL BEING.' It really doesn't matter whether one interprets this with or without a reference to "God" or Divinity." Science/Physics tells us this is the truth."
"RESPECT is the bottom line in LOVE. It's only the beginning, but it's the bottom line."
"Small Planet asks "ARE WE LEARNING TO CARE ABOUT YOU….ARE WE LEARNING TO LOVE?"
Best, Linda
