WHO ARE THE MONSTERS?

     Yesterday we saw a wonderful performance of Phantom of the Opera down at the Broward Center. While it certainly was not a Michael Crawford/Sarah Brightman performance, it was a lushly produced version with excellent sets, a receptive audience in a full house and some good acting, particularly the scenes with Chrisine Daae and the Phantom. The last scene, where he is begging Christine to stay, to love him, to save him and his sacrifice of himself as he lets Christine and the Comte flee, was heartbreaking. It is well worth the trip there though I must say, I blessed West Palm Beach and its not big city rush hours as we made our way to the highway thru NYC type traffic. Still, the music, the singing, the sets , the meaning - all worth the trip.
     But what makes it even more poignant is the message of the play. Sorry, as a former educator I always look for the lessons to be taught, the value to my students and I could not break the habit here.
     Many stories and shows have the question, raise the question, as to whom, exactly is the beast? What makes someone a "beast" and is there redemption for a beast? Does the physical ugliness make someone an outlier, a castoff of society and his skills, talents and needs ignored? Or is the beast us, those of us who are shallow enough to look and value only the surface, the outside behavior and neglect to evaluate the inner deeds and thoughts, the ugliness that many have in their souls, hearts and minds. Be it the "monster" that the Phantom is deemed to be or the Beast in Beauty and the Beast or the vilified scapegoat - who truly is the beast, the monster? Or can we even designate one to be fully one thing or the other and what do we do with that decision? Are there people so evil that nothing redemptive is possible? I believe so, but then again, I also cried for the Phantom and comprehended his grief, his hurt.
     Perhaps what we need to do is reteach, reevaluate, our standards of humanity and begin to do so from a very early age, and not just by word but by deed as well. I must say that I am not optimistic about this possibility but G-d help us if we do not get this straight for with all the problems on Earth that are facing us, if we do not cooperate, if we do not cut out the Beast, the Monster from within our souls, there will be disaster. And while I joke around about a Zombie Apocalypse ( love those Zombie series on TV), there are other apocalyptic disasters awaiting us , from surface coal mining and blasting down the mountains to water scarcity and pollution, to fracking carelessly and thoughtlessly, to environmental disasters, to pandemics, to hunger and starvation - and yes, right here in the good old USA - to diminishing resources, to criminal politicians, greedy industrialists, to rabble rousers who push riots as a means of protest, and the list goes on.
     We need to access our inner goodness, our caring, our love, laughter and friendship. There are so many good people out there, working hard, trying to hold back the floodwaters - why can we not help them, join them, and cut out the selfishness that is so evident in too many? The answers to these questions are to be found - within YOU. Look deep.