Editorial
Overcoming the paralysis of fear
The greatest definition of fear, we believe,
was described by Franklin D.
Roosevelt during his first inaugural
address in 1933.
People recall his famous line that we
have “nothing to fear but fear itself,” but
his words immediately thereafter perfectly
describe the impact of fear as being “nameless,
unreasoning, unjustified terror which
paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat
into advance.”
It’s easy right now to fall into the trap of
fear. Coronavirus has cultivated a culture
among many afraid of an invisible, microscopic
enemy that can cause grave illness.
The fear has seeped into our economic
markets; the Dow Jones plunged 2,000
points Monday, causing financial losses in
the trillions of dollars.
But it’s incredibly important for all of us
to keep things in perspective. It’s natural to
be fearful, but it cannot put us, as FDR said,
into a state of retreat or paralysis.
Nobody wants to fall prey to coronavirus;
the health risks are indeed high. Thankfully,
the city and state are doing what must be
done to contain the threat in our midst.
Public and private institutions are taking
the overly cautious approach, which is the
right call right now. Even so, most New Yorkers
are going about their daily lives, albeit
with abundances of caution.
It’s important that we continue to live our
lives so long as we use common sense.
If you’re feeling ill — if you’ve got a
cough, a fever and/or shortness of breath
— stay home and get medical attention.
But if you’re healthy, keep doing what you’d
normally do — just make sure to clean your
hands frequently to protect yourself.
As for the stock market, we will be tested
economically yet again the way we were in
2008, the worst financial crisis in recent
memory. The Dow Jones recovered and
soared during the Obama years and went
higher beyond them.
Recovery will happen again once we
resolve to end the panic and move forward
toward relief.
The de Blasio administration has launched
programs to help small businesses impacted
by business drop-offs. Similar programs
should be enacted on the state and federal
levels to do the same.
But it’s also important that individual
New Yorkers also receive financial aid to
get through these tough times. City, state
and federal lawmakers must not leave them
behind.
Together, we can overcome coronavirus
and financial crises. We’ve done it before;
we will do it again.
The Oct. 12, 1972 issue of The Villager included a story about Neil
Diamond, in town for a series of shows, visiting his old stomping
grounds at an NYU fencing practice at Washington Square Gymnasium.
The singer-songwriter was a fencer for NYU from 1958-62, and
helped Abraham Lincoln High School win the city scholastic fencing
championship in 1958. Diamond said in the article, by Jay Horwitz, that
he kept in touch with his NYU fencing teammates and enjoyed meeting
members of the current team. “My four years at NYU were just beautiful,”
said Diamond in the article.
Letters to the Editor
— Gabe Herman
A GREAT POET IN THE
VILLAGE
After some time away from my native
Village, I re-encountered Donald Green,
a.k.a. “The Poet In The Subway.” I often
have wished I knew more about him, but
like many of his fans, I am usually in transit
and don’t stop long enough to get the story.
I used to work on Waverly Place in 2001,
and for many subsequent years after 9/11.
He often had his little table set up by the
West 4th Street subway entry. I’d stop and
chat for a few minutes. His sign said “New
York Times published poet.”
Seeing him this most recent visit I
wondered how he had survived all these
years. The time had worn on him, but his
purity of spirit shines through. Maybe he
has a friend who lets him stay at their apartment,
though that is probably naive of me
to imagine.
He may have established a level of detente
with some of the homeless living in
the tunnels, so they don’t beat him up and
take whatever they can.
His poem about friendship was simple
on the face of it, but somehow took on pith
and meaning as I walked up the Astor Place
station stairs and considered context. How
would I keep writing songs if I were living
in the shadows of the subway?
My Friend - by Donald Green
You are my friend…I see your eyes and
when there’s a rift between us, we can forgive.
Friends with you, my friend. There’s talking,
walking, watching T.V., listening to music and
there’s laughter and there’s silence…
Friend.
You are there to ring in the tallest wave,
you are there in great success,
you are the good to further life,
and, oh yes, my friend.
The note on the cover says: My Friend
by Donald Green - a poem from the
Forthcoming book, “To Turn And Love.”
Anyway, if you wander over that way,
maybe he will be down in the Astor Place
station.
As I walked away with the piece of paper
he gifted me, I had given him $5 and
instantly wished it had been much more.
And I thought of my friends up above
ground who would instinctively sidestep
Donald and his table, but I treasure the
poem on the dusty, crinkled piece of paper
he gave me.
Mark Sebastian
Editor’s note: Sebastian is a Greenwich
Village native and musician who co-wrote
“Summer in the City,” the 1969 hit by The
Lovin’ Spoonful and its lead singer, John
Sebastian, Mark’s brother.
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VICTORIA SCHNEPS-YUNIS
JOSHUA SCHNEPS
ROBERT POZARYCKI
GABE HERMAN
ALEJANDRA O’CONNELL
MARK HALLUM
MICHELE HERMAN
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8 March 12, 2020 Schneps Media
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