Who Lives, Who Dies, Who Tells Your Story

Fun fact #1:
      I LOVE history. I love learning what it took to get to where the world is today.  I love learning about people's lives and seeing how raw and real it was.  I love the personal stories and seeing that life really wasn't that much different than it is today.

Fun fact #2:
      I LOVE the United States of America.  I love all the ideals that it was built on.  I love that we are young and scrappy.  I love that it gives so many freedoms that we all take for granted.  I love being an American.  I love that I am related to so many people that fought in almost every single war to protect those rights and freedoms.  I love that it is MY country and I take my responsibility for it and its future very seriously.

Fun fact #3:
      I LOVE music.  All kinds of music.  Country, oldies, pop, rap, classical, hip hop, you play it and I could probably sing along with it or fake it really really well.  I love the power that is has.  It can invite the spirit, it can calm, it can inspire, it can pump up, it has a way of expressing exactly what you are feeling but you can't really put into words, it has so much power to make you feel anything! And it can carry some powerful messages with it.

Fun fact #4:
      I LOVE musicals and have secret very very unrealistic dreams of being a Broadway star. (But you better believe I win all of the Grammys and Tonys in the shower,, in my car, in the kitchen, and while I'm cleaning)

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So it is a no brainer that when I finally decided to see what was with all the hype about Hamilton the Musical, I fell in LOVE.  It's like Lin-Manuel Miranda, genius of a man that he is, took all of the things I love and tossed them in a blender and came out with this amazing, inspired, work of art. With one heck of a cast to bring it to life (It didn't win 11 Tonys for no reason)

But it is more than just a musical to me.
      It is more than just a bunch of rap/hip-hop songs.
      It is more than just history being retold in a way that is fun and makes you want to learn more.

In a country that is intense, ugly, offensive, defensive, scary, beautiful, nit picky, argumentative, opinionated, free, ignorant, educated, hateful, loving, a country that is anything you want it to be, and during the times that we are living now, life can be overwhelming and confusing.  But I wouldn't trade living in this time for anything.  It's exciting and things are changing.

                                            

Lyric from Hamilton, and as frustrating as life can be I agree with it 110%

Even though we are really good at making it not fun...

I get on social media and I get Trump, Hillary, Bernie, gun rights, parent shaming, ISIS, human trafficking, rape, things you should do, things you should believe, why what you believe or do is wrong and you are a failure of a human being because you don't do exactly what your neighbor does,  all thrown in my face.  You dare to speak out or give your opinion and get instantly attacked and assaulted by all of these people with computer confidence telling you the many ways your opinion is wrong.  Social media is like the ongoing playground fight in the school of life.
It's not all bad.  I'm a firm believer in being able to speak your opinion and have your voice heard (I tell my students all the time that they are welcome to do that in my classroom as long as they have something to back it up and aren't just spouting off what the world is telling them to think or feel) But I don't believe in verbally assaulting and attacking someone who sees different than you, nor do I agree with lumping people in one group because of their religion, race, sexual orientation, politics, parenting choices, and any other way we decide to shame or hate our fellow men.

(For real, for real, Lin-Manuel Miranda is quickly becoming one of my new favorite people)

That being said, a lot of these things that we argue about are not small trivial matters.  Immigration, gun rights, our economy, human rights, they are all important.

 

Another Lyric, but seriously it's time to Rise Up and not just sit and whine, but DO something if you aren't happy with the way the world is going...then after all you've done and you're still unhappy, complain all you want.

Enter Hamilton.

This exceptional musical takes the romanticized idea of the founding of this country and strips it down to what it really was.  Breaking away from a country and starting your own was not an easy task for the founding fathers.  These men who were very educated and studied, had their own ideas and opinions, and some amazing women backing them up and helping them out.  And they were YOUNG.  But they all were working toward the same goal: A functional country with freedoms and rights.  Even though I'm sure at times George Washington felt more like a referee and a parent to unruly youths than the President and first leader of the United States, setting a precedent and example for all to come after him.

Its a reminder in this time of so so so many opinions and beliefs to go back to the basics.  Are we letting not as important topics distract us from the root of the issues and stop us from coming together as a nation and a country?

It shows you the reality and personal issues of the founding fathers.  They threw some serious shade at each other as they tried to accomplish what they thought was best for the United States of America.  Yes, the political arena of today is worse than the Colosseum at the peak of Gladiator season, but it was no picnic in the park in the late 1700s either.  But what do you expect from a bunch of young guys who think they've got the answer to everything.  One would just hope that after almost 250 years we'd be able to come to answers and resolutions differently  (I mean, they dueled.  DUELED---side note, can you picture Trump and Hillary having a full out duel?  Interesting...)

And it makes you question what is worth being right about and what part pride is playing in your life and what we would be different if we all strove more to be humbly passionate about things.

It makes you think and question, am I doing my part to make America the best that it can possibly be?

It shows you that you make out of your life what you put into it.  And it won't be easy or handed to you on a platter.

It quietly but powerfully shows you the strength of women and their very important part in history and the making of this country.  (Don't even get me started on how I feel about the Schuyler sisters, but basically they were awesome and legit and were stronger than all of the founding fathers put together.)  And shows that we are not to be looked over, EVER.

Hamilton gives you a glimpse of what it takes to make things happen in politics and life in general.  And puts in perspective an important and thought provoking question when it comes to how we live life.  Who tells your story?

Hamilton inspires, teaches, and will 100% get stuck in your head.

I've been bitten by the Hamilton bug, and I'm not even mad about it.

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Here's a few other things that I love and just can't stop sharing. (Yes, I recognize I have a problem)


I loved what the Obamas had to say about it during the Tonys so here's a clip, along with one of the many great songs from Hamilton.

Also this site has the lyrics to all the songs including background information on each one. Which is awesome and makes the history teaching in me happy.
http://genius.com/albums/Lin-manuel-miranda/Hamilton-original-broadway-cast-recording