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July 31, 2005Was it art, politics, just great films?ByLocal columnist I never paid much attention to great blue herons until kayaking last weekend on a wild stretch of the Betsie River -- a dream-like place where the line between post-modern and primordial seems ever so thin. Even so, thoughts of art, politics, this week's Traverse City Film Festival and the alternative festival floated through my mind. It was hard to ignore the drama, comedy and forms of storytelling this week as area residents engaged in an all-American pastime -- going to the movies. In many ways, this week in Traverse City was a microcosm of the polarized, dogmatic state of American life where meaningful discussion of art, culture, statesmanship and leadership seem bound for extinction. It also was so much more, but back to the heron. This seemingly awkward yet incredibly graceful bird stood in meditative stance -- motionless, focused, balanced on thin legs, patiently waiting on what came to him instead of chasing after it. He reminded me of prehistoric times when he flew -- massive wings flapping noiselessly, long legs trailing behind. "So incongruous, so perfect," as one of my kayaking friends said. The great blue heron has symbolized many things in many cultures over the course of history --- patience, rebirth, uniqueness, the ability to stand alone, a call to balance, dignity, exploration, peace, fluidity, the ability to maintain balance through proper focus, an inner foundation that is secure but not fixed. For all of that, the heron is still a heron. Today, biologists see this bird as evidence of healthy, balanced, biodiverse lakes, streams and wetlands. The amazing, exciting and difficult thing of this age for all species is that the world has become smaller because of technology. Diversity is more visible, upfront, harder to ignore or stereotype. In one week in northwestern lower Michigan you can hike pristine shorelines, read international newspapers online, see a Chinese newscast in English on satellite dish TV, watch an African dance performance at Interlochen, veg out in front of the TV pondering why so many prime-time shows focus on dead bodies and grisly autopsies. This week you also could go to movies rarely seen on television or in mainstream theaters -- creative films and documentaries that captured the joy, creativity, reality, ethos and despair that affect us, inspire us and the communities we live in. Our challenge is to find a respectful balance that allows us to coexist and build community -- rich in similarities and differences --- instead of trying to erase it in stereotypes. So incongruous, so perfect.
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