Luciano Pavarotti

This is a sad day. Luciano Pavarotti has died. It is sad not just because he was a great singer, but because of the joy that he brought to the world through his singing. He had an exuberance that came through in his music. He brought joy to the world, and that is wonderful thing. It is extremely rare to find happiness in this world. Yet, he seemed to be able to encapsulate it in the way that he sang. This is ever more important as time goes by because it seems that maliciousness and obnoxiousness are the overwhelming traits these days. It is beyond compassion or understanding. People seem grossly mean and increasingly cold in the way that they deal with each other. People shrug when such things happen, and if you stand against what seems to be injustice, you are marked as the troublemaker, and people are quick to threaten you with anything that they can: jail time, law suits, violence. Justice is irrelevant, it is only who is the blame that counts. It is not surprising then that many people, particularly teenagers want to give up. It is often difficult to see the point of trying in a world that does not seem to care very much about decent things, happy things. This is what makes people like Luciano Pavarotti so great. Through his art, his talent, and sense of life, we can be reminded that there is still love and goodness in the world, and quite possibly something to hope for.

Grazie infinite, for all of the hours that would have been otherwise full of solitude, disappointment, and longing. You were a friend to me through your music, and you will be greatly missed...Ave Maria LSV