You're the answer in the wind, a candle in the dark

Yesterday I met Raffi. The Raffi, of "Baby Beluga" and "Apples and Bananas" fame. He was receiving the Fred Rogers Integrity Award (which comes in the form of a Neighborhood Trolley!) from the Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood at the Judge Baker Children's Center in Boston for his consistent refusal to let his songs be used as commercial endorsements to market directly to children. (One of the things he won't do is sell his songs as ring tones. Which is kind of a shame, actually, because I could use a "Baby Beluga" ring tone.)

He spoke about his philosophy of "Child Honouring," which is interesting and a little pie-in-the-sky all at the same time. (It begins -- and I think the phrasing is kind of funny because Raffi is Canadian, not American -- "We find these joys to be self-evident: That all children are created whole, endowed with innate intelligence, with dignity and wonder, worthy of respect.") You know that phrase that says, "Think globally, act locally"? Well, Raffi thinks globally and acts globally, and I found some of what he said to be a little crunchy-granola, like where is the action behind it? But then he'd sing this song about how "the children are counting on you" and I'd find myself getting really moved. Plus I admire anyone who uses whatever celebrity status they have to champion something greater -- Raffi, for example, makes sure that all his books and CDs are printed on chlorine-free paper, which costs more but is less toxic (and less toxicity is always a good thing, no?).

In any case, Raffi seems like a lovely, lovely man, who is childlike himself but utterly captivating, and it was fitting that the award was named after Fred Rogers because he reminded me a lot of Mr. Rogers in his ability to impress upon a group of adults the necessity of caring for children.

From his album Resisto Dancing: Songs of Compassionate Revolution, here is the song Raffi wrote for us "Beluga Grads," who grew up with his music and are now young adults:

"Impossible samba
Improbable rumba
Dancing in your junglehood

Celestial mambo
Terrestrial tango
Tapping and dancing in your junglehood

Resisto dancing to keep your love alive
Resisto dancing to keep your song lines open and humming
You're the answer in the wind
A candle in the dark
With a state of the possible in your spacious heart

All grown up and on the go
Tuned into the global radio
Dancing in your junglehood

All grown up and so much to do
The power and blessing of being you
Is dancing in your junglehood

Here come the turbulent times
Here come the hard, hard rain gonna fall
As it tumbles in your junglehood

And now a clarion call
A call to give it your all
As you're dancing and twirling and tumbling in your junglehood

So to thine own self
To thine own voice
And to thine own dreams
Stay true..."