Goodbye, to a Universal Treasure,.

Donald Trump is president elect and Leonard Cohen is dead. I am not sure they are connected but somehow it seems too important to be a coincidence. And I never trusted much in coincidence, anyway.

Leonard Cohen wrote,

"I'm on the side that's always lost
And against the side of Heaven
I'm on the side of snake eyes tossed
And against the side of seven."

I am not sure that has anything to do with the situation, but man, I love that song.

Leonard Cohen was a giant. His career was monumental, and I am sorry he is gone.  You can hear the sorrow, and pain in almost everything he wrote, and sang, and sometimes, like Dylan, you could hear the meaning a little differently when somebody else sang.

Whether you ever owned anything by Cohen or not you have heard his music. Hallelujah, will be an
anthem for years to come, a haunting song of loss, and pain, loss of faith, loss of love, a fall from grace, and a failing of humanity. It still haunts me.

"Ah you loved me as a loser,
But, now you are afraid I might win."

We all need to remember that winning is sometimes the worst thing that can happen, Leonard Cohen made a career reminding us the effort is what is important. In the struggle lies the achievement. Doing the right thing is more important than being considered a "victor.

Most of my life I have seen the importance of victory being placed above the adherence to human codes of morality, and it has only gotten worse. And it is in this morass, this dismal chase for superiority that we need a voice of reason.

So, Mr, Cohen, I will miss you,

And, first we will take Manhattan, and then we will take Berlin.