Amazing Grace

This song was written in 1779. I learned that by watching the movie of the same name about a true story that took place in 1797. It's a song that stops people in their tracks to listen and to understand. I don't know how many times this has been played or sung in the last 200+ years, irregardless, it is timeless, beautiful, moving and reverent.

In fact it's difficult to imagine many other songs, other than those that make you feel patriotic, have a similar impact. In this case, it's the title of a movie about the abolition of slavery as led by William Wilberforce in the late 18th century. He introduced himself to the "mob" by singing this song to them, the first anyone had heard it. And, he got their attention.

I had also forgotten the king was crazy at this point. There is so much more history than I can remember. I can't remember 10 years ago let alone 200. The time it took to abolish slavery was maddening, aggravating and frightening. In the meantime, hundreds of thousands of black men, women and children we killed and worse. This movie certainly brought the courage required to oppose the trade into stark reality. Much of the economics and wealth of the world was truly dependent on it. Such a sad and depressing state of human affairs, or perhaps I should say inhuman affairs.