A Small World

Several years ago, I had the privilege of meeting the brilliant songwriter Richard Sherman at our Glendale campus. Ironically, I had no idea it was him! We were both late to a meeting and ended up sitting on a couch in the back of the room. We were enjoying a friendly chat when the emcee at the front of the room suddenly announced a special guest speaker. Richard stood up and walked to the front of the room. I blushed, finally realizing who I had been talking to. Richard turned around and looked at me and laughed. He went on to play his beloved songs, including “It’s a Small World (After All).”

Sadly, Richard is no longer with us. But before his passing he left us with one final gift… a last verse to this iconic song. If you haven’t seen this, I recommend you take some time to watch this right now:

Warning, it may require tissues… at least it did for me.

As we enter this season of love, joy, and peace, this song reminds us that we are all inextricably connected. Sure, in many ways there are differences. We may be separated by some beliefs, ideas, customs, and distances. But we all share laughter, we all share fears. And even in our world of hope, we all shed some tears. Theres more that connects us than divides us. One of the amazing potentials of humans is our ability to connect across vast expanses, to smile, to care for each other, to love and be loved. But it is still our choice. If I may be so bold, when you have the opportunity, choose love.

As Richard and Robert Sherman would put it,

“It’s a world of laughter
A world of tear
It’s a world of hopes
And a world of fears
There’s so much that we share
That it’s time we’re aware
It’s a small world after all

There is just one moon
And one golden sun
And a smile means
Friendship to ev’ryone
Though the mountains divide
And the oceans are wide
It’s a small world after all

Mother earth unites us in heart and mind
And the love we give makes us humankind
Through our vast wonderous land
When we stand hand in hand
It’s a small world after all.”

And yes, that song is probably stuck in your head by now. You’re welcome.