Michael Reason's last talk to LCUUF: A Melody for Change: How Music Reflects and Shapes Society

How has music changed the world—and how has the world changed music?

In this inspiring talk, Michael Reason, Music Director of the Lake Chapala Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, takes us on a powerful journey through the soundtrack of modern history. From Dvorak to Billie Holiday, from Motown to Marvin Gaye, from Bowie to Beyoncé, music has not only mirrored the social and political upheavals of the 20th and 21st centuries—it has moved them.

You'll hear how:

Stravinsky sparked a riot with The Rite of Spring

Billie Holiday’s haunting Strange Fruit became an anthem for civil rights

Motown reshaped America’s racial perceptions

Lesley Gore, David Bowie, and others helped fuel gender and LGBTQ+ liberation

Live Aid proved rock 'n roll could feed the world

Michael shows how melodies became movements, and how lyrics lit the fire for global transformation.

👍 Like this video if music has changed your life
💬 Let us know in the comments: What song changed how you see the world?

#MusicAndSociety #SocialChange #LCFUUF #MichaelReason #LiveAid #StrangeFruit #Motown #MarvinGaye #DavidBowie #BillieHoliday #LGBTQMusic #MusicHistory #UnitarianUniversalist #ChangeThroughMusic

Join us for a compelling UU Humanist discussion exploring the latest scientific breakthroughs and technologies reshaping human longevity, from gene editing and senolytics to synthetic biology innovations that slow cellular aging. We will examine cutting-edge research such as the Human Longevity Laboratory’s efforts to understand and intervene in biological aging, and synthetic gene circuits engineered to extend cellular lifespan. This conversation will delve into the ethical, social, and philosophical implications of extending healthspan and potentially reversing aging, inviting thoughtful reflection on what it means to live longer and thrive in the future.

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Rev. Matt Alspaugh, Speaker; Dee Dee Camhi, Service Associate.
Humility seems to be very much out of fashion in the world today. Many political and business leaders, influencers, and their minions, reject being humble as a profound weakness. Instead, they think they know everything worth knowing and can accomplish anything they want, and if they can’t it isn’t worth doing. And it’s not just ‘those people’, it can sometimes be ‘us’ as well.


Yet humility, not knowing, not assuming, can lead us to openness to what is new and understanding what we don’t know, and what our limitations are. We will explore how humility as a virtue can be a support to inner peace and a gateway to gratitude. We will also celebrate the changing of the seasons, as the Summer Solstice will have occurred on Friday evening, June 20.

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Ted Fahy, Presenter; Priscilla Taylor, Service Associate.
We live in a world where we are told that we are either predictable commodities or victims of random events – in either case implying that we have little or no control over our own lives. We will explore how these dual characterizations are caricatures of two of our deepest human experiences – ritual and acceptance – and how we might otherwise think about our lives.

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Rev Matt Alspaugh
Free will is often described as your ability to make choices or actions without being constrained by prior events or the state of the universe. Free will plays an important part in many religions, where we humans may (or may not) have the freedom to make moral choices. We’ll explore the philosophy of free will, and how we might incorporate the idea in our own spiritual understandings of our lives in the world.

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Presenter: David Rosh, Service Associate: Jane Castleman
What are the tools and attitudes that allow us to survive and thrive through crises and chaos? We will explore the importance of knowing our identity in answering this question and guide us in shaping a flexible, resilient sense of self.

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In macroeconomics, the "chess vs. checkers" analogy is often used to describe the difference between strategic planning and reactive decision-making. Chess, with its complex rules and diverse piece capabilities, represents a proactive approach where players anticipate and plan for long-term outcomes. Checkers, on the other hand, with its simpler rules and limited piece movement, is more about immediate, reactive moves. Go, with its vast board and focus on territorial control, offers a nuanced perspective, suggesting a balance between strategic planning and the need to react to evolving circumstances. We will explore these distinctions as applied to our current global situation. Moderated by Bob Koches

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Rev. Matt Alspaugh, Presenter. Ted Fahy, Service Associate
Among the most fundamental of spiritual questions are those asked in the title of this service: “Who are we?” “Where Are We Going?” These, along with questions like “Where Do We Come From?” and “Why Are We Here?” form the core of most legitimate spiritual explorations, even if they are not asked directly. Further, we can ask these questions about ourselves as individuals, and also about our communities, cultures, even humanity itself.
For this service, we’ll consider the title questions, as they apply to ourselves as individuals as well as our fellowship as a community. We won’t try to find hard and fast answers (I’m not sure those exist), but we’ll begin thinking about possible answers that fit us.

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Presenters: Annie Morris and Deb Gang

Do you sometimes realize you’ve been driving for 15 minutes and have no idea how you got to where you are? Have you ever eaten a half a bag of chips while watching TV and not even registered that you were doing it? This week we will explore how to be present in our lives and learn to fully experience each moment as it happens.

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Rev. Matt Alspaugh, Presenter
Priscilla Taylor, Service Associate

It’s been suggested that imagination is a uniquely human trait. It’s something that we can develop; we can use it to connect with one another, it connects us with things larger than ourselves, perhaps with the divine. It can also lead to trouble. Together we’ll imagine just what imagination is about

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Rev. Matt Alspaugh, Presenter, Ted Fahy, Service Associate

UU Minister Galen Guengerich believes our unique religious virtue is gratitude, saying, “In the same way that Judaism is defined by obedience, Christianity by love, and Islam by submission, I believe that Unitarian Universalism should be defined by gratitude.” He goes on, “Our bumper sticker could be: We are the gratitude people.” We’ll consider what it means to be ‘gratitude people’: why and how we might practice gratitude in our daily lives.

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Ralph Waldo Emerson considered art as a way for the artist to express their inner self, their “spirit,” and to share a deeper understanding of the world with others. He believed that there should be no strict separation between different art forms like painting, music, and poetry, as they all stem from the same creative impulse. He defined life in terms of creative capacity and helped redefine creativity as an innate, impulsive, and ubiquitous quality

Our April 27 service will celebrate Emerson Sunday – an honoring of the arts in all it’s forms, music, visual arts, performing arts, textile arts, and more.

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The Gaia hypothesis, formulated by James Lovelock and Lynn Margulis in the 1970s, suggests that Earth is a self-regulating system where living organisms interact with their surroundings to maintain habitable conditions. This theory proposes that the biosphere, atmosphere, hydrosphere, and pedosphere are tightly coupled, evolving together to create an environment optimal for life. Although initially criticized, the Gaia hypothesis has evolved to align with fields like Earth system science and biogeochemistry, with ongoing research exploring how life influences global temperature, ocean salinity, and atmospheric conditions. It also encourages a re-evaluation of human systems, emphasizing their embeddedness within and dependence on the Gaian system, which influences political ideas, practices, and our understanding of sustainability. The Gaia hypothesis also inspires analogies and interpretations in politics, religion, and social sciences, prompting discussions about a cultural paradigm shift affecting science, morality, and the arts. This topic is in honor of Earth Day.
Led by Bob Koches

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Presenter: Rev. Timothy Boeve, Service Associate: Sandy Wallin

On this Easter Sunday, which also features the last day of Passover, the Reverend Timothy Boeve will touch upon these significant religious festivals as he highlights what for him and others these events celebrate, Renewal and Freedom, respectively.

However, with this particular Sunday falling two days prior to the 55th annual celebration of Earth Day, on April 22, Boeve will primarily focus his message on the peril and promise of living on our warming planet. His message will provide the latest updates regarding climate change and potential fixes.

One of these modest fixes is a local effort by a small team of Mexican residents planting trees around the shores of Lake Chapala. As such, included as part of Boeve’s message a couple of representatives of Siempre Verde will make a brief presentation about their vital, environmentally focused work.

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Ms. Noris Binet, a resident of Lakeside for the past six years (along with her husband Tim Boeve) and graduate of the University of Guadalajara when in her twenties, in recognition of Mexico’s celebration on December 112, will bring a message centered around The Virgin of Guadalupe, whose apparition to Juan Diego first appeared on Dec. 12, 1531. Binet, a visual artist, writer, and spiritual teacher spent much of her life as a sociologist studying ancient cultures especially here in Mexico. Her talk will underscore the importance of myth -- particularly the preeminent myth in Mexico of the Virgin of Guadalupe, in helping us reach our full potential as human beings, integrating both masculine and feminine qualities into our lives. The Virgin of Guadalupe provides one doorway for us to bring about this important transformation.

Presented at LCUUF December 8, 2024

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People living with memory changes share their stories of h ow they live, cope, and manage life after their diagnosis.

Presented by LakesideDayBreak@gmail.com

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Presenter: Richard Clarke, Service Associate: Carol Johnson.
Discover how the teachings of Ramana Maharshi and the mystical insights of the Gnostics align in their call to awaken the Divine within. Both traditions offer profound paths to liberation, emphasizing self-knowledge, spiritual awakening, and transcending the illusions of the material world. Join us as we explore these shared truths and uncover how they resonate with Unitarian Universalist values of inner light, spiritual growth, and personal exploration of the sacred. Together, we’ll reflect on how these timeless teachings can inspire our own journeys toward truth and wholeness.

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Presenter: Rev. Matt Alspaugh, Service Associate: Dee Dee Camhi.
It has been said, “Joy is the happiness that doesn’t depend on what happens.” How is it that joy can accompany other emotions, like pain, sadness, deep sorrow? Or conversely, that we can be so filled with joy that we are brought to tears? There is something about joy that elevates it among the emotions, intertwining it with those others, so that joy forms a foundation for our emotional life, if we let it.

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Presenter: Greg Kemp, Service Associate: Tim Boeve.
What is the Greatness of the human being, and how can we activate, develop, and live It on a daily basis? What does it really mean to be perfectly imperfect and how can we apply Love in a tangible way that benefits oneself, those around us, and the world as a whole? We will dive into these questions.
Spoiler alert – there will mystic poetry recited, and Sufi whirling.
Greg Kemp has been a Kundalini yoga teacher, Sheik of the Whirling Dervishes, and Minister of the Essentialist Church of Christ. He lives in Ajijic with his Beloved wife, Alicia.

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