Inherit the Wind
When I was in college, several of my good friends were theater majors, and were always some of the more interesting people that I knew. I always had a fondness for theater, primarily through set design and the artistry involved with creating the scenery which plays are acted against. But since there was a need for extras to play townsfolk in the show, they convinced me to accept a small part in the play other then my work on the backdrops. I have to say that it was one of the most interesting ways to see a play, that is, from the inside of the production on stage.
‘Inherit the Wind’ is based on a real event, the 1925 Scopes Monkey Trial, where a teacher was imprisoned and then tried for teaching the theory of evolution in a Tennessee high school. On first view, the play is about an argument between religion and science. But on closer examination, it is a battle between free thought and religious dogma. In the course of the play, as the town people are being whipped into a religious and righteous fervor against the teacher, the local minister comes close to damming his own daughter, who loves the teacher, but is stopped with the Bible admonishment that, ‘He that troubleth his own house, shall inherit the wind.’
I am reminded of this play and my work in it from my long-ago past, by current events, as many people have been whipped into righteous fervor against a number of things; minorities, women, equal rights, education, science, environment, and climate change. We are disturbing our own house, and the consequences may be dire for our future. There is room for all views in this day and age. However, the need for free and clear thinking is necessary if we are to overcome the problems that we face, damming and ignoring them will only lead to our downfall.
(The photo below is from the 1955 movie, Inherit the Wind, starring Spencer Tracy and Fredic March as the two main antagonists during the trial. If you ever get a chance to see the movie version, do so, it is as relevant today as it was more than 60 years ago.)
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