Hey here, we are back for another episode of Ask Kevin Almost Anything.
We've been having a lot of fun with.
These and so we're happy that you're tuning in. I am here with the executive director of six degrees dot Org and my friends Stacy Houston High Stacy, Hey.
KeV, good to be back.
How are you.
I'm doing well, doing well.
How are the girls?
You know, they we are raising strong girls. They are they are bright and strong, and they are learning how to say no to everybody, including mom and dad.
So awesome.
We used to say to so Se well Sosi had the situation where she, you know, had an older brother so who was a very very strong personality and in his own right, and you know, it was really super important to both of us and certainly Kira to make sure that she found her strength and her voice.
It whatever it was, it worked.
Now that she's in her thirties, if she definitely tells it like it is. But one of the things that Kira kind of came up with, I think she sort of came up with it was she didn't she used to say use your power all the time. And you know, with Travis, he was so powerful that you know, and we didn't need to remind him, but associated it would be, you know, just a message that we would always you know, kind of.
Pound a table on. It's okay, just use.
Your power, tell us, tell us what's going on, tell it, tell you know, don't don't get run over by the by the little boys in your life, you know, and you know, I don't need to tell you. There's so many studies about you know, when girls stop raising their hands in class.
And you know, all those all those things.
You know, we certainly have to try to plight to guess that.
You know, that would have been a good phrase and maybe we can incorporate it. I when Abby, my oldest, was about two, you know, she was starting to communicate, and you know, there would be other little kids in her daycare or something like that that we're hitting or biting or babe yell and be like you can't play with us. And we were like, oh my gosh, this is a lot for already, you know, two two and a half. And Abby's response would always be like they're just having a bad day, Like, oh my gosh.
That's amazing.
I guess this is great. But we were kind of like, Abby, you have to stick up for yourself too, you know, especially if someone's hitting you, I want you to say, you know, please don't, don't, don't touch my body or that sort of thing. And so now Abby is she just doesn't want to do what we want her to do. And we go to like take her and move her from one place to another, she will yell on the
top of her lungs, don't touch my body. And it has been very awkward for my husband Danny being oh, yeah, we were on a road Oh yeah, we were on a road trip and he was in taking her to a bathroom break and I was waiting in the car with Eloise and he came out real flustered with her in his arms, and I'm like, that was quick? What was going on? And he goes, you need to take her.
I'm like what He's like, I am trying to get her to go onto the toilet and she is yelling in a stall, don't touch my body on the top of her lungs. In a male restroom at like a rest stop.
Wow.
Well, okay, so that's.
Oh boy, that that is something else.
It's a balance, you know. You know, she's in that very impressional age. So she's she's learning it all. But no, it's it's a lot of fun. I digress.
That's good. That is really good.
Well, we have been receiving questions or comments, uh that have been related to animals, you know, animals people, the effect that animals and people have on their lives. I think probably because you know, a lot of people when they comment on my social media, they'll they'll mention animals. You know, we use a lot of animals in our in our social medium. So our first comment today is
from Leanne speaks, and Leanne says, animals and music. It's definitely a common DENI the dator, right, I believed I could soothe my elderly dog in this way. Obviously I've seen you sharing your music with your animal family. But any surprising reactions, Well, yeah, I mean it's interesting that I don't know that until the pandemic, I really thought about the connection between animals and music.
Let me think about that. I mean, I've written at least two songs about my dog or one of my dogs.
I grew up in a household that didn't have any animals because my father didn't like dogs, and one of the reasons my mother loved them. But my father just wasn't really it to them. One of the reasons was that we had a He got a dog for my sister and the dog bit me. So I was the youngest of six and there was a probably about it was like an eight year age gap between my next oldest sister and me and this little dog. I think I probably was crawling over and trying to eat out
of its bowl or something. You know, it, you know, bit me, and then whatever there was, I don't remember it. I'm not one of those people that ended up with a dog bite and then you know, was scarred for life, either emotionally or physically by those things, because there are those cases, and my father's like the dogs out of here and we're not getting to know a dog. The second I moved out of the house, I think probably
Tommy I was about twenty. I mean I moved out when I was seventeen, but it only took me a few years to get to adopt the dog from a pound, and you know that started years and years and years of dogs, and between kir and I think we had a total of five or something.
We don't have one now. And during the pandemic.
I also have always loved horses. Even though I was a city kid, I felt a real connection with horses.
We were speaking on one.
Of these episodes about camp and that was like a super important camp experience for me, was connecting with horses.
I liked the way.
I could just feel their energy and I could feel they calmed me down. I like the way they smelled. I like the way they felt. I like to be on them, and as much as I like to ride them, I also like to just kind of connect with them and groom them and be in the stall and clean out the stalls, and you know, all those things were like I just felt the connection with So by the time I was old enough to get my own place and had enough money, I was looking for a place
where I could keep horses. And I got horses probably in the eighties and have had big horses ever since. But during the pandemic, I don't know, for some reason, I decided that for our anniversary I should get Kira some goats, and so I went and got these miniature goats and they were there was two of them. They were super super cute. I put them in a stall them in the bar, and I didn't tell her about it.
And I went down and said, I have surprise for you for our anniversary and took her in the stall and there were these two goats looking at her, and she loved them, felt a total connection with them.
Now.
Every day, for the first probably few months of their lives, in order to kind of socialize them to people, we kept them in a stall before we turned them out into the field, and every morning and every afternoon, I would go down and hang out with them. Sometimes in the morning it would be, you know, with a cup
of coffee. Times in the afternoon I'd go down and you know, sit there and drink a beer and just hang out in the stall with these goats, and they would come over, and you know, I would pat them and they you know, just started to kind of like
connect it with them. And not to drop a name, but Jimmy Fallon had sort of randomly sent me this instrument that was a three stringed instrument kind of like a almost like a doughbro if anybody's familiar with that, or you know, with kind of like a drone droning tone on it. And you know, I started playing it and one day I was like, well, you know, trying to play this thing of practicing it, I think I'll
just go out and play it with the goats. And so i'd sit there and play this you know, funny kind of instrument, and.
I don't know it just I'm not quite.
Sure whether it was that I was a calming down because I was playing music, or if the actual music was having any sort of effect on them, or or if their energy was calming me down. But the whole thing just kind of felt right with songs and music. And then I started doing these silly goat songs. So, you know, I would post on you know, social media, different songs that I wanted to play, and I'd go down and sing to the goats. And that menagerie has expanded quite a bit since then.
Yeah, I am. I knew a little bit about equestrian therapy, you know, and that can be utilized to really help comfort people in different types of ways and different types of therapies. I feel like goats are popping up in like yoga, Like everywhere, everything's like you know, goat yoga, and people just want to kind of be near animals in that sense. My mom had a stroke several years back.
She since past, but when she was rehabilitating in like a therapy center, there would be a woman that would come through with like a therapy dog, And honestly, I think some of it was for you know her as like the person that was working in that space and trying to help others by sharing this passion that she
had for her canine. But I saw a lot of people that didn't have a lot of visitors at all, you know, no one was kind of there seeing them day to day, and they really obviously took to getting to spend time with the animals and just pet them and kind of cuddle up with them. And no, I think there's a real power in animals and humans and that connection kind of understroken connection.
Yeah, they say that the horse's heartbeat is pretty similar two hours, and.
Uh you know, I I.
I've learned a lot about myself from from just kind of spending a little bit of time with animals. I mean, you know, because they can so often pick up on you know, your your stress levels and and your energy.
You know, I'll see people that will.
Come and and hang out with our animals. We we now have a situation where uh you know, there's we have pigs and goats and chickens, and alpaca and miniature horses and they're all sort of in this place together. And a lot of times people's relationship to animals in you know, kind of petting suit situations are is often about food. And you know, of course an animal is going to be responsive to food, but we always try to you know, interact with them as much as possible
where there's no food evolve. And what I've noticed is that they don't always need the food in order to be interested to see you. You know, they will if if you're I go out and just you know, sit down, they'll just come hang out for no other reason than you know. It's not like they come and you don't have any food and then they just split.
They'll just they just want to hang out.
And I certainly have found that very very therapeutic. And sometimes I just feel my heart rate coming down, my starting to be more in touch with my breath, or getting out out of.
My head a little bit. You know.
I think that one of the things that is it can be really good about pet ownership.
Is that, you know, you you have to focus.
On something other than yourself a little bit. Now I'm all about being self aware and you know, not bury your head in the sand in terms of the problems in the world or the or the problems in your own personal life. But sometimes it's good to step out of the of your own personal thoughts and your own personal head. I mean, that's kind of what meditation is, right, a way to kind of stop thinking a little bit.
And if you were sometimes with an animal, you're thinking about that animal, you can, you know, just kind of turn the volume down on the thoughts that at least I can on the thoughts that are inside your habit.
That's a good way to describe it, turn the volume down. Yeah, yeah, a little bit of a reprieve.
Yep.
I mean I think that, you know, obviously we've had incredible you know, connections, and the kids have to to their dogs. Both of both of my children, you know, of course, are are pet owners, and a lot of times I'm like, no, don't get another pet. Oh no, what do you do when so much responsibility.
Especially especially dogs. I mean, dogs are so.
Much of your responsibility, and nobody everybody goes out and just kind of gets one because their puppies are cute, you know, and a lot of times they're they're not willing to put the time in or they're willing to to train them, train them. Yeah, it's it's a it's a it is a it's a it's a problem. I mean, you know, you you you really I've learned over the years, even though we've had quite a few dogs, there's some people would consider untrainable, but but we we put a.
Lot of time and a lot of effort into them.
And you know, the time that you spend and the effort that you you do, you know, really does payoff. I mean, it really does. It really does pay off. But you have to know that. I guess what I'm saying is I'm not not lobbying for you know, everybody running out and getting a pet, but because you have to know that you're going to be spending quite a few years. You know, it's not just that's just going to be the first few months or the first few years.
I mean, we had a dog, We had an eighteen year old dog that was a that was a big chunk of our lives that we spent, you know with that with that animal and being responsible for that animal, walking, feeding, vetting, caring for training, picking picking up poop, you know, just buckets and buckets and poop add it all up.
You know, it's a big it's a big it's a big thing.
I do think that there is a there is I mean, I'm sure there's been studies done about the possibility of animals too to create a healing force of people's lives.
Absolutely, Thanks Leanne, that was a really good question.
Yes, thank you, Leanne.
All Right, you want to jump into question number two.
Okay, here comes to question number two. This is from Ali Kenny. Hey, Kevin, I've been loving the podcast so far. Thank you that the episode with Thomas Rhett was great. I love hearing you talk about music. Speaking of music, the legendary Paul McCartney is a big supporter of meat free mondays. You should cover this on the podcast.
Ps.
I love the Bacon Brons and can't wait to see you guys again in November. Oh well that's very nice. Yeah, thanks Okay, So, yeah, that was a great episode with Thomas Rhett. I really enjoyed it. I mean, I love listen. One of the things I've loved about this podcast is that it hasn't just been actors. You know, it hasn't just been people from the from the movie business.
Uh, there's been.
Musicians and people in sports and uh you know, uh reality television.
And you know we had deep Pop.
Choper the other day. It was uh a doctor and a you know, spiritualist.
And and and and it's been.
Really that's been really kind of you know, really kind of fun and and and interesting. And I'm so I'm glad so getting with Thomas Rhett we're getting a jewel for instance, we've had when those of you know, two of the musicians that we've had.
It's just fun to talk music.
I'm always fascinated with, you know, people in terms of like their songwriting process and what they feel about life on the road and you know, trying to break out and keep things fresh from creative staying. So so thanks, I'm glad you. I'm glad you enjoyed it. And you know, he's got this new record.
I think it's called.
Twenty right, it's like twenty twenty number ones or something like that.
It's number ones.
It's like, yeah, number one has it.
Was like twenty of them.
I mean it's great, it's amazing, and it's great.
It's a great record.
He's a great writer, great singer and really good dude. So I'm glad he was there with us. But now the second question that you mentioned is about Paul McCarty is meat free Monday. So I can tell you, you know, when I meet actors, I've worked with a lot of very very famous people and you know, the top top, top actors ever in our in our business, I've gotten the chance oftentimes to interact with and work with, you know, and you know actors, I love it. I think of
them as sort of colleagues. And it's doesn't really you know, it doesn't really affect me that much or I don't get thrown that much from from I don't get starstruck.
Let's put it that way.
If I meet a musician that I grew up with, that's where I turned into the babbling, you know, kind of like starstruck dude. And so I have met Paul McCartney, and he is one of those guys that you know, we've only met kind of in passing, but he's the type of person that immediately sort of puts you at ease.
I don't know how people do that, you know, who are that that well respected, that famous, that that type of a person that words like genius have been applied to you know so many times that a person that is had such a musical and impact on all of our lives when they're able to just make you feel like you're just you know, talking you know, to your dentist or whatever.
You know.
I mean, it's really it's really a nice it's a nice it's a nice skill.
That he has in terms of that.
So yeah, I actually have to stop you real quick. Okay, So you have that same effect. I can't tell you the amount of times that we've you know, had people that have met you and have done work with us that are like Kevin is just you know, so easy to talk to and and it's kind of disarming. I think, you know, and I don't think. I think when people aren't used to being around famous people, you know, they say, don't meet your heroes, they're kind of nervous about that
bubble bursting. But I think similarly, you have that effect. The first time I met you, I was super nervous because I was like, what what to expect. I was also coming to work for you, so it's like with being your first day on the job, right, And I remember you coming down from from the hotel with with Michael, and you said I'll just ride with you. And I'm like, okay, and you jumped into my prius and I'm thinking, I hope,
do I need more insurance? But if I came to a corrass it with Kevin Vacon, like what does that mean? And but you immediately started asking questions about my family, you know, where I was from, if I had siblings, and and really taking like a like just an authentic approach of like getting to know somebody. And I do
think that not everyone does that. I mean, having done this work for a good amount of time now almost a decade, tell you that this is not always the case, you know, and you so it's nice to hear that Sir Paul McCartney is also a real genuine dude or sir I guess, yeah.
Oh yeah, yeah he really, I mean he really is.
I mean I I of course I would, you know, I love to someday spend more time.
And you know, I mean the think about it is that I guess.
You have to kind of judge, uh, you know how much somebody wants to share about you know, their work and and the things that they've done, because you know, you're you know, with someone like that, you can imagine that the just so many people say, you know, you just changed.
My life with that song. And I mean, you know, at what point.
Do you keep do you keep responding to that or do you still are you still open to hearing that type of thing? It's who knows. But I love the music. I love the music with the Beatles. I love the music.
Beyond the Beatles.
And uh, and I just think he's a super super cool.
Guy and and and.
Yeah, I hope our paths cross again and me this mondays, So I am Are you a vegan station?
No?
No, no, I have dabbled in the vegan arts.
You've dabbled right, okay, in the vegan arts. That's funny. What for? For how long were you?
So?
I decided that I was going to do you know, like many people, January approaches and you're like, I'm going to do I'm gonna eat clean, right, So I told my husband we were gonna eat clean for a month and just kind of like reset start the year off right. I guess what I didn't tell him is that we were going to be doing vegan, which he really protested pretty hard. Oh really, I think he's almose, adamant people He's like, I need meat to survive, like I and he,
you know, was very cranky for about a week. But then he, I think reset a little bit and was like, okay, like we can eat some pretty delicious.
Me I need my marriage more exactly.
And it was then he also wasn't going to be in the kitchen cooking every single meal, so I'm like, you're eating what I'm cooking, or you can definitely cook for yourself, which she's not opposed to, but he's, you know, if I'm cooking, he's gonna prefer to eat that. So it was fine. We did it for thirty days. I did feel great. I'm not a big fan of like tofu and things like that kind it kind of almost gives me a headache. Yeah, Tempe is a little.
Just kind of wheat wheat.
Yeah, I don't actually know. I don't know that's soybean as well.
Okay, well don't quote me on this, folks. Vegan.
I know we're clearly not vegans here, but I do like the idea of meat free, eating meat free a few times a week. You know, I like cheese, so it would be a hard thing for me to go completely vegan in that sense. But what about you? Have you ever tried it?
No?
I well not vegan. I mean I was a vegetarian for a while. But you know what's funny about that, I have this, I have a little bit of a bone to pick here, so to speak. Shouldn't they're just if you're a vegetarian, it's in the word. You should just be eating vegetables. So I don't really see why vegetarians and vegans should be different. If you're eating cheese and eggs and occasionally fish, you're not a vegetarian.
I don't understand that. People say, but I'm a vegetarian, but I eat.
You know, whatever animal products. You know, it doesn't make any sense to me. So that being said, I was a vegetarian for quite a few years. I was one of those you know, I call it a bageltarian because basically you're vegetar Harriet, but you eat cheese and bagels all the time, and pizza and you know all those things. It was really because I was dating a girl who you know, wouldn't have wouldn't go out with me if I was gonna eat you.
Know, bacon.
Your last name, but I will not eat.
Yes, exactly.
Yeah, And and you know, I now I don't eat pigs anymore, and it's it's makes no sense at all. But I love my pigs so much, Jude and Johnny that the idea it just changed my mind about eating them. And somebody once said to me, say, well, you don't have to eat your pigs. You could eat other people's pigs, and I said, that's fine.
I don't eat lamb.
I don't like Okra, but that's just because I don't like Okra slimy.
The Okra thing. I don't know it at all.
Okay, it's not my thing.
All right, when when you're coming over from dinner, we're not having oak or okay, you know. So I got a couple of things that I'm not that crazy about, not eating goats.
I mean, maybe it's just that I don't know.
Just the animals we have where I'm not eating.
But I don't know.
But I do certainly do have at least a day a week of meatlessness.
I don't really know why.
I mean, partly because I kind of feel like it's fun to experiment with different things to eat.
I mean, I like to do that all the.
Time, with with all different kinds of food, whether it's you know, trying I don't know, suh or you know, or something Indonesian or or you know, going to a you know, an African restaurant or or you know whatever, just trying different you know things. Yeah, I love food and I and I think it's interesting, you know, I just having some friends over. I actually think it's kind of interesting that people are starting to look closely at the food that they eat and the things that they
put in their bodies. And hopefully we'll continue, as we were talking about on the podcast, to look at the source of the foods.
That we're eating. I mean, it is a really.
Sometimes frightening and overwhelming thing, but it is also great to kind of be, you know, aware of what it is that you.
Know, you're willing to put in your body.
But I have some friends coming over for dinner, and later on in the week and reached out to my buddy and I said, okay, just remind me what's the dietary thing. And he can't have anything that has any kind of nuts in it.
And that's like a serious allergy.
Though no it's a serious no, no, no, it's really bad. He's got the EPI pen and the whole thing ready to go. Yeah, he's yeah, he said to me once you know, you know, it's not a real party until the EpiPen comes out. So he's a very funny guy.
He's very used to this. But also no seafood and then I was like okay now, and then also gluten free, so so you know, it presents challenges, but that's that to me is what's really kind of fun about about food and stuff is when you go, okay, well, you know, working within these parameters, whether it's veganism or or you know, allergies or whatever, you can you know, experiment with new ways to create something delicious.
And I'm up for the challenge.
Yeah.
Absolutely, that was a good That was a really good question, Ali Bacanism eating clean. There's a lot to unpack there. Let's jump in. Our next question is actually a caller in from Jack Thomas.
Hey, Kevin, my name is Jack Thomas pronounced shib. I'm recording today because I want to ask what is your personal experience and your opinion on the link between creative education, mental health and creative careers. I'm an artist and former art educator who has watched art and music and theater programs be the first to go, or at least the first impacted when budget cuts happen. This seems to mostly affect districts that serve low income and BIPOP kids, speaking
from personal experience here. Consequently, these kids, just like I did, often grow up with basically no support for creativity as a mental health lifeline, and they definitely do not think of creative fields when they think about viable career paths.
Way too many of us get their way too, Lay.
I really love the work that my friend David Greiner formerly A Bad Week, is doing with Brian Reynolds through their recently launched nonprofit Creative Ladder, but they can only do so much.
They're just one ord.
So what I'm asking is if you could send a message to public school systems and the US about the link between creative education, mental health, and career success, especially in creative fields.
What would it be?
Hey, Jack, thank you so much for this question. I am a very very strong supporter of the arts when it comes to mental health, and certainly starting with kids. I was incredibly lucky to be raised in a household where creative expression was put on a giant pedestal by my parents. They really didn't care what are great?
Were like, they really didn't.
Give us any kind of messaging to a fault in terms of like how.
To make money.
And they weren't big fans of sports. But uh, and I'm not putting down sports and education and and and money. But when it came to doing something creative, that was put on a pedestal, and it was make a make a drawing, sculpt something, create a costume, do a dance, write yourself a song, write a play, pick up an instrument, do anything of a of a of a creative nature. And it was so informative for me, and not only that, it was so important to.
My own mental health. Uh. You know, I've often talked about it. I've talked about it on the podcast.
Of getting into an acting class as a as a young kid and all of a sudden feeling safe and feeling like I had a place that I could express myself in a way that I really wasn't able to in school or on the street. You know, a lot a lot of it was wrapped up and being a boy and you know, trying to be tough all the time and survive, and all of a sudden in the acting classes, you know, I could just kind of be
anything that I wanted to be. And in terms of music in the public school system at that time, if you wanted an instrument, you could get an instrument.
They would have. This is in Philadelphia. You know.
It would start, you know, as a as a little kid with a recorder and they just gave you this, you know, plastic recorder and you would play this little kind of flute thing and figure out putting your fingers on it and and learn a song. And then from that point on, if you wanted music lessons, if you wanted to be in the school band, it was it was always always there for you. And those programs are as, as you pointed out, the first to go when Cutts happened.
Stacey and I with six degrees, have been involved in a couple of sort of creative and music based organizations, one of which was called Rock in the Future, which is in.
Philadelphia, which is my hometown.
And what they do is they provide places for you know, underserved communities and kids to make music, to play instruments, to record, to put bands together. You know, these things are happening in classical and in visual arts and all the all this.
But you're right, it is.
It is extremely important. And you know, I'm sure there's a lot tremendous amount of research and information about uh, you know, kids and and their own mental health and you know, around being able to have creative expression. But you know what I always like to just you know, kind of point the point, the example of which is when people are playing music, Uh, nobody's getting hurt. You know, no one's shooting each other, right, no one's you know, you know, you know, you're not fighting.
You know, you're you're, you're, you're you know.
You're you're you're making music and and it's got to be it's got to be a positive thing.
Do you thinks, Dave, oh, one hundred percent. And that's actually one of the core ways we know Rock to the Futures using it as a tool to reduce gun violence and to create outlets. We're also you know, when we interviewed the different students through these different network partners, they all said the same kind of underlying thing, which was that they felt like this created space for them to be safe, to have community. They felt like they
were seen and listened to. There was a real belonging, which we know has a direct effect to someone's mental health and mental wellness. So, you know, looping back to Jack's really thoughtful submission, I think that the education systems need I think we as constituents of them, need to figure out a better way to ensure that kids have access to the arts, whether it's to music or performance.
But these types of outlets are so critical in giving young people a way to express themselves and to have something of their own.
Yeah, that great, That was a great question, and thank you Jack, Thanks thanks for that. Yeah, we're I want to look into this organization that she mentioned around the that I guess right, Ryan Reynolds maybe is in Bob with something, so we should check that out.
That's how it's cool.
Yeah, definitely, definitely, we'll put the information in the in the notes. We're going to do one last quick question before we wrap up today's awesome episode, all right, and this one is from Lex Lumier. I hope I'm pronouncing your last name correctly. Lex, who's from the US Department of Arts and Culture.
Hell loove Kevin. My name is Lex lamer I'm a citizen artist and cultural partner with the United States Department of Arts and Culture. February seventh of twenty twenty, I was volunteering for the Tim Tebow Night to Shine event at Houston First And this church is older than the state of Texas, so one hundred years ago, there would be no dancing and no music being played other than
you know, the worship team. What I thought was really interesting is as the decorations were going up for this event, which is a really amazing event for special needs for them to have a prom on their own, so it's really sweet, and people were coming in. It was just a really nice time, and Your Footloose song came on from the film and this film was like, I really
like this song, and I thought, this is amazing. Out of all places there are playing this song in this church that's posting a dance for people, because you know, one hundred years ago that would have happened. And I just wanted to ask you what you think about the openness and the inclusion of the arts into you know, churches and facilities of spiritual practice. You know what you think about that is just amazed and impressed at the same time.
Hey, thanks like so much for that that question.
Uh, it's interesting.
Let me let me You're tied a lot of things together that have actually been a part of my life. Coincidentally, the first one that you mentioned is Footloots, right where there's a there's a town and uh, and people are not allowed to dance and the and the the rules are set by this minister in the town and played by John Letgow and the you know, it's it's this this, this kind of creative expression is looked at as anti religion.
Uh.
And It's been a while since I've seen the movie, but I think I used the Bible when I talked to the town council and say that there were I think there's a quote about in the Bible about leaping and dancing.
Yeah, I'm in the church. Has let me let me first frame this.
By saying, I'm not what I would consider a spiritual person, and I don't go to church at this point in my life, but the church has always been a place where there has been art, I mean incredible art. You know, all in the beginning of the visual arts that that was all the art that was made was you know, iconography and the religious paintings of religious art.
In fact, when.
It's kind of moved away from there, you know, that was the blasphemous you know, time was when people started painting things that weren't religious. And music, uh for sure, and and dance, and in all kinds of religious practices there's music and dance and art, and so I think there is a there is a very powerful connection, and of course I would encourage that in places of worship that people experience art.
And the other reason is because.
If you are, you know, trying to get to cut a higher you know, kind of personal plane. And maybe this connects to the last the question we were talking about in terms of mental health. You know, music certainly, and dance as well, you know, can be calming and can take you to other kind of realms of consciousness. I think, you know, even staring at a picture of a beautiful portrait or a beautiful.
Landscape or whatever.
I mean, I think that I think there's a a very strong connection.
I couldn't agree more. And I come from I don't want to say the other side, but I probably would consider myself spiritual. But for me, when I'm like singing or to use sexist words like worshiping, I feel closeness to you know who. I believe my creator to be right more so than any other time. And I think a lot of people, like you said, with lots of different cultures, different religions around the world. That's actually what my degree is in my under undergrad degree is religious
world studies. And so I always found it really fascinating to see the connections of different religions and groups of people. I found that there was way more in common than not. We tend to focus on than not the things that we don't have in common that drive a wedge instead of like the overwhelming majority of things that we are
so similar in. So yeah, no, and I think I actually have spent some time in places in the world where you see this like convergence that I believe Lex was speaking to, where what seems to be these unlikely elements are coming together at this focal point and you feel like like you're standing in awe of something that's really cool that's happening. Yea, I think the world needs
more of that. I think we need to have more opportunities to see these different elements, seemingly different elements, you know, come together. I think we'd be in a better place.
Yeah. Yeah.
And I'll also tell you something else, Lex that you might find interesting, and that is that when I was a little boy. My father never went to church. He was raised a Quaker and had sort of, I don't know, sort of walked away from the Quaker meeting and it wasn't in his life. But my mother had found this church in our neighborhood that she was very involved with, and it was a Unitarian church, which is one of those religions where it's supposed to be very inclusive of all religions.
And she would go all the time.
And there was a minister at this Unitarian church who was I guess, I guess he would and nowadays call him a progressive kind of minister. And he loved theater. He really was obsessed with theater. So the very first acting that I ever did was in church because he would sometimes take little sections of plays I guess they were, and use them to kind of put a point across
in his certainments. And sometimes there were parts for a young man or a child, I guess, because I was going to be very little, and so I would go and that was really where I first, you know, was you know, learned how to act and had to learn lines, and you know, got nervous and did all the stuff.
Was h was at the at the.
Unitarian Church of Philadelphia and in Centara City, Philadelphia, and so that was a definite connection of of the arts and the spiritual place.
Of port a Star was born. You hear that story all the time. I feel like so many singers that you want to win Grammys, like they started in the church, absolutely because that's where they could sing, you know, their craft every Sunday. Yeah, that's a very very good question.
Thanks Lex, Thank you Lex. That's a wrap, all right, Well, this was fun. Thank you, Stacy Sure and folks, I hope you're enjoying these Ask Kevin almost anything episodes. We're having a good time with them. And uh, you know, keep the keep the questions coming. I really find this
really fascinating. It's always it's always interesting because you guys out there are you know, kind of doing our jobs in a way, you know, try to highlight and find interesting causes and people who are or have great stories. It's it's it's uh, it's it's a lot of fun and it's a lot of fun to hang out with you.
Stacey same, I'm enjoying it. Keep the questions coming. If you are inspired by today's episode, please join us in supporting six degrees dot org by texting the word Bacon to seven zero seven zero seven zero. Your gift empowers us to continue to produce programs that highlight the incredible work of everyday heroes, well also enabling us to provide
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