Ahh, distance learning. While it doesn’t conjure up song lyrics for many, this year it is inspiring me to hum a long ago tune from The Divine Ms. M.
“From a Distance.”
Ms. M’s song is about how all of our differences wash away when looked at from afar, and everything looks beautiful and harmonious when you get some perspective. These days, I can’t think of a better message. Indeed, “From a distance/ you look like my friend/ even though we are at war. / From a distance/ I just cannot comprehend/ what all this fighting’s for.”
I think there is no better symbol for this moment than all of our wonderful, faithful, earnest young students, plugging away at their Chromebooks in distance learning. They come from all corners, all races, religions, and classes. Some moonlight as amateur video editors and some have never looked at an email before. Their wi-fi is shakey, their voices shakier, and they all salivate over the moment when the teacher forgets to disable the chat function on Zoom. Every morning and afternoon, hundreds of home lives collide in a massive, chaotic mash-up of everyone trying to figure out what the f*** is going on. And it is stunningly beautiful.
From a distance, these many little faces, these hundreds of little voices, unite in a song of hope.
Bette Midler – From A Distance
From a distance the world looks blue and green
And the snow capped mountains white
From a distance the ocean meets the stream
And the eagle takes to flight
From a distance there is harmony
And it echoes through the land
It’s the voice of hope
It’s the voice of peace
It’s the voice of every man
From a distance we all have enough
And no one is in need
And there are no guns, no bombs and no disease
No hungry mouths to feed
From a distance we are instruments
Marching in a common band
Playing songs of hope
Playing songs of peace
They are the songs of every man
God is watching us
God is watching us
God is watching us from a distance
From a distance you look like my friend
Even though we are at war
From a distance I just cannot comprehend
What all this fightings for
From a distance there is harmony
And it echoes through the land
And it’s the hope of hopes
It’s the love of loves
It’s the heart of every man
It’s the hope of hopes
It’s the love of loves
This is the song for every man
God is watching us
God is watching us
God is watching us from a distance
God is watching
God is watching us from a distance
Source: LyricFind
Songwriters: Julie Gold
From a Distance lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Universal Music Publishing Group, Songtrust Ave, A Side Music LLC D/B/A Modern Works Music Publishing
Natalay G. Maria 