Some of you will recognize that line: Arlo Guthrie, from ALICE'S RESTAURANT. He was performing here in NY last night, down by the river -- same park, just a mile south -- and I went with a couple of friends. (Warren and JL, you were missed.) It was terrific. I was prepared for a nostalgia-fest, but it wasn't, although I did know all the old songs: SING ME HOME, CITY OF NEW ORLEANS, COMING INTO LOS ANGELES (BRINGING IN A COUPLE OF KEYS). But, for those of you who remember Arlo Guthrie's style, you'll know he tells long stories in between, or sometimes in the middle of, songs. The stories last night were all great, including a long one about Joseph and his brothers. Guthrie has the delivery of a country preacher and he's a complete pleasure to listen to. And he said this:

Yes, we've been singing about peace and love and justice for a long, long time. But wait a minute. What's so great about that? Suppose this was a world where there was peace and justice, where everyone had enough to eat and everyone was healthy and no one went around shooting at each other, no sickness, no war, no crime. In a world like that, you'd have to go way out of your way to make a positive contribution! Whereas in this world, lousy and screwed-up like it is, the smallest good gesture can make a big difference! Maybe we're lucky, after all. It takes so much less effort to do good in this world than it might!

I loved that and I'm going to try to keep it in mind as I make my way through this lousy, screwed-up world.