Empathy begins the process of connecting us with others, as we share their emotions. Our own life experience enables us to understand something of the life experience of others. That emotional understanding is the distinction we call empathy: “. . . the capacity to share the feelings of others . . .” “Empathy is a complex capability enabling individuals to…
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Value for Friday of Week 33 in the season of Interlude
Acting with Urgency and Intensity
Urgency is the flip side of patience, and like patience, it has its time and place.
- We are now faced with the fact, my friends, that tomorrow is today. We are confronted with the fierce urgency of now. In this unfolding conundrum of life and history, there is such a thing as being too late. Procrastination is still the thief of time. Life often leaves us standing bare, naked, and dejected with a lost opportunity. The tide in the affairs of men does not remain at flood — it ebbs. We may cry out desperately for time to pause in her passage, but time is adamant to every plea and rushes on. Over the bleached bones and jumbled residues of numerous civilizations are written the pathetic words, “Too late.” There is an invisible book of life that faithfully records our vigilance or our neglect. Omar Khayyam is right: “The moving finger writes, and having writ moves on.” [Martin Luther King, “Beyond Vietnam: A Time to Break Silence – Declaration of Independence from the War in Vietnam,” delivered at Riverside Church in New York City, April 4, 1967]
- I have been impressed with the urgency of doing. Knowing is not enough; we must apply. Being willing is not enough; we must do. [attributed to Leonardo da Vinci]
- Without a sense of urgency, desire loses its value. [Jim Rohn]
Urgency implies an imperative in time but its meaning depends on context. That meaning can be result-oriented. For tasks requiring immediate perception and response, urgency refers to a second or less. If a pedestrian suddenly runs in front of your car, urgency means braking immediately.
In medicine, urgency can refer to a matter of minutes in several scenarios (these are called emergent, because they are extremely urgent): performing a caesarian section, if the baby is at risk of being neurologically compromised, and suffering brain damage, diagnosing and treating a major bleed, such as a hemorrhage from a gunshot wound or ruptured aortic aneurysm, and diagnosing and treating a heart attack. Urgency in diagnosing a hemorrhagic stroke, where blood is accumulating within the head, putting pressure on the brain, depends on the patient’s neurologic function: if the patient’s neurologic function is declining, and hemorrhagic stroke is suspected, then radiographic imaging should be done as soon as possible, and surgery performed so as to prevent permanent damage (an hour to a few hours). When cancer is suspected, urgency means that necessary diagnostic testing should be conducted within a few weeks, depending on the kind of cancer.
In government and politics, urgency can refer to months or years. In our age of 24-hour “news”, political candidates may need to respond to their opponents within a day. The urgency of a political campaign plays out over a few months in the United States, and a shorter time in other countries with parliamentary systems. Policy makers discuss urgency in addressing climate change in terms of decades.
In urgency theory, urgency refers to “the tendency to respond rashly in response to extreme emotional states.” “Key rationale for Urgency Theory is that emotions undermine adaptive decision-making . . . through less discriminative use of information . . . increased distractibility . . . and an increased focus on short-term, rather than long-term, goal pursuits . . .”
“Urgency” means different things in different settings. In general, though, it means acting more quickly than usual.
Real
True Narratives
In some cases, urgency refers to a matter of minutes or even seconds. Emergency medicine and firefighting are two examples.
Emergency medicine and response:
- Benjamin J. Luft, We’re Not Leaving: 9/11 First Responders Tell Their Stories of Courage, Sacrifice, and Renewal (Greenpoint Press, 2011).
- Michael J. Tougias, The Finest Hours: The True Story of the U.S. Coast Guard’s Most Daring Sea Rescue (Scribner, 2009).
- Jeff Kingston, ed., Natural Disaster and Nuclear Crisis in Japan: Response and Recovery After Japan’s 3/11 (Routledge, 2012).
Firefighting:
- Terry Golway, So Others Might Live: A History of New York’s Bravest So Others Might Live: A History of New York’s Bravest – The FDNY from 1700 to the Present (Basic Books, 2002).
- Tom Downey, The Last Men Out: Life On the Edge at Rescue 2 Firehouse (Henry Holt & Company, 2004).
Not infrequently, governments are required to respond to emergencies, such as natural disasters or attacks on their citizens. In other cases, the response time is longer but the urgency is as great or greater. Consider the current need for a response to climate change.
- David G. Victor, Climate Change: Debating America’s Policy Options (Council on Foreign Relations Press, 2004).
- John Urry, Climate Change and Society (Polity, 2011).
Technical and Analytical Readings
Emergency medicine and response:
- David Schottke, Emergency Medical Responder: Your First Response in Emergency Care (Jones & Bartlett Learning, 2016).
- Judith Tintinalli, J. Stapczynski, O. John Ma, David Cline, Rita Cydulka and Garth Meckler, Tintinalli’s Emergency Medicine: A Comprehensive Study Guide (McGraw-Hill Professional, 2010).
- David Cline, O. John Ma, Rita Cydulka, Stephen Thomas, Dan Handel and Garth Meckler, Tintinalli’s Emergency Medicine Manual (McGraw-Hill Professional, 2012).
- Kevin Knoop, Lawrence Stack, Alan Storrow and R. Jason Thurman, The Atlas of Emergency Medicine (McGraw-Hill Professional, 2009).
- Michael I. Greenberg, ed., Text-Atlas of Emergency Medicine (Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, 2004).
- Buck Tilton, Wilderness First Responder: How To Recognize, Treat, and Prevent Emergencies in the Backcountry (FalconGuides, 2010).
Governmental responses to disasters:
- Arnold M. Howitt and Herman B. Leonard, Managing Crises: Responses to Large-Scale Emergencies (CQ Press, 2009).
- Howard Kunreuther and Michael Unseem, Learning from Catastrophes: Strategies for Reaction and Response (Pearson Prentice Hall, 2009).
- Girish Bobby Kapur and Jeffrey Smith, Emergency Public Health: Preparedness and Response (Jones & Bartless Learning, 2010).
- Bruce W. Clements, Disasters and Public Health: Planning and Response (Butterworth-Heinemann, 2009).
- Linda Young Landesman, Public Health Management of Disasters: The Practice Guide (American Public Health Association, 2005).
- George Haddow, Jane Bullock and Damon P. Coppola, Introduction to Emergency Management (Butterworth-Heinemann, 2010).
- David A. McEntire, Disaster Response and Recovery (Wiley, 2006).
- Richard Sylves, Disaster Policy and Politics: Emergency Management and Homeland Security (CQ Press, 2008).
Climate change:
- David Archer and Stefan Rahmstorf, The Climate Crisis: An Introductory Guide to Climate Change (Cambridge University Press, 2010).
- Michael E. Mann and Lee R. Kump, Dire Predictions: Understanding Global Warming – The Illustrated Guide to the Findings of the IPCC (DK Publishing, 2008).
- Gavin Schmidt and Joshua Wolfe, Climate Change: Picturing the Science (W.W. Norton & Company, 2009).
- Edmond A. Mathez, Climate Change: The Science of of Global Warming and Our Energy Future (Columbia University Press, 2009).
- Anthony Giddens, The Politics of Climate Change (Polity, 2011).
- Steven H. Schneider, Armin Rosencranz, Michael D. Mastrandea and Kristen Kuntz-Duriseti, eds., Climate Change Science and Policy (Island Press, 2009).
- David G. Victor, Global Warming Gridlock: Creating More Effective Strategies for Protecting the Planet (Cambridge University Press, 2011).
Photographs
Documentary and Educational Films
- How to Survive a Plague: on the AIDS epidemic, and the activist organization Act Up
Imaginary
Fictional Narratives
Poetry
Music: Composers, artists, and major works
Robert Schumann, Symphony No. 4 in D Minor, Op. 120 (1841, rev. 1851) (approx. 25-30 ‘), “begins with a bold announcement in the form of a single, multi-octave-deep 'A'. It’s a musical ‘call to order’ which seems to establish the blank, open-ended canvas on which the Symphony will develop. The first brushstroke to fall on this canvas is a descending motif which is the seed out of which the entire Symphony grows. This is the famous 'Clara Theme' . . .” “Throughout the symphony, the music will maintain the feverish, passionate quality of the introduction, even in moments of lightness and joy. This intensity is characteristic of Schumann’s Romanticism. Though the entire nineteenth century is often labelled as the Romantic era in music history textbooks, Schumann was one of the few composers who self-consciously identified as a Romantic during this time, and his music was powerfully influenced by the Romantic movement in literature.” Many musicologists have preferred the original version over the revised version, suggesting that Schumann’s initial sense of urgency and immediacy was on target. Brahms said: “It is a real pleasure to see anything so bright and spontaneous expressed with corresponding ease and grace. … Everything is so absolutely natural that you cannot imagine it in any other way – there are no harsh colors, no forced effects. … The score has not gained by being revised. … It has undoubtedly lost much of its charm, lightness of touch and clarity of expression.” Top recorded performances are by Mozart Festival Orchestra (Walter) in 1928, NBC Symphony Orchestra (Walter) in 1940, Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra (Furtwängler) in 1953, Cleveland Orchestra (Szell) in 1960, San Francisco Symphony (Monteux) in 1962, Staatskapelle Dresden (Sawallisch) in 1973, Clevaland Orchestra (Dohnányi) in 1988, Chamber Orchestra of Europe (Harnoncourt) in 1994, Orchestre Révolutionnaire et Romantique (Gardiner) in 1997, Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment (Rattle) in 2003, and Chamber Orchestra of Europe (Nézet-Séguin) in 2014.
A strong argument can be made that Edward Elgar is the greatest composer to leave behind a substantial body of his own works, recorded under his baton from 1914-1925. In these recordings (661’), mainly from the 1920s and 1930s with the London Symphony Orchestra, composer and orchestra convey a sense of urgency about the music, as if to say that every note and phrase demanded immediate attention. Cognizant of the composer’s intent as no one else could be, Elgar brought to the music a sense of the passion and immediacy he felt about this music. Here he is, conducting his most famous piece.
Other compositions:
- Jouni Kaipainen, Symphony No. 3, Op. 72 (2004) (approx. 46’): per the composer, the work’s energy evokes “a chained beast running rampant in its cage and trying to escape.”
- Alfred Hill, String Quartet No. 15 in A Minor (1937) (approx. 22’): the sense of urgency in the first movement sets the tone for the more self-assured movements that follow.
- George Rochberg, Sonata for Viola and Piano (1979) (approx. 18’): this work is deadly serious.
- Shulamit Ran, Perfect Storm, for solo viola (2010) (approx. 9-10’): “. . . the landscape covered in the piece includes stretches of music that are intense, dance-like, ferocious, and for a while even suggesting, to its composer at least, ‘fiddle’ playing style.” [Ran]
- Luciano Berio, Naturale for viola, percussion and recordings of sicilian folk music (1985) (approx. 19-21’)
- Georgy Catoire, Piano Trio in F minor, Op. 14 (1900) (approx. 27’)
- Alex Freeman, “Under the Arching Heavens: A Requiem for Helsingin Kamarikuoro” (2018) (approx. 81’): “Despite music that is almost unvaryingly slow, Freeman draws the listener into his world through the urgent intensity of his vision.” The work is a requiem commemorating the 100th anniversary of the end of Finland’s civil war in 1918.
- Nikolay Myaskovsky, Piano Sonata No. 3 in C minor, Op. 19 (1920) (approx. 13-15’)
- Nicolas Bacri, Piano Sonata No. 3, Op. 122, “Sonata impetuosa” (impetuous sonata) (2011) (approx. 13’)
- Ermanno Wolf-Ferreri, Violin Concerto in D Major, Op. 26 (1944) (approx. 36-39’): intensity characterizes this work.
- Alberto Ginastera, Piano Sonata No. 1, Op. 22 (1952) (approx. 14-15’) “exemplifies the stylistic traits associated with what scholars have described as Ginastera's 'subjective nationalist' period.” The opening notes convey the sense of urgency.
- György Ligeti, Chamber Concerto (1970) (approx. 19-20’): “The four movements contrast in character . . . The first is polyphonic and contains micropolyphonically interwoven lines that merge together to form a homogeneous texture. The second movement is homophonic and static, the third mechanical in the manner of a clockwork mechanism . . . and the fourth movement is an insanely virtuosic presto.” [Ligeti]
- Krzysztof Penderecki, Threnody to the Victims of Hiroshima (1960) (approx. 9-10’)
- Karlheinz Stockhausen, Gruppen (1957) (approx. 24’)
- Giacomo Puccini, La Rondine (The Swallow) (1916) (approx. 83-124’) (libretto): a woman leaves a man for his own sake, and also out of a sense of urgency to experience life and romantic love outside her social constraints. Video recordings feature Gheorghiu (Armiliato) in 2009, Bakanova (Gatti) in 2017, and Arteta (Villaume). Top audio-recorded performances feature de Luca (Del Cupolo) in 1953, Moffo (Moliari-Pradelli) in 1966, Te Kanawa (Maazel) in 1981, Gasdia (Gelmetti) in 1981, and Gheorghiu (Pappano) in 1996.
- Leoš Janáček, The Cunning Little Vixen (Příhody lišky Bystroušky), JW I/9 (1923) (approx. 90-130’) (libretto) escapes captivity, marries and raises a family. Performances conducted by Rattle, Mackerras on disc, Mackerras live, Sladoljev, and unidentified conductor.
Conductor Karel Ančerl was known for his intensity and sense of urgency in his conducting. “A survivor of the Theresienstadt concentration camp, after his wife and child were murdered, Ancerl served as artistic director of the Czech Philharmonic from 1950 to his self-exile in 1968. Dedicated, intense and apolitical, he raised the orchestra to international fame.” Here is a link to some of his output.
Albums:
- Karl Berger & Jason Kao Hwang, “Conjure” (2019) (54’): “Hwang sounds agitated while Berger is intent on providing pedal tones.”
- Wendell Harrison & Mama’s Licking Stick Clarinet Ensemble, “Rush & Hustle” (1993) (41’): urgency with a sense of humor
- Tardo Hammer, “Right Now” (2024) (73’)
Music: songs and other short pieces
- The Rolling Stones, "Gimme Shelter" (lyrics)
- U2, "Sunday Bloody Sunday" (lyrics)
