Patch's Diary
June 2003
I've never been more concerned for humanity's future and feel really privileged to be putting the concern out there. I still work for, hope for and imagine the full hospital fantasy. The need is radiant. I love working with my brother Wildman. The harmony and ease is sweet to my core. In our work around the world more people look at us with smiles than ever. I love the mail/phone/fax axis of my life and it's easy to handle now. And I get to read (ooh that air travel time) many books and magazines and juggle many relationships.
I get to meet diversity on the half shell: for example, with Susan, at the Conference on World Affairs which took place at the University of Colorado in Boulder in mid-April. Our second year there. The gathering brings together 250 teachers from many disciplines and from all over the world, offering a number of four-person panels and evening parties. So many giants to talk to. Susan was on five panels, I was on six —each of us separately—and I gave one plenary session: "What is Your Love Strategy?" It was at this conference that Susan and I reconnected one year ago. We are so blessed that it is happening. It's fun having Susan involved in fundraising. She tackles it head on. This conference is in its 55th year. No one is paid. And very few are allowed to go in and out. Each teacher is thoroughly available.
One of the teachers I loved from the first moment was Kenneth Kaunda, founder of the republic of Zambia in Africa, and its president from 1964-1991. Honest, humble, one of the founders of the African National Congress. A clown's face. We instantly glommed onto each other. On the first night I put a huge pair of underpants on his formal wear, and worse—to the horror of hosts who wondered if I was disrespectful. He loved it. Now he's working to end AIDS and poverty. We will work together in his country, I hope.
I'm having amazing fun, foolish times. For example: after I give my talk at the conference, a very tall, thin man walks in front of me, very jovially, and moons me (and Susan). I delight, and give him a photo taken a few years ago of a bunch of us mooning on the Great Wall of China. He plots for the rest of the week to moon me after my final panel. All comers. More than 30 students (male and female) are there to moon me—beautifully—and I moon back. And then we invite all onlookers for one final moon, and 50 of us moon.
I've had a few single day events this year, but I'll skip over most of them. Back in February I spoke to 28,000 people in medical technology in San Diego. Made lots of contacts. Wow! It's such a big field. Left the next day with Susan to Manila, the Philippines (the U.S. has a murderous history with the people there as our first colony). It took over 2 days to get there. We got off the plane after a 20+ hour flight, worked till midnight. Next day we did the same schedule. First in Cebu, then back in Manila, as the guests of a huge pharmaceutical company of Asia. We lectured for hours to 4800 physicians, then 2000 students each for several hours and clowning in very poor hospitals. We observed one cultural phenomenon, "watchers": people of the family (clan) that are always by the side of a relative who is sick.
Came home right after that and spent a week (my 8th or 9th time) at University of Illinois, Urbana. I taught at the School for Designing A Society several times, and took those students with U. of I. students for a nursing home visit. (yum!). Long hours with college students. Feel the pulse. Lots of political and human talk. I show "Clownin’ Kabul" on most of these visits. It's very well received. It was great being in Susan's world!
On March 8th, my younger son Lars and I performed for the Natural Chronic Pain Association annual meeting in Houston. It was our best performance. I like our little show of care. We went home and left right away for Lima, Peru for 5 days. I went with Susan, Wildman, John, Terra, and Bowen. I met Zag, my son, and our hosts in BolaRoja. There were 20 member clowns in the hospital. The group began with an introduction by one of their famous children's TV personalities. Susan and I lectured for a day at three locations. We clowned in hospitals, an orphanage, a nursing home, the ghettos, and in the town's central square. We had a perfect team in Peru and were with glorious new clown friends. We were always together. I loved them. We were so close that we've already planned a reunion for us and their clowns for the summer of 2004. Most of their clowns were students. Wildman and Zag stayed an extra week after we left, clowning every day.
After that, back in the U.S., and Susan and I have a great day at the U. of Virginia. Then we go for a week to Venice. All this was given us as a gift for our care, and we worked for the Carnival (theme: antiwar) and some local hospitals. Venice is a unique city. Narrow streets for people and no cars. I like the scale a lot. We went to a masked ball and danced lots. We get to see many of our Italian clown friends.
At the end of March, beginning of April, Susan and I went for a week in Austria. All over, five cities. Some unique events happened. The heads of huge corporations paid $1200 each for a morning with Susan and me (5 hours) including a lunch, on "Humor and Management." We did this twice with 4-5 CEO's each time. We also gave large workshops on joy—3 hours in four settings. We did several clowning events with Cliniclowns from Vienna and other cities. Fascinating time. We were worked so hard. From 7-8 AM till 11 PM daily, except the first night. We went to an opera, "Tosca," in the Vienna Opera House. I know other events will come from this.
On the 22nd of April in Los Angeles, I was given the Humanitarian Award at the annual Death Penalty fundraiser/awards dinner. It was so sweet to be with so many people hungering for justice for a neglected, even hated population. The packed room felt the possibility of ending the death penalty. My old friend, Mike Farrell, who made the University Studios' movie "Patch Adams" possible, has been passionately involved in this cause for decades. Please contact your representative and tell them you want it stopped. Thanks.
I then spoke to a California group, a bunch of the Alliance for the Mentally Ill—calling for all to make their own mental health through love, fun, and service. On to Chiquagua, Mexico to lecture again for different focus at Monterey Tech. The focus was to make compassion the value system of a society. During this period we got three cancellations (postponements) for our programs: a) the trip to Japan for the premier of the movie we made last summer in Serbia and Croatia; b) the saddest was the postponement of the 2-week clown trip to rural China and Tibet in May due to SARS. We're rolling it over to next May. (This gave me a surprise of 2 weeks at home). And c) was a fundraiser for Kids Save in Moscow, postponed till a later date. Did have a grand time in early May in California for the annual meeting of marriage and family counselors. A highlight came after that, in Asheville, N.C., with Jim Hightower's Rolling Thunder Democracy Review. A whole day is celebration of democracy—education about what democracy is and how to recapture it from our fascist government. Oh, there are intelligent hard-working idealists. I saw an old friend, Tree, whom I hadn't seen in 28 years. I was sincerely moved by Granny D, whose story of walking across the U.S. at age 90 for campaign finance reform is a blueprint for an effort for democracy. And during this time, I had a romantic week of theater and art with Susan in Arlington.
These events are all backgrounds for fundraising and the love strategy—all connections. I'm wracking my brain on how at least to get Phase I of the hospital built.
Crazed.
In peace,
Patch
