Bill Moyers is Our Guiding Star
Bill Moyers (1934-2025) was a voice to be reckoned with. As a consummate journalist and former presidential press secretary -of course he covered cultural mess-ups but he also covered science, the arts, and individuals. His special documentaries cared about people.
Since 1991, alongside filmmakers Kathleen Hughes, and Tom Casciato, and sometimes recorded at WNET studios in NYC, his stories have engaged the general public closely. With a penchant for detail, his listening capacity was like Jimmy Carter’s during the Camp David Accords. He built relationships by empathizing, relating American experiences to his own, and seeing the humor of the moment with a wry smile and laugh.
Earlier than most, he warned everyone that our “mercenary class" - like the billionaires’ behavior, in the abysmal aftermath of the Citizen’s United Supreme Court ruling -could and would push democracy over a metaphorical Grand Canyon if they could. As a public media champion, sometimes criticised by other journalists who even attacked him personally, he surrounded himself with a tough corp of journalists whose sole mission was protecting democracy.
Since Moyers’ passing I’ve been reminded of the many hangouts he occupied as a consummate recorder of the human condition. The old adage of work hard and play hard leads me to author and sociologist, Ray Oldenburg, when he spoke of “third places.” It’s where a community gathers -not at home nor near our workplaces -but the informal hangouts with friends, neighbors, and acquaintances that form community-born bonds.
Some say it's been lost since COVID. I beg to differ. Third places have simply morphed beyond coffee shops, community centers, houses of worship, and civic organizations. For example, soccer leagues are continuing to sprout -within various governing bodies and are represented in all 50 states at the youth, adult, and professional ranks -encompassing both regional and national leagues.
Like soccer’s heterogenous fanbase that brings folks together for a common cause, pickleball and its hype has similarly made glowing strides within amateur and professional ranks of all ages. Bill Moyers would’ve loved going in depth on how and why fans and players are congregating to meet the moment and individually express their democracy.
Public media has also been a third place for news. It’s where we learn about our heroes, how to be more self reliant, authentic, to evolve as better humans, and toughen both mentally and physically. It never has failed to deliver and grab the day's happiness.
Seemingly out of thin air -whether in our cars, the radio, or tv by just letting our worlds fall down a little bit -it cherishes the specialness between moments. What brings you joy is creativity, the newness of experiences, work projects, sharing talents, or being present with folks in an endeavor, for as long as you can.
This caring about regular Americans, as Moyers espoused, is in all of us. He had a way of talking to America and listening to its myriad voices. He made contributions and worked till the end. He was curious, and we’re all better for having heard his voice on occasion.
You may not know this, but Parklife is involved in multi-faceted documentary series. The life and legacy of Bill Moyers is alive and well and guides our work every day.
