A Maturity Beyond Her Years

I have to confess that I am not familiar with the oeuvre of Ariana Grande, and a month ago, I probably would have yelled at her to get off my lawn. My sole knowledge of her came in the aftermath of a bratty outburst, one for which she apologized.

In the aftermath of the terrorist attack on the fans attending her Manchester concert, Ms Grande has show a maturity beyond her years and an admirable depth of compassion. I imagine she must feel a pang of guilt, even though she is blameless, because the victims of the attack were at the scene simply because they wanted to hear her perform. Her response to horror has been perfect- her devotion to her wounded fans and her efforts to help the survivors are inspirational. In the course of two weeks, this young woman has matured into a paragon of kindness and solidarity. She has shown a maturity and level-headedness far in excess of that shown by the president of the U.S.

I'm not familiar with Ms Grande's body of work, but my friend's daughter showed me a SNL sketch in which she did a number of impressions:





While I think the sketch falls somewhat flat in the humor department (I'm not a big fan of the music she spoofs), it does a good job of showcasing her vocal skill. Her skill at navigating a straight course in the face of tragedy is even more impressive.