Let Lin Take A Break

If you follow me on social media you may have noticed that I LOVE Lin Manuel Miranda’s hit musical Hamilton. Like, really LOVE it. The writing, the music, the actors. Everything about this production makes my heart sing and I ache to be able to see it live and in person.

That’s why when I recently read this article I had a range of feelings in response. In summary, the author of this article is pointing out that Lin’s talent is in writing and he’s been wasting it ever since finishing Hamilton. The author does acknowledge that he deserved a vacation after all that hard work, but it has long passed that realm and entered that of loafing. And this is where I take issue.

Loafing. Essentially sitting on your hands. Doing nothing of value. Wasting your time. Being utterly lazy and contributing nothing of importance.

Can you say capitalism?

Look, I get it. The man is talented. You want more awesomeness from his overflowing cup of brilliance and feel like you’re getting tiny drops of water instead of wine. I get it.

But is the man here solely for your entertainment? Is his worth solely dependent on how much he contributes to the world’s literary collection? Some people will say yes, and they’ll argue that we should never stop striving to reach our fullest potential.

But I disagree.

I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again: our worth is NOT tied to our productivity. We are not on this planet to produce and then die. We are allowed to live.

And it’s not like Lin has been doing literally nothing since Hamilton (although that’d be totally valid and fine). He’s been actively working on relief efforts for Puerto Rico and engaging in multiple small projects (including the not so small Mary Poppins Returns). Plus, the man has a family that he has the opportunity to be with and enjoy. Can we let him live?

And besides all those “little things” he’s been up to, we don’t know what goes on behind closed doors. Maybe there is a brilliant project up his sleeve that he hasn’t shared with us yet. Maybe there are some personal things he’s tending to that are none of our business. And maybe things are just as they seem and he’s simply living his life as he chooses to.

Lin, and all other creators, are not here for the sole purpose of creating and entertaining. Even if he never gives us another creation of the same caliber as Hamilton, we should be grateful to have been able to share our hearts with the art he has given us.

So maybe from here on out we’ll be left with nothing more than sweet Tweets and pet projects. If that’s the case, take in those hydrating drops of H2O. Sometimes simplicity is exactly what we need.