In the wake of Dolly Parton’s passing, we are reflecting on the precious life lessons she leaves us and her immense legacy of kindness.
It is rare that a person is able to touch the souls of millions around the world, but that is what Dolly Parton did. Dolly was, without exaggeration, the most beloved public figure on earth. From the deepest depths of Evangelical Christian America to the twinkling lights of drag shows around the globe, she was cherished. She represented the ability to overcome, and to do so while remaining authentically yourself. As we all process the pain of losing her light, it is time to reflect on the many lessons that she taught us.
You can do good business and be a good business to work for at the same time
Dolly was nothing short of a business mastermind; as she continued to grow her star, she purchased a failing amusement park in the area where she grew up. This would become Dollywood, which has gone on to be named the best theme park on earth. While Dollywood has become a phenomenon for the fun things you can see, do, and eat there, it is most notable to me for the fact that it sets impeccable standards for workers’ rights. From their first day of employment, Dollywood employees are eligible to have university education fully funded by the park for a number of degree courses and partially funded for many more. The park also enshrines robust retirement plans, paid life insurance, and most significantly, it provides extremely expansive health insurance. This sets her business apart from nearly all others in the United States, where employee rights are not anywhere near robust enough.
Authenticity is everything
Dolly was always true to herself. Throughout her seven decade long career, she was adamant about remaining authentically Dolly. Without fail, she was always proud to be a woman who grew up in abject poverty in Tennessee. This is a vital lesson for anyone – in a world that seeks so often to mould us into uniformity, she kept her country edge. She held her roots with her as a north star as she navigated Nashville, then Hollywood, then the world. We can all look to her example and hold on to the message she had: to be yourself is better than to try to be anyone else, no matter what the world tries to impress upon you
Get ahead of the joke
One of her most valuable lessons for me personally was to get ahead of the joke. Dolly Parton was a master of twisting the barbs that the media and the general public may have wielded against her and turning them into a joke that she was in full command of. She was quicker than anyone to poke fun at herself with a nod and wink, disarming anyone who wanted to shoehorn her into the role of a ditsy blonde or a country bumpkin. Growing up a *very* gay child, I learned from her that I could do the same and rise above the bullshit the world puts on queer kids with a quick quip.
Reading is fundamental
Perhaps the greatest aspect of her legacy is the Imagination Library, an initiative she started in 1995 to provide free books for children in her home county in Tennessee. The Imagination Library has gone on to provide three hundred million books to children in five countries. Dolly founded the Imagination Library in honour of her father, who was illiterate and held shame about his inability to read. She understood that childhood literacy is vital for helping people lift themselves out of poverty, and important to help children to dream about their futures. Most significantly, Dolly understood that literacy should be accessible to everyone, so the Imagination Library maintains no minimum or maximum income; all you need to do is register and receive a free book every month for the first five years of a child’s life.
Women are not each other’s competition
Dolly was introduced to many people in my age group through her appearances on Hannah Montana, working with Miley Cyrus, her goddaughter, throughout her career. She was unafraid to share her sparkle with countless younger women and contemporaries in the industry. That is something that we can all learn from in a world that still seeks to pit successful women against each other. In her long career, she shared her time and her gift with Miley, Sabrina Carpenter, Kelly Clarkson, Kesha, Norah Jones, Jane Fonda, Lily Tomlin, Julia Roberts, and Reba McEntire, to name only a small fraction of the peers she gave her time and her love to.
Uplift community
Once Dolly reached her apex in the mainstream, it would have been incredibly easy to push forward and never look back at the impoverished community that she grew up in. Instead, as already shown through her investment in Dollywood and numerous other acts, she chose to uplift her beloved Smoky Mountains. Dolly was proud of her origins, but realistic about them. She knew that she could breathe life into her corner of eastern Tennessee and did so at every given opportunity. Her philanthropic efforts are so immense that it has been reported that without her charitable giving she would have been a billionaire. Her charitable acts outside of the Imagination Library include several scholarship programmes, emergency relief funding, the construction of a children’s hospital, and a birds of prey sanctuary.
Vaccinations are vital
Amidst a wave of scientific distrust and anti-vax sentiment, Dolly was instrumental in the development of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine through a donation of one million dollars. She did so to help speed up the process of its development and went on to publicly show herself taking the vaccine in order to help dispel scepticism about immunisation. Dolly was aware of her social reach, and while she retained a largely removed presence from politics with a capital P, she was active in shaping social conversations in a depoliticised manner.
Human rights are human rights; that is plain and simple
Her understanding of social politics was best exemplified through her persistent and unwavering support of the inalienable human rights of all. Dolly was a vocal supporter of Black Lives Matter, a consistent voice of love and support for the LGBTQ+ community, actively employing individuals in her team who identified as transgender or gay. She was also an advocate for women’s rights, demonstrated through numerous songs she wrote that expressed themes of emancipation and independence. Dolly also was a staunch advocate for workers’ rights, exemplified most poignantly through her role in the film 9 to 5 and its accompanying album, 9 to 5 and Other Odd Jobs.
Christianity is based on love, not hate
Dolly was a devout Christian and lived through the example of Jesus’ ministry. She understood better than most that to express a love of God was to express love for all, regardless of who they are. When she spoke of her faith, she did so with a focus on the importance of not judging others and embracing people across the boundaries of religion or culture. It is a rare example that she set in a social climate where religion, especially Americanised Christianity, is so often used as a justification for subjugation and malignment of vulnerable and marginalised communities.
Leave the world better than you found it
Above all else, Dolly’s parting gift to the world is the essence of how she lived her life. Dolly Parton lived her life with a simple understanding: leave the world better than you found it and treat people how you would like to be treated. She was a beacon of kindness and community that shone across borders and oceans. In a world that is ever more divided and heated, she reminds us that kindness is free, and it is priceless. Dolly’s example implores us all to move through the world with openness and warmth to our fellow human beings, as she did.
As we continue to mourn Dolly, listening to the hundreds of songs that she wrote and watching her films, the pain of her loss will subside into a dull ache. I reflect on her legacy knowing that all the goodwill she spread around the world came from a woman who started life with next to nothing, far less than most of us started life with. Her tenacity to continue to write songs about her life and the people she spun gold out of her origins. She is one of the reasons I and so many others write today, because she proved that with a pen and paper you can heal the world, just as she did.
