I love folk music. "Where Have All The Flowers Gone?" is one of those great folk songs that most people think of when reflecting back on the days of hippie communes and Vietnam War protests. The verses spin a circle of sadness because of a war many people felt was doing more harm than good. We see the flowers picked by young girls, the girls marrying young men, the men becoming soldiers, the soldiers buried in graves, and the graves gradually becoming covered with new flowers.
Today is a new era, and we are fighting a new war. But, the song I would write for today is "Where Have All Our Values Gone?" For, while the hippie movement did contain lower morals in some respects, it was also counter culture. Today's era is about not offending anyone, and proving that by saying everything is okay.
It's okay to grossly lie and call it nonfiction. How does a memoir of getting over drug addiction help others when the sensational stories in it are totally untrue? But, thanks to his publisher and Oprah's bookclub, James Frey has made millions trying to do just that with A Million Little Pieces.
It's okay to glamorize a homosexual relationship on the big screen. With all the great movies that were produced this year, why did Brokeback Mountian have to receive a Golden Globe for Best Picture? It certainly wasn't one of the biggest money makers, but it is apparently necessary to prove the judges aren't homophobic.
It's okay to sentence a child molester for only 60 days of prison. Is it? Apparently so, since this has not only happened once, but three similar times in the last few weeks in three different states. Now how is that supposed to keep our children safe?
Fortunately, there are still some brave souls that do have values. I commend Oprah for calling James Frey on his lies, and admitting to her embarrasment and disgust of selecting his book. So, here's my new verse for the 21st century.
Where have all our values gone; long, long time ago? They've gone to brave souls every one. When will we ever learn? When will we ever learn?
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Hmmmm. It's easy to become frustrated with a world that disagrees with our values and assaluts them at every turn. But I think the subtle and more important challenge is to become just as frustrated with all our own iniquities, constantly searching to seek after God and, by His strengh, go against our feeble human nature to follow His greater way. Let us not be content to point out the easy targets of an angry world, but to focus on the issues we can't blame easily on others.
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