Well, I've been listening to music again. The other night I took a nostalgic trip back to the 70s, the decade that really defined me as a kid.
I guess you could say I was a child hippie. I believed in the music, the good vibes, and the power of love.
It all came to a crashing halt by the end of the decade with Punk and New Wave. But for a while, something special was happening. I guess you had to be there to fully understand, although listening to the tunes can "take you there" as a kind of time-traveling tourist to another era—even if you weren't born yet.
So here's a song I always loved. The other night, it brought tears to my eyes and I cried out, "Lord! What happened?" In other words, why is the world so troubled right now? And why did we abandon our quest for brotherly and sisterly love?
My prayer was a gross simplification, of course. Many folks of color or perhaps in the LGBTQ and trans communities may have a different take on what the 70s were like. But for me, a middle-class 'white' guy, it was fantastic. No other way to describe it.
Not to say I didn't have problems, worries, and vexing challenges to come. I certainly did. And I think it is another gross simplification to assume someone growing up as a male Caucasian with a bit of financial security doesn't suffer. We all have different roads and bridges to cross. You have yours and I have mine. And we really shouldn't judge, as the old saying goes, until we've walked a mile in another person's shoes.
Holding grudges and hating is not the answer. Love really is. I believe that. So why don't we let go of our petty dislikes and prejudices and get on board The Love Train... before it's too late!
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