Marvin Gaye had it right…
Here we are, nearly 60 years later, and the lyrics to his song, “What’s Going On,” have never rung truer. War, riots in the street, brother killing brother, mothers grieving over their dead sons and daughters, fathers and sons disagree over almost everything, and the socialists and foreign invaders are taking over our country. Karl Marx is celebrating in Hell along with Adolph and the rest of humanity’s demons.
I was a teenager graduating high school in the late sixties, and in that first Vietnam draft. I knew there was a good chance I would wind up in Asia, either killing to survive or being killed. I stayed in a 1-A, draft status through college, vowing that if I was drafted, I would join the Navy and follow in my father’s footsteps. Sure, it was a family thing: my great-grandfather was a Texas Ranger for a while, a deputy; my grandfather fought in the trenches of France in WWI; and my father served at Pearl Harbor in WWII. So was it expected of me to be part of what Vietnam had become? To this day, I am not sure, and age has made my memory of then cloudier than it should be. But I still remember the music that kept those young men and women over there sane. Some of it was harsh, mean, belligerent protest; much of it was peaceful, but forceful in its own way.
My wife, Momo, and I were the Woodstock generation. Me, a rock n roll guitarist, her a straight-laced, Catholic school girl, plaid skirts, fish sticks on Friday, and bruised knuckles, compliments of the nuns’ rulers: a jarringly intelligent girl with a protest gene that led her to speak her voice about the war. I wasn’t as forceful about it as she was. Now we have much of the same things Marvin Gaye sang about happening in our country. What goes around comes around, and it’s not always good.
Back then, it was us young folks against the establishment, our parents’ views, and our grandparents’ staunch loyalty to this Republic; don’t trust anyone over thirty. We didn’t see it; we were too busy being young, idealistic, and, most of the time, plain stupid about the reality of what was carrying us on top of the wave of discontent.We would give others the two-finger peace sign as we passed them by, not knowing that it meant “victory” and that Winston Churchill made it famous. Our parents had fought the evil that wanted to end America and knew, at best, it was a temporary fix. They tried to tell us, but we didn’t listen; the music and the evening news rewired our thinking, taking away our logic.
Will our grown, adult children teach their children well? Momo and I carry our own fears and insecurities from our upbringing and subliminally pass them on to our children, who will do the same with theirs. We have to ask ourselves: did we teach them well enough to overcome those moments? Will they see their parents’ hell slowly go by?
Do our children and grandchildren have the fortitude to stand up for this country and lay down their lives for the good of it? Ben Franklin was a genius when he told a woman, when asked, ” Do we have a monarchy or a Republic, he replied, “Madam, we have given you a Republic, if you can keep it.” Can we? Will we? Lord, put your divine hand on every citizen of this country and lead us to victory over the forces of evil that are real and coming for us.
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✌🏼 We are from the same generation, Phil. My husband and his twin brother were among the first to be called in the draft but both failed the physical. I’m not ashamed to admit our families are thankful for that. Now we are old with adult children and teenage grandkids and we share your fears. Every evening we turn on the news and without fail are bombarded with one horror story after another, whether in the classroom or the war room. What has happened to people? Where is our moral compass? It’s maddening and saddening and I am deeply concerned for our children’s children. We have been singing the same songs since the 60s about peace and love; it’s incredibly disheartening to see how low we have sunk. I love my country and God and I’m proud to be an American; it’s just very difficult at times to keep the faith amid all the madness.
It is, Nancy. Well put, and we feel the same. Fear of the future is a powerful motivator for change. We are too old to change anything, but we once tried with some success. Our faith is tested many times each day. We all waiver, and then come back, and the cycle goes on and on. Momo and I still listen to all that great music, all on vinyl or streaming. A few songs that make sense are “The 6th of January” by Amy Grant and “Have Mercy” by Mary Gaithier, a lady from Houston. I bought Momo a 4-string Appalachian Dulcimer; now she is morphing into Joni Mitchell. Thanks for your heartfelt comments. I appreciate your words of wisdom and kindness.
Always a pleasure to share thoughts, Phil. Hope you and Momo have a good week.
Thanks, Nancy. Got a busy one this week, too many appointments with doctors. One day things are good, and then they ain’t. That golden year BS is a scam.
Tell me about it! It doesn’t stop. Take care, Phil.
What can I add to what Phil and Nancy have said here? Nothing that would be better stated or more truthfully expressed, that’s for sure!
Thanks, LE. So, how’s the heat in Vegas?
Well, it’s hot, but it looks like we’ll get a bit of a break towards the end of the week, with the mercury dipping a degree or two below 100.
Same as here, except we have high humidity. When I worked in Henderson, NV, for two years, everyone told me I would be okay, ” It’s dry heat.” Dry heat my ass, I almost died.
I’m a little older, but no more wiser than you. By God’s grace I was in and out of the Army before Vietnam got hot. But what’s happening in this country saddens me. We have no great leaders, none with the appreciation of our constitutional order nor the moral guts to fight for it. Yet, like the prophet Habakuk, I will wait and see what the Lord will do. I spent the early 60s stationed in France, and when I came home it was like a different country. Keep on, you and Momo. I will stand with you just like at the Alamo, until it’s over, at least for us.
Yep, Bob, we will. We were talking about the same dilemma at lunch with a friend from church yesterday. This country is spiraling down. Now Fetterman is organizing Dems to go against the socialists and join the Republicans to stop them. What will tomorrow bring?
Dude…it’s insane. The supreme court deciding on what a woman is, people bitching about voter id, people wanting me to feel guilty for something I had no part of (and I won’t), and just like Nancy said…no moral compass at all. I’m a Christian and a proud one…not a perfect one…but a proud one…but I’m hated because of that. I worry about all of it…but then…I just try to get closer to God and let it be.
Max, all of it right on. Momo and I are strong Christians; she is stronger than I am because I’m a knuckle dragger and don’t have the empathy she carries. But we soldier on, knowing what we do is right by the Lord. Our music ministry at church is 30 strong, singers and musicians, and we carry our church by envolving ourselves and organizing everything. Plus, we are all darn good musicians and singers.
Yes…that is the most important thing. It’s the only thing that keeps me sane these days.
Amen
Thanks, Herb.
Your ending prayer is beautiful. I pray for our country, its people, and its leaders every day. I pray that all the people in the world who are indoctrinated by lies and evil discover the heavenly truth and the earthly truth.
Boy, we are in dire need of all of that at this time.
Amen and amen, to what you wrote in your post and all these comments. I am honestly baffled by all the craziness in our world, and especially in our country right now. FabGirl and Tiger (our 48 year old son who lives with us) talk about this every day. Our hope and our eyes certainly on God. Our trust is in Him alone. Nevertheless, the state of our country foments anxiety. Father promises to keep us in perfect peace when our mind is stayed on Him (Isaiah 26:3). Thank you for introducing me to that Amy Grant song. Here is an older one from Andrae Crouch:
Keep the faith up. We are headed to South Dakota in mid-September to see Rushmore, Crazy Horse, The Badlands, Custer State Park Bison Roundup, Deadwood and Devils Tower. Should be a great road trip. It’s 106 here today and is going to be over a hundred for the next ten days, no rain, no nothing except God letting us know that we are Texans and this is what you signed up for. Glad you like the Amy song. Momo got a Dulcimer guitar stick and now she thinks she is Joni Mitchell and Amy Grant morphed into one. I have all the equipment for my podcast, but am afraid of what I might say, so it may start with just stories. Andre Crouch, now there’s a singer.