Another First!

Please forgive me a few moments of bittersweet melancholy.
This morning Miranda began school, and for the first time we all stood curb side, her bedazzling in one of her fresh new school outfits Angi picked up last week, to bid her farewell on her first school bus trip.  Surprisingly, she took it all far better than we had anticipated.  As predicted, she was a little tough to wake up and get motivated, but once the bus arrived she was almost excited.   As the attendant stepped down of the bus, Miranda, quite formerly and with flair introduced each member of her family in attendance and then with hugs and kisses eagerly climbed the steps, and quickly took her seat. 
Wow.  This was SO not the happenstance we had thought it would be.  Nowhere was the expected tantrum or anxiety ridden separation.  While relieved that it was not an ordeal, I couldn't help but slip into the whole paternal "my how they have grown" thing. 
Once the remainder of the kiddos were ushered off to school, Angi and I sat to finish our morning coffee and reminisce.   As we sat, Angi put on her music, and while flipping through her play list lighted upon a recent remake by the band Disturbed.  Now, I'm not a huge fan of remakes and as the name of the band implies, their style of music is, well, disturbed.  Not always my choice of musical fare!   I was, to say the least, surprised when their version of the classic Simon and Garfunkel tune "Sound of Silence" produce serious shivers down my flesh.  Nowhere was their guttural vocals or screaming guitars, but an elegant harmonious rendition complete with orchestral accompaniment. And, while listening to the song and remembering the original, now some 52 years old, it struck me as just how applicable it's original social commentary is to our current state of affairs! As Angi and I discussed this we both came up with two other significant examples of this.  First, was her remembrance of White Lions ballad from 1987 "When The Children Cry". 

Little child
Dry your crying eyes
How can I explain
The fear you feel inside?

'Cause you were born
Into this evil world
Where man is killing man
And no one knows just why
What have we become?
Just look what we have done
All that we destroyed
You must build again

When the children cry
Let them know we tried
'Cause when the children sing
Then the new world begins

Little child
You must show the way
To a better day
For all the young

'Cause you were born
For all the world to see
That we all can live
With love and peace
No more presidents
And all the wars will end
One united world
Under God

When the children cry
Let them know we tried
'Cause when the children sing
Then the new world begins

What have we become?
Just look what we have done
All that we destroyed
You must build again
No more presidents
And all the wars will end
One united world
Under God

When the children cry
Let them know we tried
When the children fight
Let them know it ain't right
When the children pray
Let them know the way
'Cause when the children sing
Then the new world begins

Almost thirty years old and you could take this song, play it over a recapping of todays news soundbites, and it would still remain topical.  Angi's thoughts, and replaying the song reminded me of another example of the stagnant state of social change in our world, and that was of Phil Collins/Genesis's song "Land of Confusion". 

I must've dreamed a thousand dreams
Been haunted by a million screams
But I can hear the marching feet
They're moving into the street

Now did you read the news today
They say the danger's gone away
But I can see the fire's still alight
There burning into the night

There's too many men, too many people
Making too many problems
And not much love to go round
Can't you see this is a land of confusion?

Well this is the world we live in
And these are the hands we're given
Use them and let's start trying
To make it a place worth living in

Ooh, Superman where are you now
When everything's gone wrong somehow?
The men of steel, the men of power
Are losing control by the hour

This is the time, this is the place
So we look for the future
But there's not much love to go round
Tell me why, this is a land of confusion

This is the world we live in
And these are the hands we're given
Use them and let's start trying
To make it a place worth living in

I remember long ago when the sun was shining
Yes, and the stars were bright all through the night
And the sound of your laughter as I held you tight, so long ago

I won't be coming home tonight
My generation will put it right
We're not just making promises
That we know, we'll never keep

Too many men, there's too many people
Making too many problems
And not much love to go round
Can't you see, this is a land of confusion?

Now this is the world we live in
And these are the hands we're given
Use them and let's start trying
To make it a place worth fighting for
This is the world we live in

This is the world we live in
And these are the names we're given
Stand up and let's start showing
Just where our lives are going to

Originally produced in 1986, during my generation, as it turns out, what seems to have been like a generation of lost hope, it gave an impassioned plea for not repeating the same mistakes of the preceding decades, even to the point of asserting, with vocal vigor "My generation will put it right".
Well...we didn't.
What makes this song a prime example of failed practices and broken promises was that the song was redone, once again by Disturbed, in 2005, and was still just as topical at that point as it is eleven years later!  The one thing that struck me as funny about this cover, was the band seemed to pick up on the irony of the originals shortfall, as when they get to the passage I mentioned above, there was no disguising the ironic sarcasm in the lead singers voice.  He got it. 
And then we come to todays generation.  And not wanting to sound cliché...I weep. 
Nowadays, there is more effort being put forth, through protest and petition signing, and interaction with government officials to legalize marijuana then there is to fight global warming, famine or the encroachment of "Big Business/Brother" into the most hidden recesses of our daily lives.  Quite the contrary, we seem to be blissfully embracing that last part, while shielding our eyes form the realities of the others.  Sadly, the only thing in our society that has seemed to evolve at a breakneck pace, is that of technology.  And oh, don't we eat that up!?  Yes, I could (and have) railed on about that one, but the problem is, even though we are quite adept at using them, our interaction with todays technology often reminds me of the opening scene to "2001: A Space Odyssey" where the primitive Monkey Men experience the obelisk.  All this power for instant communication and interaction and what is it primarily used for?  Pseudo Social interaction, pornography and cat videos! 
Yep, we gave primitive man the power of a harnessed atom, and we use it to careen off the road at 65 miles an hour to our death because we're to busy texting the person we are three minutes away from meeting!
Okay, yes, I do seem to go on about the same things often enough, but at moments when I look upon the hopeful promise of youth I can't help but feel the slightest twinge of concern.  What kind of world am I (we) bequeathing our children?  And why is it that for so many decades so many other generations have asked exactly that same question...and no one seems to have the answer?  Actually, you know, that may not be entirely true.  I think most folks KNOW the answer...but don't like the conclusion.  Because, in the end, it would mean a WHOLE lot of sacrifice and work on our parts, and as individuals, we can see it...we just don't want to be the ones to take the first steps.  Most folks I talk to about these subjects all seem to be in agreement.  Some do take baby steps, like our family did thirteen years ago giving up on cars, but I know there is more we could do.  Like yesterday, when we became aware of a swarm of honey bees building a hive in the tree in our front yard.  Instead of the knee jerk reaction of destroying it, we just moved to the back yard.  No, we'll have to get rid of it, as Angi is allergic and we don't want to risk the kids getting stung, but thankfully, we found a few places locally that relocate the hive rather than destroying it.  SEE!  A GOOD use of Google!
Folks, you know the changes you need to make.  Things like, walk or ride a bike if you're only going a few miles.  Buy locally grown food, or better yet, plant a garden and get a few chickens.  You see someone in trouble or struggling, help out.  Do it because it's right, not because you're looking to get something out of it.  If you hear about your elected officials doing something contrary to the public good, call them out on it.  And, for at least a little while each day, shut the bloody cell phone off and view the world around you, not take photo's of it.
Okay, I'm stepping off my HIGH soap box. 
See y'all soon.