Something struck me one morning as I was making breakfast for Vincent, windows open with a cool breeze coming through, and Creedence Clearwater Revival playing on my iTunes. At the end of the second verse of “Up Around the Bend” the lyrics call the listener to “hitch a ride to the end of the highway, where the neons turn to wood.”
Neons obviously represent the big city, while the wood represents the down-home, simpler areas that find their meaning in “earthier” things, I guess. This kind of thinking has been running through our home lately, as my husband had his students in his pop culture class go through a “media detox” exercise. The idea focused on how these days, we are so overstimulated by technology and our popular media, and we have also become quite dependent on it. Lots of our core virtues of goodness and selflessness can get squished out of our blinky-light, self-focused world. We want what we want, we want it now, and we want it snazzy. We forget about the things that are naturally there already, created for our health and enjoyment.
Most of his students had a really hard time with this media fast. TV, computers, video games, etc. were so much a part of their livelihood that it was hard for them to figure out what to do without them. Many didn’t make it through the week without engaging in some sort of technical media. Though some did have legitimate excuses. Some keep in touch with family over facebook. Some had to watch a video for a class. Many would need to text their parents to find out where to meet them after school. Yes, there are some ways that electronic media has infiltrated our current society and we just have to accept it and go with the flow in that sense. But there most definitely remains the value in being resourceful—being silent/still at times—retreating into nature—noting what was there before everything else.
At first I didn’t really give Cale’s class assignment much thought other than “oh, that’s a good idea! I hope some students learn a lesson from it.” But then, as CCR shared with me their wisdom, I got to thinking. I suddenly noticed the cool breeze coming in the window. Aaaahh. I looked at Vincent, squishing his strawberry pieces before he would eat them. Chuckle. I noticed how my foot would unconsciously tap to the rhythm of the song, how us as created beings have such a life force flowing through us, breathed into us by God Himself. What a shame if I spent most of my waking hours trapping my life force on the couch or behind a glowing screen.
“Always time for a good conversation, there’s an ear for what you say.”
The essence of our human life. Connectedness. Interaction.
My mind was so sparked by the song that I clicked “back” and had it repeat. Then the first couple lines made me think even deeper.
“There’s a place up ahead and I’m goin’,
“Just as fast as my feet can fly
“Come along, come along if you’re goin’,
“Leave the sinking ship behind.”
Heheh, yeah, this world pretty much is a sinking ship. You don’t even have to read all of Revelation to figure that out. I know I’m so glad that I can put my hope in that “place up ahead” and try to share with all that I can that I would love them to come along with me.
