[:en]
“To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:
A time to be born, and a time to die;
a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted;
A time to kill, and a time to heal;
a time to break down, and a time to build up;
A time to weep, and a time to laugh;
a time to mourn, and a time to dance . . .”
Ecclesiastes 3:1-4 (KJV)
In 1965 America was going through serious growing pains. Two years earlier, an assassin’s bullet had taken away a President whose fresh patriotic vision literally reached to the moon. A younger generation of Americans who had been challenged to “ask not what their country could do for them, but what they could do for their country,” suddenly found themselves facing the horrors of war in a faraway place called Vietnam. A decade that held such promise found itself embroiled in a foreign war, domestic division, racial unrest, an escalating drug culture and unrivaled political distrust.
It is no wonder that a popular rock band of the time, The Byrds, captured the heart of America with their #1 hit of 1965, “Turn! Turn! Turn! (To Everything There is a Season)”. It is has the distinction of being the #1 song with the oldest lyrics ever. Written by Solomon, who was considered the wisest man in history, the first four verses above were a call to reason and understanding that in life there are seasons that evoke every emotion on the spectrum of human experience. And, as joyful or heartbreaking as they may be, they are created by God in order to achieve a higher purpose for our lives. What a shame that we are living in days where society tells happiness is good, but pain is only to be medicated. If it weren’t for the lessons learned through pain, how could we live to love and better understand God’s ways? The Byrds were smart enough to get it back in 1965. We’re past due for another new REALLY OLD song!
[:]