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It was early October and I was perusing the local dollar store. To my surprise all of the Halloween stuff was being taken down and up were going Christmas decorations. I guess it’s just a matter of years before we’ll be getting hints of Christmas in September and August. Why is it such a big deal? Who cares?
If it were for religious reasons, I could see it. But it’s for purely economic reasons. The retailers and malls don’t care about what a holiday stands for, they care about the sales they can make on any one event. And Christmas is the holiday of holidays. It’s the time of year when their biggest numbers roll in and so they keep pushing the season earlier and earlier. So Christmas comes early because we’re obsessed with consumerism.
But I think there’s another reason. Everyone loves the holiday season whether they celebrate Christmas or not. This time of year has a certain nostalgia to it and we love nostalgia. Every year we come face to face with bad news: wars, death, disease, heartache, etc. Christmas is the escape for some people, it’s the mask that we throw on to hide away from the bad times that make us cower in fear.
But, really, it’s not like there is anything I can do about it. But I can tell you this, don’t rush time; it’s already going by at a fast rate. Instead, face every season. There will be a ton of bad ones, but that makes all the good ones shine brighter. So don’t scarf down your Thanksgiving turkey too quickly. Pause and reflect and let the seasons run their course.
About a month ago, I took a road trip (alone) cross country to Missouri…i did video blog things while traveling and when I get em all loaded up, I’ll post em. But that’s not the point. The point is that as i was traveling I knew that I would be starting a new job soon at a factory. I wasn’t looking forward to this and it didn’t help that as I crossed over the boring fields of Indiana, Illinois, and Missouri I would frequently catch sight of…corn…but I also saw a lot of factories and warehouses. It struck me that it’s probably the easiest type of job to get and probably a good portion of America’s workforce is locked there (fast food joints are probably a close 2nd).
I began thinking that America is turning into a giant factory. As the waters of industry sweep us away into the whirlpool of technological achievements, the need for factories and warehouses grows. What’s the problem with this? None really. It’s just the way that it goes. But it’s a sad way. It’s sad that i spend my nights now picking up bundles of mail off a conveyer belt during 3rd shift and spend my days sleeping away weariness (which curiously still remains even after I wake). It’s sad that this world ain’t as beautiful anymore. I know work is necessary, I just hope I don’t spend the rest of my life locked in a factory just to survive while I never take the time to enjoy this life that God has given me in the meantime.
To play off a poem concept made famous by Walt Whitman, “I hear America singing…and it sounds out of tune.”
Like this:
I have something happy to report: I quit Wendy’s. Please, please, hold your applause until I finish this post. During my time at Wendy’s, several songs came up that could describe my time there and my feelings regarding leaving a place that kept me employed for 4 years. Some of the songs I’ll post youtube vid links to. Others I’ll just quote the appropriate lines.
1) Lifehouse–”Halfway Gone”
This song describes most of my time at Wendy’s. I was caught in this type of mentality where I really wanted to leave but so long as Wendy’s provided some support, or the only support i could find, I would stay. Here’s the youtube link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xodmwwNV18w&ob=av2e
2) Simon & Garfunkel–”The Boxer”
For all the harsh, mean things I could say about Wendy’s, I can wholeheartedly agree with the line in this song that says, “I do declare, there were times when I was so lonesome I took some comfort there.”
3) Seabird–”Let Me Go On”
Another song that perfectly voiced my sentiment at Wendy’s. I always felt held back and just wanted to “go on.” Here’s the link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ijg3Ax6u__4
4) Seabird–”Cottonmouth (Jargon)”
Now to some songs that express how I feel about leaving. Seabird comes up again with this wonderful tune. A particular line goes, “We hate to see you go, but now it’s time to let you know that shouting never wins and losing you never felt so good. And so it should…yeah,we knew it would..the stars in the sky are about to make us liars.” I’ll post the link anyway since it’s just that awesome of a song:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DMdbE9qdmJQ
5) Grammatrain– Imperium album
The whole album (which I’ve been meaning to write a review about) addresses throwing off an oppressive authority and the freedom that comes from that. (That’s a simplified summary, but I think that sums it up well) It’s not that I feel Wendy’s was an oppressive authority…to a point…but I can definately relate to the frustration and relief in songs like “Damaged”, “With My Hands”,and “All.” Here’s a link to buy that album:
http://grammatrain.bandcamp.com/album/imperium
6) “Weird Al” Yankovic–”One More Minute”
This quirky break-up song holds a line or 2 that perfectly captures how I would feel about returning to Wendy’s: “I’d rather rip my heart right out of my rib cage with my bare hands and then throw it on the floor and stomp on it till I die…than spend one more minute with you…”
I think these will suffice for now. As I said in my 2-week’s notice letter: “I am not totally ungrateful; just forgive me if I seem a little over excited.”
Now you may applaud and cheer.
INTERACTION! what are some songs that describe your work experience or leaving a previous employer? Let me know in the comments.
I recently started a new job at a printing factory. I usually arrive early and spend some of the time reading a passage of the Bible and then think about it before going inside to work. Since I’m usually pressed for time and somewhat distracted, I figured I’d focus on one passage a week and hope to familiarize myself with it and figure it out. My first passage was Psalm 49 and it was sort of an ironic choice. The little song perplexed me and as I kept returning to it I began to see how it connected with this whole Occupy Wall Street mess.
The gist of the Psalm is that the writer is coping with rich people. What makes it such a curious passage is that in v.5-6 he writes, “Why should I fear in times of trouble, when the iniquity of those who cheat me surrounds me, those who trust in their wealth and boast of the abundance of their riches?” What struck me was what he was admitting: he was afraid of rich people. But why? This took me forever to get and the answer lies in v.5. Apparently because of the sins of the rich, the psalmist was put under strenuous times and for that he was afraid of the rich and their power to wield money however they please.
Doesn’t that sound like Occupy Wall Street? I mean, what are the protesters upset about? They hate that because of the corporate greedy fat cats the nation is in its current predicament of economic recession. They feel cheated. Isn’t that what the psalmist just said? Could it be that the root of the protesters’ cause is fear? It makes sense. The sins of these wealthy people have resulted in tougher economic times for the rest of us, right? They have all the finances and security they need, we struggle just to make ends meet. In such times of uncertainty, we become afraid.
But at that point the psalmist pulls away from the Occupy Wall Streeters. He doesn’t suggest raiding banks or forming tent cities and not bathing for days. First he notes that eventually these rich people will die and they will take nothing with them. Not even a dime (see vs. 7-14). The irony is that for all their wealth and power, they still can’t buy off death. “Man in his pomp will not remain; he is like the beasts that perish” (v. 12). They face the same fate as everyone else.
But the psalmist then comforts himself that he has a way out and it’s not through money, it’s through God (v. 15). The psalmist rightly sees that it is better to rest in the grace of God than to rest in money. And so he doesn’t have to be afraid of whatever trouble the rich may brew up (see vs. 16-20). If they are apart from God, then God will dole out justice…not people in a tent city sitting outside on the lawn. Again he reitterates: “Man in his pomp yet without understanding is like the beasts that perish” (v.20).
So do these protesters’ have a legitimate fear? Absolutely. I hate that rich people are squandering money just as much as the next guy. But do they have a legitimate solution? No. Sure, it’s a democracy, they have the right to free speech. But what makes them think that if they had more money they would use it in wiser ways? At first they probably would, but then they would sink into the same hole as the greedy corporate bigwigs before them. Why? Because the answer isn’t money. Money won’t save us. Only Jesus can. Only Jesus can separate us from “the beasts that perish.”
