Exit, stage left

In 1965, The Byrds covered a Pete Seeger song that ended up being the US #1 hit with the oldest lyrics, namely, Ecclesiastes 3:1-8. It was wisdom all decked out in hippie garb. And even though the song has faded to a mere "classic", what it had to say was as true then as when the words were first written down, and they're just as true today. There is a time for every purpose under heaven.

William Shakespeare, one insightfully poignant observer of life and the human condition, eloquently expressed a corollary of thereof, which we also recognize as true when we are reminded of it, namely,

All the world’s a stage,
And all the men and women merely players;
They have their exits and their entrances,
And one man in his time plays many parts ...
(As You Like It, II, vii)

He then goes on to describe the several seasons of one human life, and in each of these seasons, all those purposes of the Preacher take on differing degrees of emphasis, if not necessity. That is the way of life. We are all called on to decide which roles to play when and how, and what to leave in and what to leave out.

The world is not any better than it was when The Byrds caught my fancy and fired my desires so long ago. I make no bones about it. The world wasn't in good shape then, but I thought it could be changed. I was shown it can be changed, but not necessarily for the better. Well, at least for the better for most of us. Some folks made out like bandits, because most of them were. I believe we're in this life to learn, and I've learned that much at least. Still, I'm ashamed of myself for not managing more. I'll try to do better next time.

This time, of course, it would be tempting to get lost in that thick forest of remembered hopes, dreams, aspirations, failures, illusions, and disappointments, but I have grandsons now who will have to live with what we have done. I have a lot of explaining to do, and more.

In other words, it has become clear, to me at least, that my own purposes, role, and part to play have changed, and there are just so many hours in a day. I think Robert Frost ("Stopping By Woods On A Snowy Evening") sums it up best:

The woods are lovely, dark and deep,
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.

Godspeed.

The long tail

Let's face it, Americans are highly competitive, almost ... no, to a fault. There are only winners and losers. If you don't win, you lose. Ties are like kissing your sister and the silver medal is just the one who lost gold. Too bad. I don't think most of them know how much they are missing because of this one, small quirk of thought.

A world that only has winners and losers is just another type of monoculture, that ... well, American agriculture appears to love so much as well. No, dear friends, sustainability only comes through diversity, as tough as it is to accept. It's not all about who wins, it's about who has something to contribute. And that's one of the only reasons I like modern technology.

Huh? Wha'? Whazzat? Yeah, technology. For all the evils of the Internet that too many governments think they have to get under control, the widespread, cheap access to technology has allowed us to find all the losers who aren't. Yep. For you business freaks, it's called the long tail.

Being there may be more important than being promoted. Oh sure, I suppose there are enough talented artists ... especially musicians ... who big labels pick up and squeeze dry. But, truth be told, they have never really interested me all that much. While most of my friends were hip on the Beatles and the rebels were pushing the Stones, I was a Kinks man. Go figure.

I'm not going on a promotional tour here ... don't get excited, but there's a lot more exciting stuff off the beaten track than there is out there in the mainstream. You have to want to look. You have to want to go through some dry spells, but swimming in the hidden swimming hole was always more fun than being out there with everybody else in the lake.