Yesterday on facebook, Olya B. posted that she was listening to some Janis Joplin songs that her husband put on. There were several comments after that, including a couple from me. I was never a Joplin fan, altho who can forget some of her songs? "Me and Bobby McGee" "Mercedes Benz" and others.

While reading Olya's comments I realized two things right away: Olya is so much younger than me :-), and Olya was not raised in the United States. I thought about that for a long time and came up with some thoughts.

Being born in the early '50's puts me toward the end of the Baby Boomers. I was in my early teens during the height of the Hippy movement. By the time I got to 18, it was mostly over. Yet, the affects remain until this day - not just on my life, but on the whole of American society.

As Mel and I talked this morning, I told him that I thought he and I were raised in a "bubble of time" in history. Now, our childhoods were not perfect - there were troubles and pain and 'normal' growing up struggles. But we, and several million other kids, did not have to worry that we or our parents were going to be attacked and scalped by Indians (although we played those games all the time). Although the Vietnam War was raging, we were not concerned that foreign troops were going to come into our house to kill, rape (I had no idea what that even meant) and maim. We did worry about the Soviets sending missiles over to the US, and we worried about atomic war - but war was actually very far away. Most kids went to bed fed and warm at night. Most kids had intact families. Most kids went to church at least once in awhile. Most kids lived 'normal' American lives then. We lived in a 'bubble in history' - a safe bubble.

I know that there were secrets going on behind closed doors - abuse, sexual abuse, unknown poverty, unbelief, and so forth. I realized many years later that my best friend had actually been sexually abused by her father for years and the last time I heard from her (several years ago now), her life was filled with broken dreams, drugs, divorce and more. Mel has realized that friends he had in high school also lived with secrets in their family that are just now being opened up and hopefully dealt with.

But Mel and I were two of the truly fortunate kids who really did grow up during a "Camelot" time.

So why did we have the Hippy revolution? Why did the music become so angry? The words either nonsense or hate filled and angry?

I know that many books by sociologists, psychiatrists, social commentators - Christian as well as non-Believers, have been written about what happened. I know what Mel's professor in seminary said (that Satan had been loosed from the pit during that time). I am aware that I do not have all the answers, by any means.

I do know that when I listen to the words of the music kids play today, it is still angry. Hate, violence, degradation. The music itself is still full of anger as well.

Oh, there were, and still are, sweet songs being written and recorded as well, but the overall tone is far from 'sweet'.

Even church music has been affected. Words focus on me, me, me, I, I, I, we, we, we - and less on God and who He is. The music and words are written to make ME feel good, to put ME in a certain mood, to affect ME, more often than not. Like an island in the middle of a sea of anger. Yet it is a false island, one that is shaky and sinking swiftly into the morass we call our world-wide society today.

There is an outward shell of niceness, and cleanliness, and prosperity, and happiness. But I think our music tells the truth, shows the reality of life. Country music, included - maybe it even shows more of the truth of middle class America?

A lot of thoughts, not too many worth putting down today. But they make me feel sad somehow.

Think I'll go get another decaf mocha and read a book awhile and not think about it any more!