I shall not be, I shall not be moved;
I shall not be, I shall not be moved;
Just like a tree that's planted by the waters,
Lord, I shall not be moved.
[American Folk Song]
Every time I watch the news or listen to the radio, I hear something outrageous or tragic or infuriating. I think every generation, at one time or another, has said, "This world has just gone crazy." That one's usually followed by, "These must be the End Times." Christians have been looking for the last days since, well, the beginning of Christianity. Nobody knows when that's coming. All we can do is live the lives we've been given. Maybe that's what makes some of the craziness in the world so frustrating. We feel like it's diminishing our time—the time we've been given, however long or short it may be. That's why I think it's so important to lighten each other's load whenever we can, to seek the best in each other and "not be moved" by all the detrimental forces in the great "out there." When I was a piano student in the seventies, my teacher, whom I absolutely adored, focused on classical and church music. So getting a pop song on the lesson schedule took some persuading. One song made the cut simply because my mother loved it so much and wanted me to learn to play it for her. I didn't really get it back then, but I get it now:
When you're weary
Feeling small
When tears are in your eyes
I will dry them all
I'm on your side
When times get rough
And friends just can't be found
Like a bridge over troubled water
I will lay me down
[from "Bridge Over Troubled Water," by Paul Simon]
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