Friday, 18 May 2012

Since I Gave Up Hope (I Feel A Lot Better)




I can't take credit for the today's blog title. It's from the the 1987 Christian pop album, I Predict 1990, by Steve Taylor.

Taylor had a way of summing up the post modern world we live in a sarcastic, albeit humorous way. His lyrics often left you thinking, can a real Christian say that? One of his better known songs, I Blew Up The Clinic Real Good, was about killing abortionists.

I guess what he taught me was that healthy cynicism is good. That looking critically at a situation often allows an opposing viewpoint, 'thinking outside the box' if you will. I hate that phrase, it's back in the 80s with lateral thinking and brainstorming. However the point is relevant, open mindedness is the new philosophy.

Think of Obama supporting Gay marriage, a black president supporting a fundamental human right 25 years ago was unimaginable.  It takes a long time for a society to open up to new ideas, but if we are to successfully transform into a more equitable and ultimately more liveable world, we will need to.