A Nation Changed

Grandpa and I were listening to the radio one eve and an oldie but goodie from the 50’s came on and as it finished grandpa had this to say about it.

"You know, boy, upon thinking upon this era I’ve come to a very silly conclusion. I grant you that this is only a personal opinion and I have nothing to back it up. However, it was this era that our nation was in the beginning of the fulfillment of all of the promises that as a nation we made, a nation united as a people.

Color of skin was not a barrier during this era. It was a nation that was united in one thing, its music. It was an era where the teenager took the reins and drove this nation, even the world, to a different heartbeat. It was an era where the music touched the very soul of every teenager, black, white, and brown. It bowled over every obstacle placed in front of it.

The music of Rock and Roll did more than any law ever could do. It did more than the promises of any politician could even dream of making. Politicians make promises to solve problems. Rock and Roll made no promise; it just did it in its own way. It rocked the very foundations of this society of ours. It was music that drove this nation wild.

It was the teenager of that era that grew up and began many of the movements that have changed the political scene of today. It was the teenager of that era that grew up and exposed many of the sins of this nation to the world. However, I will admit the results of that rebellion can be called a mixed revue. We are a nation even more divided than it has ever been now, politically.

Is that division a good thing or bad thing I cannot say for only time will tell? Society will survive this division, this I know. Societies always survive even the worst of conditions though many individuals must suffer through that survival. It is what this nation will be once this division heals that bothers me the most.

Will we become a nation united through the emotion we feel towards those who must suffer or will we unite by the use of reason? The answer to this question will determine the outcome of this division. A people united by emotion will be a nation weakened by it. A nation united by reason will be stronger for it.

Rock and Roll showed that a nation could unite when people are left alone to solve its own problems. It was the unity that people found through the music that drove them to seek unity in other areas also. Rock and Roll showed that any barriers that divide a nation are just imaginary barriers and in reality do not exist.

It pointed out to me that when a society heals itself the outcome of it can be unifying. It also pointed out to me that when government tries to heal the wounds of society the outcome, at most, could only be mixed. In other words, laws may be seen as a faster solution to a problem but the slower solution of a change in attitude in the people is more unifying. Laws can change attitudes, of this I do not doubt. However, it can only change the attitude of a part of society not society itself.

But, like I said, boy, this is only an observation and I cannot defend this observation now."

"yes, grandpa" I uttered politely as I was listening to the next song that was playing.