By Jim Heffernan
I’ve been thinking a lot about a Buffalo Springfield song, “For What It’s Worth”. Buffalo Springfield was a “one hit wonder” band that was active 1968-1969. Neil Young, Stephen Sills, Jim Messina were members of the band and went on to have long successful careers in rock music. The song is from 1968, here’s the lyrics. See below for a YouTube link.
“For What It’s Worth”
There’s something happening here
But what it is ain’t exactly clear
There’s a man with a gun over there
Telling me I got to beware
I think it’s time we stop
Children, what’s that sound?
Everybody look – what’s going down?
There’s battle lines being drawn
Nobody’s right if everybody’s wrong
Young people speaking’ their minds
Getting so much resistance from behind
It’s time we stop
Hey, what’s that sound?
Everybody look – what’s going down?
What a field day for the heat
A thousand people in the street
Singing songs and carrying signs
Mostly saying, “hooray for our side”
It’s time we stop
Hey, what’s that sound?
Everybody look – what’s going down?
Paranoia strikes deep
Into your life it will creep
It starts when you’re always afraid
Step out of line, the man come and take you away
I think the song, or the sentiment of the song, has been in our cultural background for the last six decades. We have been stirring a seething cauldron of fear and anger all these years. We have separated ourselves into three large tribes, one we call the right, one we call the left, and one that is just disgusted with both and has withdrawn from citizenship.
Lately, we have been cooking up something even worse in that cauldron. Some people are driven to nihilism. Nihilism is the rejection of all moral and religious constraints. Certain individuals, almost always men, decide their opinions justify murder if it furthers their cause.
Last June, we saw one man burst from the cauldron and murder Melissa Hortman and her husband in Minnesota. His views aligned with the tribe of the right, but he was not of their tribe. This month we see another man murder Charlie Kirk. It’s unclear where his views aligned, he was not part of any tribe.
Both men were nihilists, intent on destruction, nothing more.
Stirring the cauldron is only going to create more nihilists. We’ve come to value our tribal memberships more than the principles of morality and citizenship we should have learned from the words of our founders and from the words of Jesus.
It’s time to change ourselves. Being with the right tribe is no substitute for being a moral citizen, being a good Christian. We need to treat one another with respect and kindness, even if we don’t share opinions.
As always, discussion welcome at codger817@gmail.com