Eve of Destruction

Way back in the murky mists of times past when people had the courage of their convictions and would do what it took to push back against a corrupt and broken world there were a lot of songs written that put those messages out into the world. Except of course for the ones that were total garbage and listening to them was akin to having your fingernails ripped out with a pair of blunt-nosed pliers.

This was back in the 1960’s and it is more often than not looked back upon with rose coloured glasses as a halcyon world despite the absolute turmoil that was the world of that era. A brief and incomplete summary of what we lived with was an unpopular war in Vietnam, the cold war, the threat of total nuclear war, strikes and protests, and uncertain economic times.

Smoking was also good for you back then which might help explain how an absolute fact can also be a load of crap that is swallowed by the majority because that is the way it is and no-one is talking loud enough to point out the wrongness of that absolute fact.

This bloke Barry McGuire released a song in 1965 titled ‘Age of Destruction’ and it was a song that reflected the sentiment of the time while achieving its purpose of decrying war and the waste of war along with the state of the world and the multiple turmoils of that time. It must have been pretty good because it was also recorded by Jan & Dean and The Turtles that same year. Mimicry is a form of flattery after all.

All those years later it resonates with the world we live in currently. We live in uncertain times and like the 1960’s our world is rife with the problems entirely of our own making. Particularly the problems of the world we currently live in are a direct result of the machinations of those who lead us regardless of what country you live in. They make decisions based on a narrative that promotes a sense of righteousness, while beneath that pristinely presented premise there are layers sullied with intentions that are based upon personal advancement that have no intentions in the greater good by those who lead. It’s always been that way which is a pathetically sad concept to contemplate.

It is easier to read about the turbulent times in history rather than to live through those turbulent times. We are living through one of those turbulent times in history right now, and like every other time of uncertainty and turbulence we don’t get a choice or a say in it. It is those who lead who determine what happens. For the majority of humanity we are simply along for the ride and regretfully end up paying the price generated by the arrogance, hubris, and corruption that infects those who lead us down these paths.

Our turbulent times are compounded and compressed it seems where events are stacked upon each other rather than being lineal. We have yet another industrial revolution underway and the belief that we can change the climate of a planet as suits by just doing certain things. We have a pandemic, economic instability globally, and global sabre rattling on an unprecedented scale as one empire declines while another strives to become dominant. Couple that with the ways in which the world we inhabit has become Orwellian in the ways information and populations are being controlled the future is not exactly a bright shiny thing to aim towards on its current trajectory.

I’ve embedded the song in this post for you to listen to it and then reflect on the words.