The colorful sights on the evening news of protests against brutal treatment meted out by law enforcement officers - the murder of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer - harken back to the black & images on 1960s television. Some of the things shouted in the streets of today were shouted 50 years ago. I recall the songs sung as folks walked arm in arm through the cities of our nation: "We Shall Overcome" and "I Shall Not Be Moved".
I am not talking about the selfish destruction or armed robbery of innocent citizens' private property. From what I witness on the news reports, those folks are taking advantage of an opportunity to rob others or finding some warped pleasure in a fiery moment of mayhem. They are not seeking or contributing to finding a solution to the problem at hand. "Their songs" continue and inflame the spread of the problem.
"Blowin' in the Wind" was written by Bob Dylan in 1962. It asks a lot of questions and offers a kind of veiled answer:
How many roads must a man walk down Before you call him a man How many seas must the white dove sail Before she sleeps in the sand
Yes, and how many times must the cannonballs fly Before they are forever banned The answer, my friend, is blowing in the wind The answer is blowing in the wind
Yes, and how many years can a mountain exist Before it washed to the sea Yes, and how many years can some people exist Before they're allowed to be free
Yes, and how many times can a man turn his head And pretend that he just doesn't see The answer, my friend, is blowing in the wind The answer is blowing in the wind
Yes, and how many times must a man look up Before he can see the sky Yes, and how many ears must one man have Before he can hear people cry
Yes, and how many deaths will it take till he knows That too many people have died The answer, my friend, is blowing in the wind
"The answer, my friend, is blowing in the wind." There has been discussion through the year about Dylan's answer to his many questions in this song. In June 1962, he explained it this way: "just like a restless piece of paper it's got to come down some . . . But the only trouble is that no one picks up the answer when it comes down so not too many people get to see and know . . . and then it flies away."
It brings to my mind something Jesus said after many of his teachings: "he who has an ear, let him hear" (Matthew 11:35). The answer is all around us (blowin' in the wind) but is our hearing tuned to recognize and receive it? Are we listening to each other? Are we listening for an answer to the hatred and bigotry that seem to be screaming louder, above the "white dove":
How many seas must the white dove sail
Before she sleeps in the sand
Could it be as simple as that? Listen. We must realize in order for us to listen, we are obliged to stop our shouting and remove our ear muffs of pride. We are compelled to open our ears to not just hear but to listen. Following listening is questions. Following questions comes understanding and peace. Could it be as simple as that?
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