There was a song recorded in 1965 by Barry McGuire called The Eve of Destruction. It was when the draft was forcing thousands of young men to fight in the Vietnam war and the song reflected a current argument of the time: that they were old enough to kill, but not to vote. The song asserted that we were on the eve of destruction, but most did not want to believe it.
Racism was another big issue in the 1960’s. Racism is still a problem – nearly 60 years later. The number of hate groups has increased. The tension between people of color and law enforcement is palpable. We had a bigot in the white house for four years and his widespread influence remains a threat to democracy.
The speed with which information travels on the Internet and on social media, has brought the realities of aggression worldwide right into our living rooms. News about climate disasters and global warming remind us every day that habitat is being destroyed and species are being lost to extinction. There are still those among us who believe that genocide will solve the world’s problems by creating a purer race of humans. But regardless of mans’ efforts to control the world, Nature will always be in charge. She is the ultimate power. The world that we experience each and every day is a mere reflection of what is in the collective heart of man, as well as in our own hearts.
McGuire’s song is perhaps more relevant today than when it was first released. The destruction is already happening in Ukraine and it could escalate and spread across the globe. This brink of destruction in which we find ourselves is a slippery slope. Humans are infected with the disease of hate. There has never been a more crucial time to release the grip of hatred in our hearts so that love can begin to heal them. Only when we can heal our own hearts, can we hope to heal the world.
