Ripples

Bert Hetebry

7 months ago

The Grateful Dead had some interesting songs, some weird, others profound.

Some like ‘A friend of the devil is a friend of mine’, a wonderful story of a man on the run, at least that’s what I hear, seeking solace somewhere, anywhere.

But to me, the most interesting song is Ripple.

I love it as it deflects from the anger and hatred projected by those who have the truth, or claim to have the truth and slam the bejesus out of anyone who differs.

A song which is totally devoid of judgement.

If my words did glow with the gold of sunshine

And my tunes were played on a harp unsung

Would you hear my voice come through the music?

Would you hold it near as if it were your own?

It’s a hand me down, the thoughts are broken

Perhaps they’re better left unsung

I don’t know, don’t really care

Let there be songs to fill the air.

Ripple in still water

When there is no pebble tossed

no breeze to blow.

Such a beautiful image, just let the music fill the air, let spirits soar where they will.

The band was formed in the crazy 1960s where just about everything was open to question, where the authority or credibility of government, religion, just about everything was challenged. And since that time, the freedoms were achieved; the sexual revolution, women’s movement, gay rights, abortion rights have been railed against as the very existence of god or righteousness or sin or authoritarian control is asserted by those who cling desperately to their loss of certainty.

It was the era of psychedelia, experimentation with drugs, the time of Ken Kesey, author of One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest, Gonzo writing by Hunter S Thompson with Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. Of Allen Ginsberg, and Jack Kerouac. It was a time of radical change, the Summer of Love, If you’re going to San Francisco be sure to wear some flowers in your hair, Woodstock.

It seemed like every thing was floating in the air, the certainties of the past has drifted away. Freedom was in the air.

That generation is now old, many having passed on to whereever their belief system has led them. Gone are the notions of Heaven and Hell and the supreme judge deciding which door should be opened, the one St Peter stands guard at which leads to the New Jerusalem with its streets of gold and the eternal light of the almighty, or the long stairway leading to the depths of eternal damnation, the fiery pit of forever punishment so great that not even the Spanish Inquisition could match its cruelty. New ideas, or more traditional ideas of ancient civilisations opened to teaching spiritualism, the return to Mother Earth, reincarnation, the soul’s eternal journey from one life to another.

The social change which came with that time led to the politics of freedom, the changing mores, that women could control their fertility with access to ‘the pill’ and then Roe v Wade provided access to abortion. That women were no longer the property of a man, whether that be the father or a husband (the father ‘gives’ the bride to the groom, transfer of ownership was part of the marriage contract), demanding more than just being respected as a human being, but equal to the once dominant man, that divorce could be granted because the marriage no longer worked, the rise of no fault divorce. That in employment, doing the same job for the same pay is an accepted right. The freedoms and rights won in the US travelled around the western world, including here in Australia.

In discussing relationship violence which is so prevalent today, a comment was made that young women accept the hard fought rights their mothers fought for as normal, they accept without question their human-ness, their complete personhood, but a lot of young men do not. But then violence in some marriages has always been there, male control, male blaming the wife when things don’t work out. (There was a brief discussion on this in a writer’s group I attend, and one of the members has the funniest stories of her dismissiveness of her husband’s efforts of control and blame. So good to see her ‘win’ but the husband not realising he has ‘lost’).

Those most threatened by this new way of living are those who have lost their power; the cosy connection between church and state has been severed and there is a fight to reconnect, and currently being demonstrated in no uncertain way in the US Presidential Election campaign. Trump the misogynist narcissistic alpha male (dare I say Psychopathic?) and DJ Vance the perfect partner, trumpeting his contempt for women who don’t measure up to his ideals. Let’s take the US back to the 1950s.

In striving to regain relevance, Christians here in Australia appear to be trying to take control of the Liberal Party, as Christians now seem to control the Republicans in the US. The blatant dishonesty of that takeover is that the Liberals do not campaign for upholding (or returning to) Christian values. As a party seeming to be more a Christian Party than a secular political party, the fear of difference becomes apparent, as division is sown between White Australians and First Nations people, as was evident in the vile NO campaign in the Voice referendum, and antagonism toward Islam, that division amplified through unquestioned support of Israel.

Labor here has not covered itself in glory as the recent departure from their membership of Senator Fatima Payman clearly demonstrated.

My friend who is strenuously, persistently posting anti-Islam YouTube videos to me, some of which I do open and listen to, if only to understand what his issues are, reminds me that some people want to change the world by sowing seeds of hate. I refuse to let those seeds germinate in my life.

I was reminded of how to do this in a rather beautiful article in the Guardian today. Headlined ‘Want to change the world? Start by changing yourself – however terrifying it may be’. In addressing what the author terms ‘social evils’, she acknowledges that begin with each of us. We can buy into the hatred or we can opt out of hatred and promote peace. We as individuals cannot stop wars, we cannot stop men killing their partners, we cannot stop psychopaths promoting their evil intents, but within our circles we can make a difference, we can exude ‘love’, peace, empathy. We can do the little things like helping people, smiling at the people we meet, engaging in conversation which is affirmative, encouraging, supportive.

My response to the latest series of YouTube videos which included a claim that Hitler was a Muslim, has been to describe the Nordic myths which were the foundations of Aryanism, Wagner’s Ring Cycle which is a very lengthy performance based on Nordic mythology. And suggesting that if Hitler had been Muslim, which is an Arab based religion, Hitler youth would probably not have been those blue eyed blond kids. I also suggested he read The Flounder by Gunter Grass, also based on Norse mythology. On the question raised in the last video he sent which questions whether the prophet Muhammad even existed, I thought was most interesting since common to all religions is the question of origins, were the founders real or are they mythological beings? Is there a God?

There are far more questions than answers. or is that the other way around, there are too many answers, and finding the right ones may be a long, lonely journey.

There is a road, no simple highway

Between the dawn and the dark of night

And if you go, no one may follow

That path is for your steps alone

Ripple in still water

When there is no pebble tossed

No wind to blow

You who choose to lead must follow

But if you fall you fall alone

If you should stand then who’s to guide you?

If I knew the way I would take you home.

(Ripple. Words and music Robert Hunter and Jerome Garcia).