The Other Side

Well, here we are on the other side.  I was pretty shocked about the election as was everyone else and  had no idea what a mess people in person and on the internet would be yesterday.  Now, I get a kick out of Facebook and social media and if people want to bring their drama on there in front of everyone to see I am happy to read and eye roll.  But...yesterday was even too much for me.  After seeing good friends blow up at each other over FB posts and articles, insults being hurled, disturbing abortion photos being shared, and seeing a crowd of people absolutely slaughter a woman for saying she disagreed with the medical marijuana measure passing because marijuana use had caused big problems in her family even I had to stop back and quit looking for awhile.  Then I was sitting at the YMCA and I had the pleasure of listening to a table of retired people bash "young people" because they went to college, got all their ideas from their liberal college professors and now they just sit around on their iphones all day and don't even pay attention to their kids and don't want to work hard.  UMMM...OK...FIRST OF ALL...do they recommend "young people" not go to college?  And also, yes, college professors are generally liberal but I remember college very clearly and I almost always went to class and what I remember is the professors using every minute they had to get through the material in the syllabus.  There wasn't a lot of time left for filling those weak little (grown adult) minds with liberal propaganda.  And, MAYBE young people like to look at their phones because they read various newspapers and magazines on them because subscribing to everything they like to read would cause their house to be magazine and newspaper cluttered disaster with an overflowing recycling bin and it would also cost a lot of money.  Now that I try to absorb it the whole conversation really didn't make much sense but with general over-social-media-d mood I was in I had to get out of there. 

Anyway, I feel better today although I know a lot of people don't.  The TV coverage was a bit more tolerable today now that everyone, including the politicians, news people and everyone else on camera has had time to sleep after being up for who knows how long, remove the many layers of makeup they had caked on their face and start fresh and hopefully spend a few hours in a safe and private place while wearing sweatpants and sitting on the couch for awhile.

I have seen many people turn to their faith a this election has progressed and what I continuously thought about was one of my favorite Sacred Harp songs, which is called "Confidence".  It deals with fear, which I know many people are feeling right now. 



If you can't see the font, the lyrics say,

"Away, my unbelieving fear, fear shall in my no more have place.
My Saviour doth not yet appear, he hides the brightness of his face.
But shall I therefore let him go, and basely to the tempter yield?
No, in the strength of Jesus no! I never will give up my shield!"

The Sacred Harp songbook is filled with lofty words.  The recorded version I listen to most was recorded by Alan Lomax in 1959 at a church gathering in Fyffe, Alabama and I love to hear the people talk in their southern accents as they call out the song they are choosing to lead.  I imagine them as rural farmer type people and I can seen them singing to themselves as they go about their lives during the week after spending the weekend singing together.