What We Have

Over on "The country is circling the drain" Twitter, certain members of the chattering class warn folks that we "don't want to go back to the 70s". They're not talking about casual sex, platform shoes, and disco.

Here's what I remember: People loved this song. They continued to love it through Vietnam, the Cold War, the murder of Olympic athletes, the energy crisis, Watergate, and the kidnapping of Patty Hearst.

They don't sing songs like this anymore. What I mean by that is, they don't sing lyrics with this attitude anymore. Everything is revoltingly aspirational. Encouragement is reserved for workouts and climbing the corporate ladder. Everything exists solely in and for the future; nobody has any medicine for the times when yesterday, today, and tomorrow just suck.

I think this song has the answer: Pull yourself back down to earth. Listen more closely to those who love and value you than anyone else. Let friendship and true love be your medicine, and let them be the healing you dispense.

We live in dangerous times. The danger's not going away any time soon and, for some of us, it's right outside the door. We can't always change that, but we can change our focus. Love is all we have. Focus on that.

Here's Lynn Anderson with "Rose Garden".