In the span of three weeks I went from having
my toes in the sand of Florida’s Gulf Coast to tapping them in the Country
Music Capital, Nashville, Tennessee. It’s good to get out of town every now and
then to see how other people live. Everywhere, people are the same. Also,
everywhere, people are different.
I am a people watcher. My motivations are
mostly to educate myself on new and different trends and tendencies. My
discoveries are always the same. There is nothing new under the sun. Maybe it’s
the first time my eyes have seen it, but it’s not really new. It’s all about
perspective.
Take this scene, for instance:
He sat quietly in a corner by himself reading
the morning news updates. Steam wafted from his coffee cup. Between occasional
sips, He rubbed his hand back and forth across his unshaven chin. The muted
colors of his plaid, untucked, shirt made the not-so-wrinkle-free rumples seem
less noticeable. He was wearing khaki shorts and black socks with casual,
comfort shoes. If I asked him for his opinion of the news he was reading, he
most likely would offer it plainly and unapologetically. I probably wouldn’t
have to ask to see pictures of his summer vacation. He most likely had those
cued up and ready to show any one who might seem unoccupied at the moment.
Hold that picture in your mind for a minute. Does
it sound like anyone you know?
If I asked that question to someone of the
Millennial Generation (between the ages of 20-40) they would probably recognize
themselves or one of their peers in that scene. He would be sitting in a coffee
shop reading social media updates on his tablet and ready to pull up his
vacation pictures on his smart phone. He would be wearing black socks with his
Chaco sandals. He would definitely have an opinion about the upcoming
presidential election and would gladly share it.
If the scene were described to someone from the
Baby Boomer Generation (between the ages of 55-70), they might see that scene
with their father in it: an elderly man sitting at the breakfast table reading
the daily news from a printed newspaper. His photos are from long ago vacations
and are slides that would require a projector, but he’d still be ready to show
them. He’s wearing orthopedic shoes with his black socks. He, too, definitely has an opinion on the
upcoming presidential election and would gladly share it.
Thinking about all this has also led me to
consider not only how we see things, but also how we communicate them. Here’s the
example the made me see again that there is nothing new under the sun:
“Do you like green eggs and ham? I do not like
them, Sam-I-am. I do not like green eggs and ham. Would you like them here or
there?”
Those words
bring up a flood of memories and sentiments for those of us who learned to
read, or helped someone else learn to read, with “Green Eggs and Ham” which was
published in 1960. Counting the spaces and punctuation in those four short
sentences, it is 132 keystrokes.
Twitter is one of today’s top social media
platforms in terms of number of users. It’s format limits posts to 140
characters or less. You only have 140 keystrokes or less to get your message
out there. For the reader, it reduces the amount of time it takes to catch up
on all the news. For the writer, it forces brevity and succinctness. Say it in
as few words as possible, but make them potent. Dr. Suess figured that out a
long time ago.
Of course, also equally relatable and Tweetable:
“I would not like them here or there. I would not like them anywhere. I do not
like green eggs and ham. I do not like them, Sam-I-am.” That’s 134 characters.
“What has been is what will be, and what has
been done is what will be done, and there is nothing new under the sun.”
(Ecclesiastes 1:9). That’s 137
characters, including the reference.
If there is nothing new, how do we explain
scientific discoveries or fashion trends? Why do we hope for a cure for cancer?
It’s not the trends, discoveries, or the cure that satisfies our need for
something new. We will always need something else beyond those things. It’s the
hope. It’s the longing we have for something better than this world where
nothing is new. I believe our Creator put that longing in our hearts. Ecclesiastes
also says that our Creator has made everything beautiful in its time and that
He has put eternity in our hearts. There will come a time when it truly will
all be new and beautiful. Longing for that eternity is the motivation to keep
pressing on.
The Creator, not the created, is responsible so
hold on and keep moving towards Him.
“Behold, I am making all things new.”
Revelation 21:5
Originally posted September 11, 2016 on www.walterborolive.com.
