Google the phrase “nothing new under the sun.” I did. Wikipedia pops up in the top of the list directing to its page where I discover it’s the name of an album. Vinyl no less. There is nothing new under the sun, by a Missouri group, Coalesce. Amazon offers books that some how, the Google search says, are related to Nothing new under the sun. Then there’s the link to Under the Sun, who headed to North Korea to check out the “carefully managed national image.” Hum. Okay. If their image is carefully managed, then it means the country wants to be seen as a bit, well, crazy.
Not exactly what I was thinking. I could go into the Bible software that I use. But its search capabilities are lacking. It was free, so I won’t complain. Scrolling down the search page I get to a reference to Ecclesiastes 1:9:
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.
Despite what all new crops of college graduates think, it’s all happened before. Not to burst their bubble, but there are wheels and axles, so no invention there.
It’s been twenty-five years since I graduated with a Bachelor in journalism. I concentrated on newspaper journalism. I remember one of the instructors saying, “today’s news is tomorrow’s fish wrap.” With the ubiquitous computer or iPad or “smart” phone for reading the news, we won’t wrap fish in the news any more.
Here’s the thing about the news. A week ago angry protests and allegations, and pending investigations, of potential police officer racism and murder are left by the wayside so that we can learn everything there is to know about police officers murdered in Dallas. Now everyone’s opinion is all over CNN about the tragic murders of French civilians. What’s real and what’s simple fabricated, is hard to make out too.
Too many talking heads. I told my wife last night that what I really appreciated about what I call Real News, is that as a reporter there is the issue of sources and quotating those sources, and having the article reviewed. I suppose the television news gets that to some extent, but when these supposedly intelligent television entertainment guys stand up and interview people who clearly haven’t got a clue, one does have to wonder if plain dead air—the dreaded “no, no” of broadcast—would be preferable.
Last night one of the news entertainers said, “these have been happening so often they all run together.” EXCUSE ME! I’m sure that the family of the American man and his daughter who where on a trip to Nice are not thinking all these things run together. Neither are the families of the more than eighty people murdered. They were murdered by. . . some guy. We’ll learn the name, but it seems no one can agree on a proper title to refer to “those people who drive over people, shoot people, who were simple celebrating a national holiday. And someone in the political structure of our government wants a declaration of war against an enemy without a country and without a significant, agreeable title to describe the enemy.
We could call them what they are: Cowards! They train to murder unarmed and untrained civilians–men, women, children. Really honorable. It’s sick.
This war that isn’t a war has been going on quite a while now. It started well before the U.S. was attacked fifteen years ago. America lost over three thousand people that day to attacks on two buildings in New York and on the Pentagon in Washington. D.C., and don’t forget the fourth airplane that went down in Pennsylvania after its highjacking. And one of America’s politicians is concerned that if we retaliate we will be baited into a ground war. Seriously. America—representing the superior might of the world—is suppose to cower, suppose to just bury its head in the sand.
And then there’s the United Nations. What gall. It want’s to investigate allegations of police brutality in America. Not to mention wanting Americans to disarm, despite America’s clear Constitutional rights. One might think the U.N. wants to be in charge of the entire world. Like that’ll work. Europe can’t even unit itself, not to mention protect itself. As far as I know, America still supports NATO, is the strength of NATO.
But this war stuff has been going on a long time, and the violence it has brought us. Just look at Cain and Able. Brother against brother.
War. Rumors of war. Earthquakes. Some things never change. There’s nothing new under the sun. I expect one day to hear an angry voice from Heaven yell, “Children! I’ve had enough of your behavior. Go to you rooms. Now!”
It’s that or all Hell’s gonna let loose. And that’s not going to be a good thing.
Can’t we all just get along? I guess not. Nothing new under the sun.
Lord Bless, Keep, Shine. . .