Saturday, January 27, 2007

To Everything There Is a Season

One of the enduring "rules" for blogs is to publish frequently. By titillating your visitors with a constant stream of prose and pictures, you can build a loyal readership. The problem with this schema is that it runs counter to the cycles of life. Our lives exhibit a constant ebb and flow.

In recent days, I've tried to revisit several of my favorite blogs. Some have vanished completely, while others seem to be on an extended hiatus. Initially, my reaction was "Crud". I soon realized, however, that I too went through a rather long period when I wrote infrequently on this blog and I did so because of the ebb and flow of my life.

There is a time when many of us need to write and share our conceptualizations with others. That said, there are also times in which each of us must draw inward in order to pursue other ventures or outward to spend more time with family or the community at large.

Therefore, a person's blog is nothing more than the extension of one facet of our lives. Sometimes, after we've written what needs to be said, there is nothing more to write. At other times, the words come flowing out like millions of raindrops. Again, it merely reflects the inevitable ebb and flow of all things.

For me, personally, I found that I missed the portion of my life connected with this blog. Consequently, as any reader can plainly see, I've returned to posting almost daily entries. How long this will or will not last is anyone's guess.

In this vein, I thought I'd share the words of the Pete Seeger song (made famous by The Byrds), To Everything There Is a Season. If ever there was a Taoist anthem, I think this would be it.
To everything
(Turn, turn, turn)
There is a season
(Turn, turn, turn)
And a time to every purpose
Under Heaven

A time to be born, a time to die
A time to plant, a time to reap
A time to kill, a time to heal
A time to laugh, a time to weep

To everything
(Turn, turn, turn)
There is a season
(Turn, turn, turn)
And a time to every purpose
Under Heaven

A time to build up, a time to break down
A time to dance, a time to mourn
A time to cast away stones, a time to gather stones together

To everything
(Turn, turn, turn)
There is a season
(Turn, turn, turn)
And a time to every purpose
Under Heaven

A time of war, a time of peace
A time to love, a time to hate
A time you may embrace, a time to refrain from embracing

To everything
(Turn, turn, turn)
There is a season
(Turn, turn, turn)
And a time to every purpose
Under Heaven

A time to gain, a time to lose
A time to rend, a time to sow
A time for love, a time for hate
A time for peace, I swear it's not too late.

4 comments:

  1. Interesting -- the songwriter admittedly lifted those lyrics straight out of the book of Ecclesiastes, in the Judeo-Christian scriptures.

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  2. I was hoping that someone would notice the irony of it all.

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  3. Trey,

    We are among those you mentioned as being on an indefinite hiatus, and we just wanted to assure you that we will be back - in some form, in some way. Writing about politics was necessary for us while we were doing it, and now it's necessary for us to find something new to write about. We're just waiting for inspiration to strike!

    Meanwhile, we're heartened to see that you're still writing, and still offering a calm, even perspective on things that matter. Thank you for being here - and for helping others be here more completely.

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  4. I think you all are going about blogging in the proper way. Too many people seem to write just to fill space. I'm sure, in time, you'll be inspired to write more.

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