Time Will Tell

Do you remember LIFE and LOOK magazines?  If you don’t they were large magazines that were mostly made up of photos of what was going on in the new or the top stories of the day (before the days of cable news and social media).  My parents had subscription to both and those magazines were basically illustrated “textbooks” of current events and how I learned about recent history.  The photo journalists traveled the world to capture legendary photos from wars to entertainment to politics to sports.  From these periodicals, I obtained an interest in journalism and photography, realizing that yes, a photo can be worth a thousand words.    

     Take this iconic photograph of Bob Seger and Bruce Springsteen, taken by Tom Weschler, backstage at Pine Knob in 1978.  In looking at this photo, what I see is youth and energy.  Both of these two ‘rockers’ had busted their butts to get where they were, working small club and venues logged lots of travel time and maybe some time wondering if they would ever make it.  Neither could imagine the big success either would have or what it all would bring.  Time would tell, but neither of them had a clue at this point…

     For as long as I can remember, if there was a discussion about an interesting topic and we couldn’t come up with a solution, or we did and we weren’t sure if it was the right solution or not, my Dad would say, to sort of wrap up the discussion (of course in his Macedonian accent), “Time will tell.”)

     When people are young, unless they have run across hard circumstances or they mess up early on, they have a clean slate.  Youth is a good thing, except for the inexperience, because of the wealth of time.  Just think of it, you have your whole life ahead of you.  If you make a mistake financially, you have time to make it up.  If you choose a career path that you are unhappy with or you feel that it is not rewarding financially or personally, there may be little harm in taking a different route. Personally, you can take time to meet the right person. We see that with young adults in their twenties, with a high rate of this population waiting until their late twenties or thirties to marry and start a family.  When you are in your twenties there is no hurry.  

     We all have heard stories of musicians who stuck with it, hoping for the big break. Most successes in anything don’t happen over night. It may seem like it to the viewing audience but it just isn’t that way.  Read Daryl Hall & John Oates story. They were in their late thirties, playing clubs in Philly around Temple when they finally ‘hit it big.’ Bob Seger’s hit song, “Rock and Roll Never Forgets,” is a song about the gratitude for those fans who came to the small venues and bars to see him perform and he never forgot their loyalty.  These ‘classic rockers’ weren’t fancy guys, they sang songs of the ordinary people, doing ordinary jobs having the same issues in their life and they did.  Listen to “Turn the Page,” also by Seger. It’s about his life on the road, but it could be about anyone who has a job that requires them to travel away from family and those they love, “On the Road again here I go, turn the page…” The same could be said for the Eagles or Springsteen.  These musicians wrote most of their own music and the songs were snapshots of their lives, “Life in the Fast Lane,” “She Can’t Hide Those Lonely Eyes” on and on.  Same problems as everyone else. So maybe everyone doesn’t take “all the right pills, throws outrages parties or has heavenly bills” but if you listened to the rock music  in the seventies, or early eighties, you might be able to relate to some of the lyrics, even if you just lived in small town America. 

Think of some of the women in music and how they started, paying their dues, maybe putting of or not having a family to pursue their dream. Think of Tina Turner and Dolly Parton. Neither would guess the trajectory of their career, Dolly in Nashville in the Country Music industry and Tina, originally with her husband, Ike Turner and then crossing over to Rock. Both of these women worked hard to perfect their performances and became icons. Time proved them to be not only outstanding performers but good people, as well.

  What you learn about life, as you move along the path, is that staying in the game and staying on track may not be as easy as it seemed when you were young.  Keeping it all together is harder than you might have thought.  Keeping it all a float, the faith, the family, being a good husband/wife & father/mother, building a career, being a contributing member of the community, those are a lot of balls to keep up in the air. Everyone is sort of the same when you graduate from high school, some go on to college, trade school, the working  world right out of the gate or maybe a family business.  As people start forging their own lives and families, the stakes are higher.  A good decision here and there moves you along the road a little easier, a prosperous career choice and a good job offer can up the ante, marry the right person, who is a total team player, things may get a little easier, move you along a little further. A bad choice here or there can be made up with a few good choices. Conversely, marrying the wrong person can cause strife and unhappiness.  Maybe getting out isn’t as easy as one might think when there are kids in the picture, counseling may or may not work.

     Every generation has their share of casualties in the “Time Will Tell” category. Think Marie Antoinette, the wives of Henry VIII who were the talk of the London, until they were not, King George III (of the British Empire), Benedict Arnold who was a decorated hero in the French and Indian War and then found himself to be a traitor during the Revolutionary War.  Alexander Hamilton allowed a woman to entice him into a relationship and blackmail while his wife and children were way.  His spiral continued when he found himself in a duel with Aaron Burr that ended his life.  Although at the end of his life he made some poor choices that contributed to him demise, his wisdom and vision helped shape a new United States.

     History books are full of stories of people who are out of the gate flying high and then life happens, one indiscretion turns into another and then they slip.  Sometimes the titans of a time period are built up and then torn down by the media and sometimes, people do a pretty good job of it on their own.  As the saying goes, “Pride Cometh Before the Fall” and it really does.`

     Society can be forgiving and people can be given a second chance, especially when others see an effort towards redemption, think Tiger Woods.  It would be hard for anyone to come back from such bad choices, but to do it living a public life, seems as if it would be that much harder.  More importantly, God is forgiving and when people take the indicative to seek forgiveness and repent, moving forward can be more realistic.

A wise person will realize that set back and mistakes are part of learning and part of life. Some learn lessons easier than other and some have to learn the hard way, unfortunately.

     Later in life, there is less time to right wrongs and less time to make up for lost time.  Faux pas and bad choices later in life can taint a good, hard earned reputation and career. They can also expose discretions that had been swept under a rug, think college football coach, Joe Paterno or Harvey Weinstein.  A long successful career in the entertainment industry, only to be ruined when bad behavior over many years was exposed. A similar fate befell Bill Cosby…

     Earlier this week, I was having a conversation with one of our kids who shared a conversation he had with his brother about growing up.  One of them shared with the other how having been read to, particularly history stories as a child, had inspired a love of learning and reading about history as an adult. We all read to our children when they are young, we all know the benefits to the child and the little trick is that it benefits us too. To have a few special minutes with your child at bedtime/nap time when you have their undivided attention is a gift for the adult too.  We just don’t know what their interests will be as adults (we may think as they are growing up, “TIME WILL TELL”).  What a nice little bonus to hear that he has taken, from what was read to him as a child, to the next level as an area of interest, as an adult.  

…Bob Seger, Bruce Springsteen.  Bob finished his career in 2019 with a final “Roll Me Away” Tour.  Retired now, away from the stage and touring, Bob leaves a legacy in American music and rock and roll and most likely far surpassed what he ever could have dreamed of in-terms of success.  He had appreciated the fans who stuck with him until the end…Bruce too had a long career, probably longer than he anticipated, A Super Bowl appearance that rocked millions, he provided a wonderful life for his wife and children and amazing opportunities beyond the band.  How unfortunate that he tainted that hard earned reputation on a late career tour overseas trashing the country that made him a star, causing him to loose endorsements and credibility.  It rarely bodes well for entertainers who tip their toe into the waters of politics. Best for them to stick to what they are good at. I once heard a big name rocker say, I can’t get political, I work with millions of ‘coworkers’, pissing them off would mean less fans and success on my end.” Chicago Bulls star, Michael Jordan once said, “Both democrats and republicans wear shoes.” Hoping Bruce can make amends for his legacy and reputation. 

     As Abraham Lincoln once said, “You can fool some of the people some of the time, but you cannot fool all of the people all of them time.”  People are smart, they can spot a phoney baloney and the phoney baloneys slip up and expose themselves.  My Dad was right…”Time Does Tell.”  

Thanks Dad ❤️