Imagine No Hypocrisy in Times Square

It's always striking to me when watching the Times Square revelry on New Year's Eve... we usually tune in with the kids about 10 minutes before the ball drops... as the chosen singer of the year croons 'Imagine' that the whole display is little more than an exercise in schizophrenia.

'Imagine', the hymn of a lost world trying to extract meaning from despair, represents some kind of Materialist ideal that no one in the crowd really believes, let alone the person singing it.

What's all the more striking is that aside from the song's anti-religious sentiments it is supposedly anti-possession and communist (little c) in sympathy.

Yet, it's being performed at the very heart of the world capitalist system, a city and square that serve as a veritable temple to consumer and globalist culture. Everything, even the countdown clock is a commercial of some kind. Times Square represents power, money, possessions, greed, theft and yes, even the war and conquest they generate and need in order to maintain the system and make it all work.

It is a thoroughly imperial locale and yet every year we have to hear the song written by the hypocrite/ secular-martyr and millionaire John Lennon.

Everyone in that crowd is caught up in consumerism, wearing and waving advertisements. Frank Sinatra's 'New York, New York' is about the dream of fame and fortune, the pride of being able to 'make it' in a dog-eat-dog city and yet celebrating the city for all its wonders and pleasures.

Why is it in America everything has to be turned into a patriotic event? Sinatra is followed by Ray Charles singing 'America'.

The whole thing is rather sick. It was even when Dick Clark was doing it back in the day. Maybe it's my imagination but it seemed like it had a little more class back then.

Last year we watched CNN's coverage which was so filthy and obnoxious that I vowed we would not view it again. Tonight we turned on CBSN (via our Roku) which is an awful channel that does little more than peddle garbage, fear and Establishment propaganda but I guess we'll endure it if we want to maintain the old tradition of the television generation and watch the ball drop on New Year's Eve. The kids look forward to staying up, eating finger foods and punch.

It's good for them to see what's going on. They marvel at what the world chases after and esteems. I want them to know about 'Imagine' and what Times Square really represents. I'm trying to avoid seeing a couple of sodomites making out. I'm sure that before long all television will have to be avoided, though I must say this world of streaming has created new options. The bad part is that it has allowed some limited television to creep back into our lives. Until we got high-speed internet in 2008, we had no access to television or live video at all. It's been nice but there's definitely a creep/encroachment factor. I do enjoy access to non-domestic news, documentaries and the ability to watch some movies.

We turned it off after they played 'What a Wonderful World'. I can't help it. Maybe I'm getting old but hearing Louis Armstrong is like a trip down memory lane. I wish it was a wonderful world. It is if you're a Christian with transcendent eyes and life in the Spirit.

But for This Age and the fool's who put their trust in it... 2016 may turn out to be a very dark year. We must follow Christ's imperative to be not troubled. It's both easy and difficult at the same time.

Happy New Year.

Even so, come Lord Jesus