NEW IS BETTER

NEW IS BETTER

 

“East is East and west is west and ne’er the twain shall meet.” This proverb comes from the refrain of The Ballad of East and West, a poem by Rudyard Kipling (1865-1936). Unfortunately (I believe), the last 75 (especially the last 20) years of history have proved that they are indeed meeting in a multiplicity of ways. Many are not, in my opinion, for the better, especially for the East. Via television and internet, the beautiful people of the East are exposed to, and often adopting, the worst of the West.

 

However, there are some cherished values that persist.

 

The Indian auditorium is full to capacity. The program is underway. A white haired gentleman hesitantly makes his way through the entrance. There is a scurry of activity to provide him a space in a comfortable front seat.

 

Along with an older couple, a Canadian woman in her thirties recently visited various points in NE India. She relished the experience except for one thing: the women persistently requested that the more senior woman do the speaking. However, she acquiesced when it was pointed out to her that in Canada the value system is reversed.

 

Scanning the “pastors wanted” columns often reveals requirements such as “looking for a person with experience between the ages of 30 and 45”. Perhaps this value should not surprise one when we consider the high price the West is willing to pay for athletes, most in their twenties.

 

“New” is unquestionable better; “old” might be interesting, but rarely exciting. Contemporary music (especially in churches) leaves little space for the traditional. “Today” can be so with us that we may ignore the learnings of yesterday.

 

Perhaps there is no “newness” in our pursuit of the NEW. In Acts 17:21, we read an aside: “All the (first century) Athenians and the foreigners who lived there spent their time do nothing but talking about and listening to the latest.”