Theme from the film M*A*S*H: “Suicide is Painless, it brings on many changes…”
written by Johnny Mandel/Mike Altman and
recorded in 1970. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4gO7uemm6Yo
From the film The Bells of St Mary’s: “In the land of
beginning again…” written by Grant
Clarke/George Mayer in 1919; performed
by Bing Crosby 1946. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=52Wn8ocU1k8
Suicide is a huge burden on the surviving friends and
family, NOT at all painless as the song lyric suggests. But the “bringing on of
many changes” makes more sense is light of giving up your old life for a new
one, not physically, but in terms of radically changing things – careers,
values, friendships, focus. The Gospel
of Luke (14:25-33) and Gospel of Mark (8:34-35) allude to this sort of complete
realignment.
Leave it to Bing Crosby to phrase this more happily in song,
“The Land of Beginning Again”. This 1919 tune was an overripe chestnut when he
got around to recording it in 1946, and yet, it resonates. The land of beginning
again is indeed a place that we all need to visit sooner or later and sometimes
more than once.
Let’s be honest, if tomorrow holds no more hope that yesterday or today, if we
have seen our best days, then what’s the point of tomorrow? Will it be just another round of same old,
same old? Of oh kids these days? Of that’s
not how we used to do it?
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