The other night, the hot weather kept me awake, so I got up and played a few oldies by Peter, Paul, and Mary. I sometimes call up other sixties singers as well.

Some of us remember those days of protests and the earth days. The protesters and others of us who sympathized really thought we were going to change things. We were inaugurating a new era of racial justice and protection of the earth.

Same song, second verse. We are, it appears, really beginning to burn up the planet. Racial justice issues continue to surface, too, and we’ve also got protestors who came close to toppling our electoral system of government in the United States. Not to mention echoes of the Cold War in Europe and Asia.

I think some of the blame must go to an us/them temptation. We are the good guys, and those on the other side are the bad guys. Listen to the old protest songs: we’re coming for you, don’t stand in the school doorway, etc.

Maybe this time around we could protest a little less and talk with each other a little more. Abortion? Can we move the “mother’s-rights-vs-baby’s-rights” debate toward helping women and men not create babies they don’t want in the first place?

We also need resources to help the mentally ill tame their demons. (Perhaps we could tax the rich a bit more for the resources we need. After all, children of the rich also suffer mental illness, not to mention harmful drug use. We could at least find money for equal treatment, regardless of income level.)

How about allowing parents the time to parent?

How can we overcome the ungodly desire for money that fuels the drug trade?

Finally, we could seek to understand, even share feelings, instead of demonizing those we disagree with.