The End of Innocence
One song I have really enjoyed lately is called “The End of Innocence” by Don Henley. It’s a really beautiful song. Here’s a little bit on Amazon.com. If you’d like a copy I can send you one.
What I think is so moving about the song are the words. They are sad, but when I used to listen to it, I never noticed. Maybe that’s what innocence really is sometimes, the illusion of serenity and calmness. When I was a child and even a young adult up until a few months ago, things were very rosy and very cheery. It wasn’t fake, it just wasn’t deep on my end. When I really began to see the depth of relationships, the truth behind the face of the lives of others, a lot of that cheeriness slid away.
When I listen to songs that sound so beautiful, I usually just relax and sing along. When I listen to even sad songs, I can sing right along and never listen to what I am saying. How often have all of us done that? We kiss our parents, we hug our grandparents, we laugh with our brother and sister, but what’s really going on? Plato said, “Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a harder battle.” I think that’s the truth. There is depth to the shallows that we will never know. Your parents could be going through the hardest times of their lives and you wouldn’t know. I didn’t know. An even better question though, how many people want to know?
In the song by Don Henley, the singer explores the end of innocence. He seeks refuge, he sees reflection of his youth and he tries to find that place again. He sings, “Offer up your best defense, But this is the end, This is the end of the innocence.” I think I want to know. It happens all too fast some times, it hits us hard and we have to try to stay upright. We want to lay down, we want to give in, we want to return to ease. But I think I want something else more. I want to know the truth and I want to live openly with others. That means I’m not always happy, but it also means I’m not disillusioned. It means I cry, but it means someone else can cry too. It means an end of innocence, but it means a beginning of understanding. Maybe it means adulthood, but atleast it means I can still have innocence around me as I protect it for someone else.