One of my favorite pop songs is “Every Kinda People” by Robert Palmer. This tune came out in 1978, one year after our first child, Gunnar, was born. That makes it even more memorable. A few of the lyrics go like this,
“It takes every kind of people
To make what life’s about
Every kind of people
To make the world go round.”
My mom often told me that it takes all kinds of people to make the world go ’round—long before Robert Palmer ever put words to song. Andy Fraser is the songwriter here, yet not the phrase progenitor. I had to research things to see where Mom might’ve picked things up.
Spanish writer Miguel de Cervantes coined the saying in 1615, using it in his literary masterpiece, “Don Quixote,” considered the number one book of all time.
I’m not sure my mother read Miguel’s masterpiece, yet perhaps she encountered the phrase after hearing a minister use these words in a sermon. They do have some Biblical association if you read Revelation 7:9.
This verse describes a vision of an innumerable, diverse multitude from every nation, tribe, people, and language, standing before God’s throne and the Lamb. Clothed in white robes and holding palm branches, they celebrate victory and celebration.
I’m not sure Miguel de Cervantes or Robert Palmer planned for these words to be spiritual, but they are to me, as they were to Mom. I listen to the lyrics in all songs and often find them to have Christian undertones. “You Raise Me Up” by Josh Groban is a good example, along with “Crystal Blue Persuasion” by Tommy James & the Shondells.
The current world situation has got me thinking about this, as it seems nations, tribes, ethnic groups, political groups, and different religious factions are more at odds with each other than ever before, with Satan undoubtedly stirring the pot. It’s easy to take sides and forget that God expects us to love instead of hate our adversaries. I’ll admit that it’s been a little tough for me here lately.
What the future brings in this arena is also puzzling, as AI or artificial intelligence is becoming so advanced that it’s becoming hard to distinguish what’s real and what’s fake.
Phoney, well-made social media videos have good people supposedly doing bad things, and vice versa. This hocus pocus can confuse folks to the point that they begin making wrong decisions based on flawed knowledge. I’m thinking foremost of voting here.
It takes all kinds of people to make the world go ‘round doesn’t include these doctored videos or AI-propelled humanoids. If technology keeps up with the pace it has, there’ll come a day when electronic mechanised robots will be so human-like that folks will actually talk to them, or perhaps even wed. That’s a scary thought.
I’ve yet to see a group of humanoids out on the town, wearing white cowboy hats, having a good time. Thankfully, we haven’t reached that point just yet, or have we? What’s going on in rural Texas and Oklahoma isn’t always publicized!
I like to write junk... 