Underneath

Obviously, I'm a big fan of song lyrics. While I love the music behind the lyrics as well, it's generally the words to a song that draw me in above all else. I'm sharing the following lyrics, "Underneath" by Alanis Morissette, because I haven't heard this true of a song in a long time. In my opinion, the message is extremely powerful, and it's a good reminder for us all. I believe that the home is both the greatest strength and the greatest weakness our world deals with today. I believe in family. And I believe that in order to impact the people around me.. in order to "change the world," I have to change myself first. We all do. It's funny how so many people are against the war, yet pick fights with their spouses on a daily basis.. how we can have such strong, broad opinions about each other, other people, other countries.. and yet 50% of marriages fail.. there are kids on the street because they didn't have parents who stepped up to the plate.. families are divided over petty issues that most likely won't even matter in the long run. And yet so many of us run around telling other people what should and should not be done or said.. not even realizing that everything that is wrong in this world starts with us. It starts with the home. Check the song out if you haven't heard it already.. it's a good one, for sure:

Look at us break our bonds in this kitchen
Look at us rallying all our defenses
Look at us waging war in our bedroom
Look at us jumping ship in our dialogue

There is no difference in what we're doing in here
That doesn't show up as bigger symptoms out there
So why spend all our time in dressing our bandages
When we've the ultimate key to the cause right here, our underneath

Look at us form our cliques inside our sandbox
Look at us micro kids with both our hearts blocked
Look at us turn away from all the rough spots
Look at dictatorship on my own block

There is no difference in what we're doing in here
That doesn't show up as bigger symptoms out there
So why spend all our time in dressing our bandages
When we've the ultimate key to the cause right here, our underneath

How I've spun my wheels with carts before my horse
When shine on the outside springs from the root
Spotlight on these seeds of simpler reasons
This core, born into form, starts in our living room

There is no difference in what we're doing in here
That doesn't show up as bigger symptoms our there
So why spend all our time in dressing our bandages
When we've the ultimate key to the cause right here, our underneath