In August 1969, approximately 400,000 young people gathered at Max Yasgur's dairy farm in Bethel, N.Y., for a three-day music festival.
What happened there has become a significant part of music history. Woodstock is celebrating its 50th anniversary this month.
It was billed as an event that promoted peace, love and rock and roll. Some say this gathering was a defining moment for those who were part of a counter-cultural movement.
In the late 1960s the hippie lifestyle was at its zenith and "Make love not war" seemed to capture the attitude of many young people.
This "anti-establishment" perspective involved the rejection of certain societal norms that seemed repressive. With greater personal freedom there would be more peace and love in the world.
We have seen over the past 50 years this has not been the case.
Part of the reason may be because of a narrow understanding of the nature of love. It is not simply limited to the heart; it also involves the will.
From a faith perspective, love is much more than just a feeling. It is also a decision.
St. Paul offers a beautiful explanation of Christian love. He states, "If I speak in the tongues of mortals and of angels, but do not have love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.
"If I give away all my possessions, and if I hand over my body so that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing. Love is patient; love is kind; love is not envious or boastful or arrogant or rude.
"It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice in wrongdoing, but rejoices in the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends." (1 Corinthians 13:1-8).
Paul makes a very strong statement at the beginning of this passage when he gives examples of good actions that are done without love. For him, they are meaningless. Love is the life principle that gives meaning and purpose to all of our actions. How can this be done?
As we see in the passage, when we decide to be patient, generous, kind, humble, polite, honest, forgiving and pleasant with others, we love. This is not always easy to do.
It involves commitment and this enables love to endure. In marital love this is called fidelity. It helps a husband and wife to "bear all things, believe all things, hope all things, endure all things." Feelings can come and go; however, true love does not come to an end.
For Christians, there is no greater example of love being a decision, then Jesus' death on the cross. He freely chose to die for us.
Jesus said, "This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. No one has greater love than this, to lay down one's life for one's friends." (John 15:12-13).
Sacrifice becomes the greatest way of showing love to another. True freedom is found in giving of oneself without counting the cost.
The world is a very different place than it was 50 years ago. Some would say it has not changed for the better.
From a faith perspective, I believe love is still the answer to our problems; however, it has to be rooted in a decision that influences all of our attitudes and actions.
Today, we need to choose love!
Source : St. Catharines Standard: August 23, 2019. https://www.stcatharinesstandard.ca/opinion/columnists/2019/08/23/fifty-years-after-woodstock-we-re-still-seeking-true-meaning-of-love.html