“You like to drink? So do we!”
Yes, I know. I’ll inevitably catch flak for reinforcing the stereotype that I like trashy pop music. But what can I say? I do. It’s a skeleton in my closet. It’s just that I leave the closet door open for everyone to see what’s inside.
Why is it that people love to cut loose and have a good time? Why is that a majority of pop music revolves around this theme? As a fairly new 21 year old, I’ve tended to contemplate this question quite a bit more than I would have before I could legally consume alcohol. I’m struck by how college students (some of the most pressured human beings around) find great joy in going out, having a drink … or 6 and completely forgetting about everything they’ve got to do, people they’ve got to please, expectations they’ve got to exceed and classes they’ve got to pass.
Perhaps this phenomenon shows us something about ourselves. Maybe it shows us that people, in quite a profound way, need something a party has to offer. It’s wired deep in to them to need the environment that says the world is alright, don’t sweat the small stuff (and it’s all small stuff), or simply a place for someone to say, “you’re alright, get out and dance with us.” Dancing in a massive group with people you know and don’t know, loud music blaring, lights flashing and people laughing has a way of making anyone feel included. (One could comment on how the most lonely in college seems to run to the party scene for friends, for community).
Nowhere are we ever led to believe that heaven is a somber worship service. Everything Jesus says leads us to believe it’s a party. It’s not just a party where we forget problems, it’s a party where people can collectively say in complete honesty that there are no problems. The world really is alright. Maybe Jesus starts his ministry at Cana to give us a glimpse of what he’s going to bring, of what’s coming. It’s not severe asceticism. It’s not saying, “Do not touch.” It’s, “Come! Eat and Drink with Thanksgiving for Christ has died, Christ has risen and Christ will come again! Hallelujah!”
Maybe at the end of the day Chris Brown really is on to something. He may not even know it.
