Here We are Now - Entertain Us

Let's have fun today for tomorrow we die. That's the thinking of many people today. The world is so darn crazy that part of this is actually true. We do not know when we will take our last breath. But should our lives be all about fun? I'll try to answer this question in this post.

Let's rock

Some of you are old enough to remember the alternative rock band Nirvana, with Kurt Cobain as the lead singer. He joined the 27 Club on May 8, 1994 when he allegedly died of a shotgun blast to the head. It was ruled a suicide. Interestingly enough, Kurt had previously said that he had never felt suicidal but rather wanted to be away from his wife Courtney Love, a heavy user of heroin herself.

And then there was the 20 gauge shotgun that had no fingerprints. Indeed, reports by detectives following the investigation into Kurt’s death affirmed that there had been no legible fingerprints found on the gun cartridge, the shotgun, or the ink pen used to write his alleged suicide note.

Did Courtney Love murder him with the shotgun? Maybe so. After all, Eldon Hoke, aka "El Duce," the frontman of the Seattle band The Mentors, asserted that Courtney Love came to him at a record store in Hollywood and offered to pay him $50,000 to kill Cobain.

And then there's another twist: two days after giving an interview with this claim, El Duce was conveniently run over by a train in Riverside, California and killed. There were no witnesses. The death was ruled an unfortunate accident.

27 Club

The members of the 27 Club that preceded him in death included the poet, lead singer of The Doors and heroin addict, Jim Morrison; the throaty blues singer and heroin addict Janis Joplin, the incomparable guitarist and heroin addict Jimi Hendrix, the original founder and leader of The Rolling Stones, Brian Wilson, and the ever melancholy Amy Winehouse who also OD'ed. All of them also abused alcohol.

All lived each day as if they were no tomorrow and their respective tragic tomorrow's came upon them way too early. But back to Cobain.

One of his big hits was "Smells Like Teen Spirit" released on September 10, 1991 as a single. It went on to kick the band to perennial fame and fortune and was included on the Billboard #1 Nevermind disc.

Lyrics.

"Smells Like Teen Spirit":

"With the lights out, it's less dangerous
Here we are now, entertain us
I feel stupid and contagious
Here we are now, entertain us
A mulatto, an albino
A mosquito, my libido

Yeah, hey, yay

I'm worse at what I do best
And for this gift, I feel blessed
Our little group has always been
And always will until the end."

I don't know how you read and interpret this, but it sounds to me like a mixture of hope and doubt. Ever get that feeling? Notice the drift into sadness below.

"Hello, hello, hello, how low
Hello, hello, hello, how low
Hello, hello, hello, how low
Hello, hello, hello."

Strung out? Kurt was a known heavy user of heroin and alcohol, often mixing the two and lapsing into sleep. He did this when he and the band were on Saturday Night Live back in the green room. Friends and executives wanted him to go to rehab, just like Amy Winehouse. He did. But he jumped out of a window and ran away, saying he didn't have a problem nor did he feel suicidal.

Heroin is a super depressant. It's a killer. And so is alcohol. They both may be a form of entertainment in a way, but not necessarily always fun, especially when one is addicted. Strung out. The walking dead. Without hope.

"And I forget just why I taste
Oh yeah, I guess it makes me smile
I found it hard, it's hard to find
Oh well, whatever, never mind

Kurt blows his problem(s) off. That's typical of many. People who are troubled like Cobain will frequently do this. It's like hearing a noise in one's car that signals something is wrong and then turning up the stereo to make it go away.

It doesn't work.

"Hello, hello, hello, how low
Hello, hello, hello, how low
Hello, hello, hello, how low
Hello, hello, hello"

Ignoring the problem only exacerbates it, dear readers. We have to nip our problems in the bud before they become even worse. It's no fun when the rabbit's got the gun.

"With the lights out, it's less dangerous
Here we are now, entertain us
I feel stupid and contagious
Here we are now, entertain us
A mulatto, an albino
A mosquito, my libido

A denial, a denial
A denial, a denial
A denial, a denial
A denial, a denial
A denial"

Cobain was in denial until his dying breath. Many are today.

Questions to consider

What's your entertainment? Are you living for fun and entertainment today because you might die tomorrow? Lost hope? Feel suicidal? Running from your problems? Stuck in an abusive relationship? Drug or alcohol problem?

There is hope; it doesn't have to be this way. There is hope in Jesus Christ. He came to save those who were lost.

"If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved" (Romans 10:9-10, NIV).

Trust Him today.