What’s the Frequency, Kenneth? What are you Tuned Into?
by Mia Burke
What’s your frequency? What are you tuned into? Image courtesy of Firdaus Roslan on Unsplash.
What's the frequency, Kenneth?" is your Benzedrine, uh-huh
I was brain-dead, locked out, numb, not up to speed
I thought I'd pegged you an idiot's dream
Tunnel vision from the outsider's screen
”What’s the Frequency, Kenneth” by R.E.M. Monster (1994)
The hit song by R.E.M. refers to the 1986 incident where two men attacked CBS Evening News anchor Dan Rather. During the scuffle, the men kept repeating, "Kenneth, what is the frequency?" claiming television networks were beaming mind-control frequencies. As wild and conspiracy theory-esque as the incident was, it brought to mind the idea of frequencies in relation to alignment and connection. All begging the question: what are we plugged into?
Our September issue centers around the concept of identity, which is made up in large part by what we connect to. The R.E.M. song and surrounding situation caused me to consider the “frequency” I’m tuned into and its impact on what I believe, how I feel, how I see myself, and ultimately how I connect to others and God.
Connected or not? Image courtesy of Priscilla Du Preez on Unsplash.
Get Connected
Two things stand out when diving down this rabbit hole. First, we are solely made to connect- with ourselves, others, and God. Connection is written everywhere in humanity’s story (think John 10:10, 14:27, Luke 10:26 ). Consider Eden in Genesis- our sole purpose before the fall was walking in the Garden- connecting to each other, with the flora/fauna, and to God. Could it be that it’s really that simple? Everything else is just a distraction to get us out of tune without ourselves, each other, and God? What’s distracting our connection?
Stay Connected
The second is our sole task is to stay connected. Again, to ourselves, to each other, and most importantly to God. Much easier said than done. As I laid awake in the wee hours of the morning I wonder how do we do this. Jesus emphasized peace, unity, Him as the Way, and community.
Peace- keeps us connected to ourselves, each other, and God.
Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.
Unity- keeps us connected to each other and to God
I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me.
Jesus- keeps us connected to each other, God, and ourselves.
I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.
Community- keeps us connected to each other.
For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.
Keeping our eyes attuned. Image courtesy of Soroush Karimi on Unsplash.
As I tune in, I’m reminded of the Gospels and it hits me- everything Jesus said and taught is on this idea- aligning to God through him, connecting with ourselves, and with our fellow man. Is it really is that simple (love God and our neighbors as ourselves)? No wonder our identity and culture are so off- we’re incredibly fractured from ourselves, disconnected from each other, and not tuned into God.
As I meditate on this revelation (which may not be anything earth-shattering or a new revelation to you) a weight lifts- keep connected to Him, to myself, and as best I can to each other- His yoke is indeed light.
Waves and Frequency
I leave you with two stories from the Sea of Galilee: Peter walking on water and the storm.
In the first, Peter disconnects from Jesus and sinks when he walked on the waves.
In the second, Jesus in the storm is fully at peace but the disciples focus instead on the wind and waves, losing their peace, hope, and the promise of landing on the other side.
Only by staying connected did the disciples in both stories experience the miraculous.
Getting back to R.E.M. I think I now relate more to the second stanza,
I never understood the frequency, uh-huh
You wore our expectations like an armored suit, uh-huh
I'd studied your cartoons, radio, music, TV, movies, magazines
Richard said, "Withdrawal in disgust is not the same as apathy..."
So, what’s my frequency? What am I tuned into? How about you?
Resources
We’ve created a free downloadable PDF to explore the article deeper. It contains discussion questions about the topic in general terms that will give you a jumping-off point for beginning a conversation.
The second page contains a way to see the topic from a biblical perspective.
And finally, to go deeper into the subject, we have chosen a few curated resources to explore from other authors’ and thinkers’ research or perspectives.
Read. Engage. Enjoy!
WHAT DO YOU THINK?
Depending on how a gem is held, light refracts differently. At B+PC we engage in Pop Culture topics to see ideas from a new angle, to bring us to a deeper understanding. And like Pastor Shane Willard notes, we want “…Jesus to get bigger, the cross to get clearer, the Resurrection to be central…” Instead of approaching a topic from “I don’t want to be wrong,“ we strive for the alternative “I want to expand my perspective.”
So, we invite you to engage with us here. What piqued your curiosity to dig deeper? What line inspired you to action? What idea made you ask, “Hmmm?” Let’s join with our community to wrestle with our thoughts in love in the Comment Section! See you there!