Where'd All the Good People Go: The Genius of Jack Johnson

 "A good deed is never lost: he who sows courtesy reaps friendship; and he who plants kindess gathers love."  --Basil

"We must become the change we want to see."  --Mahatma Gandhi

I believe Jack Johnson offers humanity wisdom and philosophy that are much deeper than most realize. Many individuals may hear his songs on the radio and only observe a catchy tune that is worth their 3 minutes of time.

However, what if I told you that Jack offers some powerful insights that have the potential to change our world?

In this article, I will look at his song, “Good People” from his album, In Between Dreams. Let's begin with the first verse:

“You win it’s your show now

So what’s it going to be?

Because people will tune in

How many train wrecks do we need to see?

Before we lose touch

And we thought this was low

Well it’s bad, getting worse…”

In the first verse of the song, it sounds like Jack is talking about the local news, or perhaps, some negative television show. Most people will probably agree that the news we see on TV is downright negative. In fact, we are usually bombarded by it. This is powerfully described in the first verse:

"How many train wrecks do we need to see?"

When we are shown negative events over and over again, we will get to a point where we literally lose touch with reality. We begin to live in fear and our positive outlook takes a backseat. In fact, there is a strong chance that people will overlay the negative events seen on TV onto future encounters.

"They [The Media], more or less, are forcing us to live in their nightmare."  --Jay Weidner

In the chorus of “Good People,” Jack wonders where all the “good people” have gone. I believe at one level that Jack is referring to positive role models that are missing from our American culture. I also believe he is referring to the negative people that are constantly being pushed our way on TV. Let's take a look at the chorus:

“Where’d all the good people go?

I’ve been changing channels I don’t see them on the TV shows

Where’d all the good people go?

We’ve got heaps and heaps of what we sow”

It is clear that a growing number of people are tired of all the negativity that is shown on television. In fact, many are turning to alternative sources. I encourage people to do their own research. Do not take what you see on TV at face value. Check out other sources.

I believe the line “we’ve got heaps and heaps of what we sow” is extremely important. It could also be referred to as cause and effect. If you are constantly pumping negativity into the world, then there is the potential for people to plant those seeds into their reality. An example of this being used in a negative way is when the Nazis brainwashed the German people. Some may even say that we are being brainwashed.

Why not show us the positive side of humanity?

Now, let's turn our focus onto another set of phrases:

“We got this and that with a rattle a tat

Testing one, two, man whatcha gonna do

Bad news misused give me some truth

You got too much to lose”

Jack shares a very important point: “Bad news misused give me some truth.”

It is more than clear that our local news is being misused. By only showing the negative, they are actually causing more damage. In fact,they are actually creating a fear state. This is not who we are:

We are spiritual beings having a human experience.

I believe this constant negativity that is constantly shoved our way is a way of enslaving us. Instead,television should be used to empower us, not make us feel hopeless and afraid. We should not stand there like mindless robots. Each one of us has the potential to make a difference in this world.

Why not do it now?

We can use our imagination to create a new story--a new vision--that inspires and enlightens us to unimagined frontiers.

After all, we are powerful creators: Our thoughts and feelings create our reality.

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