“I was born into a system constructed for failure… How can so few claim so many victims?… How do good men become a part of the regime? They don’t believe in resistance” – Josh Garrels song “The Resistance” on his new album “Love & War & The Sea In Between”
I’ve been listening to this album a lot lately. Josh’s voice is almost haunting at times in a melodious, dulcitone sort of way. I like it, is the point. In fact, Josh does some pretty cool stuff, like giving his latest album away for free, which you can get here. And, if you like this, you should also check out this cool project he’s working on. Ok, I’m done plugging him, but it’s his lyrics that have been hammering away at my mind lately.
In California, we have been in a financial crisis for a couple of years now. Now the entire country is lost in the debate of whether or not we should raise our federal debt ceiling. The National Basketball Association and The National Football League are both dealing with lockouts, and Derek Jeter won’t go to the All-Star game tonight for Major League Baseball. Oh, to have some of the headaches of these multi-millionaires, right?
I haven’t watched a whole lot of news, lately, but I’m sure something else is happening in Afghanistan. We still have troops in Iraq. The Kardashians and Jersey Shore are still on our television sets, a child’s murder has sent up waves of outrage, while hundreds and thousands more die each day and no one pays an iota of attention.
What’s my point? Well, I’m glad you asked.
My point is that we have it all backwards. Our priorities as a race are questionable. Our priorities as a nation, well, they’re something worse than poor.
As sad (and temporary!) as I believe it to be, the truth is that we, as Americans, set the tone for the rest of the world. At least for now. Our race for the prize of glitz, glam, six-pack abs, 15 minutes of fame, or infamy, these are the things with which we are consumed. We are hypnotized.
A few stanzas later, in the same song, Josh Garrels tells us our first step: “Lesson number one: Overcome every fear of regret and confusion; it’s all an illusion, delusion set to disconnect the holy fusion of the spirit and the flesh.”
He’s got that right!
I’m not a conspiracy theorist (ok, maybe just a little), but there is no doubt in my mind we have been lulled into a false sense of security, and now we are seeing the thin veil of that illusion being washed away by harsh realities.
How else do we explain a 7oo billion dollar bailout by a government that is in debt to the tune of over 14 trillion dollars? Try answering that question when your grandkids ask you in, oh, maybe 30 years.
Of course, we got here with all the help of us, the citizens. We bought the kool-aid. Then we drank it of our own volition.
I think there is a powerful movement towards something more meaningful as more and more humans are looking to have fulfillment in their lives and not just a paycheck, or a fancy house, or the latest gizmo. And, believe me, I know we are still doing all of that too. But I’m telling you now, that when the whole system crumbles and we get to rebuild it in a more productive, more friendly, more sustainable way, all of you are invited to the party at my place.
You know, maybe this is just where I am going on my own path right now, but I have to believe this is all part of the collective megalomania we are experiencing as a planet. Maybe if we all resisted the Ego a little more, this place would be even more awesome than it already is. And, in my humble opinion, this rock we live on is pretty bad ass.
Spiritual Satori 