Friday, January 13, 2017

Fast Food for Thought

On December 29, 2016 I saw Henry Rollins speak at the Herbst Theater. I have been a fan for many years and have had the pleasure of seeing him perform many times. His spoken word has not always been a home run for me, but this night was probably the best talk I have ever heard him give.
There was no way he was going to avoid talking about the election. Last year  he predicted in his LA Weekly column that there would be a Trump presidency. You can read it here.

http://www.laweekly.com/music/henry-rollins-bend-over-america-here-comes-president-trump-5841096

So I knew he would be talking about it. And he did. His perspective was interesting and I have been mulling it over for a few weeks now and I am still, I don't think inspired is the word, hmmm... Motivated.
A couple of things that have stuck with me.
It is time to act. When things are going "okay," people fall asleep and now is the time to get up and stand up for what you believe in.
Donate, protest, support in any way that you can.
He talked about being 55 1/2 years old and even though he is getting older he can still clear the path so the younger and faster can push on ahead to create change.
Art is important and expression in this form will be vital for dealing with the next 4 years.
Don't be passive, if you see someone being marginalized or bullied, don't just stand by and do nothing.
Stay awake and be prepared to take many, many steps in the opposite direction.
Take the rest of 2016 to relax, get your breath and be ready for action January 1, 2017.
Henry Rollins is intense and at 55 1/2 he can make fun of it. He has matured and so have I. Now I am not quite as far along as Hank, but I close enough to relate.
I am ready to take action. Here are some good websites if you need inspiration.

https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5855a354cd0f68bab2089b40/t/5867cd26be65940ffdeeac1e/1483197741124/IndivisibleGuide_2016-12-31_v1.pdf

https://proactivesteps.info/

https://www.beforeitgetsworse.com



January 21st, I will be wearing comfortable shoes to march.