One of the songs on my playlist of late has been Neil Young's 'Angry World' from his album 'Le Noise'. It is a fitting soundtrack for this new year and is a very poignant example of Neil Young's cultural insight. (For reference, I consider Neil Young a prophet of our age, so stop reading now I guess if that's distasteful to you). My favorite part of the song, which kind of gets right to the heart of what I am trying to say here, goes like this... "some see life as hope eternal, some see life as a business plan, some wish some will go to hells inferno for screwing with their life in freedom land, it's an angry world....".
For me it's like what I often feel when a Neil Young song really hits me.... Damn,.... Neil young says in two sentences what takes me two pages to say and I still don't get to the core of things like he does. That's why he is the masterful legend and I am nobody though right? It's this same kind of bold honesty and push for righteousness and love that got Neil Young into a feud with Lynard Skynard ("Southern Man better keep your head, remember what your good book said").
I often agree with Neil Young's insights, but not just because I idolize him,.... it's the fact that what I have come to know and believe in my life, matches up a lot of time with his music. His work speaks to me on a deep level. And it says to me, 'are you righteous?, do you really believe in love?, what are you doing to show that love to someone else today?'
But I agree that it is indeed an angry world. There is a kind of palpable almost, anger in the air. Sometimes one can get caught up in reading too much into things, but after a while when you really notice a pattern I think it is wise to pay attention. Maybe it is like when you hear a new word you see that word or hear it everywhere, or with a new car that your friend gets, you see that model and color of it everywhere seemingly. It is not a stretch though, to say generally people are more angry, more frustrated than they have been in the recent past.
The economy is only now showing sputtering signs of life after almost half a decade, we have a culture which seems to respect infamy as much if not more than anything else, also a clash between those who try to push for renewable consumption, and those who refuse to believe it matters, amongst many other factors of course, have been brewing for years. Politics especially since Obama has been elected, has seen an incredible polarizing shift that has transferred over into general life. When he was elected there was this idea that progress had been made somehow. When in truth we know now it only allowed some people's hatred to be drawn out into full daylight for us all to see, I don't need to bring it up here (nor do I want to go there) to try and convince you, it is obvious for us all to witness.
In a more direct and immediate example the other day I was riding my bike down the street (on the way to the bike trail ironically, I had to pass through on a street to get there) a gentleman (insert unsavory low-brow adjective in place of 'gentleman') riding passenger-side in a white work truck yelled out in a very loud and noticably angry voice 'get off the FUCKIN street!'. I was honestly taken aback. Even if this man fervently did care about bike laws and the politics of bikers and cars and the road (highly doubtful in my opinion) what was the need for the palpable anger? I mean it was not just your run of the mill 'flip you off and laugh to your friends' kind of thing, it was like he had a deep-seeded hatred that was clawing, reaching out for any kind of vindication or fuel to make it burn. He wanted, even deeply needed, to be in conflict,.... and why? Maybe he is one of the people who is out of work and can't find a job. Maybe he hates his life, maybe he chugs Natural Light and yells at his kids and hates himself for it. He cannot possibly care that much about bikes on the road, it's not possible.
Some of you out there assuradly know what I am talking about and have also been experiencing it more the past few months. People out of the blue, almost at random picking a fight for no reason. I know I do this with my wife sometimes, but I think that is fairly normal, what I mean is that people seem to be taking less crap. Like the slightest thing can set people off. People are closer to the edge I guess is what I am trying to say, which as I stated at the beginning of this diatribe, is not even a very insightful observation, maybe it is just fact.
Anyways, I am going to try and be nice as much as I possibly can, but I have been finding myself, also not willing to take crap from people. It's like the more people dump on me, the more I subconsciously and even consciously am like 'okay the next person to pick on me is really gonna get what is coming to them'. So I am just as guilty as everyone else maybe. The best advice I have been coming back to is something I learned from the Dog Whisperer (laugh all you want but watch his show, it's a basic course in animal behavior, and guess what folks, we are animals too). Cesar is always saying 'be calm and assertive'. And it is such a basic truth.
No one respects a pushover, but people respect an asshole even less I think (pardon my French). It is the person who can communicate honestly and respectfully, who is always the best leader. So this is what I am striving for this new year, to be calm and assertive. To assert my thoughts in an honest, but reserved tone, to try and start off meetings with strangers and friends and family with as much enthusiasm as I can and try to spread good cheer and happy times while at the same time expressing myself honestly and openly.
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