A man can bust his ass working in a job he tolerates simply because he gets paid well. This is completely understandable. Financial freedom is a goal I think we all have at some point in our lives. It isn't until we get older that we realize just how awkward and often wrong that mentality truly is in life. The reason I understand it is because we were all taught what it means to be successful. The foundation of that learning was and is the acquisition of money to buy nice things, to separate oneself from the crowd, to be special and/or admired. But the thing is, money is just a tool. It really only brings debt. This is its design. Debt cannot be avoided and for the average man, debt is something to crawl out from under each and every month... hopefully with enough money left over for necessities like food and medication. And if a sudden illness or accident comes into play, this will of course affect work and hours at the job. For many folks, this is enough for termination with no regard for the employee or his family. It's just business. And yet through it all, through all the people that have and those who have not, everybody ages and everybody abandons their bodies at some point and moves on... without the money and things it bought. Because in reality, time is the real winner. And time should be spent doing the kinds of things that bring one joy. What does not factor into this equation is working strictly for the money. Basically, what this does is place a number on people. People with numbers have no life. Their life is only a number and their pockets are full of numbers with faces on the front. The funny thing is, a significant percentage of people with expendable income have it because they inherited it. And what do they do? They buy stuff which all just sits there. If they don't show it all off, it just sits there... and even then it all just sits there.

We all know that too much of anything is bad for you. This is also true for media. Too much media is bad for you. The amount of political propaganda within news media in particular is stunning and should be avoided altogether. If you watch too much politicized media, your thinking will no longer be your own. Right now, in the lives of every man, woman, and child there is an enemy. It comes in the form of a flat screen and it tells people what to think, what to buy, what is on top of the charts, what is number one at the box office, and the number one movie rental of the week... along with every major tragedy that is currently happening in the country and the world. And it is all being brought to us at a cost to us. Believe me, that cost is more than just financial. Freedom does not exist under such conditions. It just doesn't.

I understand how someone would be inclined to stay busy all the time in order to avoid that dreaded alone-time. I understand how people get together for this reason and many other reasons. It seems there is nothing worse than having to exist in this world alone. But this ultimately comes down to perspective more so than how busy one can stay with their life. By that same token, it can be said that for at least one of those people who choose to stay busy to avoid that stinging loneliness and self hatred... it works. We humans can come up with all kinds of ways to make ourselves feel more comfortable with ourselves, especially if you are among those who struggle for reasons to not drive the truck off the cliff located about two miles from here. But there is always music and there will always be art of some kind. If the music and art is good and meaningful and true, then the world can be seen through the eyes of someone you may find interesting. The experience may even change your life.

There is one thing I know for sure and that is every hero I have ever had, every man and woman I have ever admired for their courage or action(s), every human being I have ever held in high regard have all been flawed individuals. There is no man who has ever walked this planet who didn't have some sort of shortcoming, so to speak. In some cases, these shortcomings involve or have involved unlawful activity... even perverse activity. Do such activities lessen the good in their deeds? Is it better not to find out that say one of your hero's was or is a child molester? In my book, a reality such as this example far outweighs any good they have done in my eyes and therefor the pages with their name on them are removed from my book of memories. But that is just the way I was raised and have come to understand as a human being. I totally understand however the effects of depression where harm is most often done to the self (and yes, it affects all those around as well). I know of more than one of my hero's who lived with depression and more than one who is currently living with his version of depression. For these guys to do the things they have done while battling forces unknown to them is truly amazing to me and both are sources of inspiration, when it comes. I suppose I should spend more time thinking along those lines, but very often those kind of lines have a way of not making it to the pavement... so straight or evenly curved.

Duane Allman & Eric Clapton 1970 - Studio Jams 1 thu 6

Age... is unimpressive!

Van Halen - 1984 - Drop Dead Legs