Saturday, March 27, 2010
Energy Follows Thought...I think
I've had some thought-provoking experiences this past week.
Crystallizing it all and bringing it into a pattern that makes sense to me were the experiences I had last night at my gig in Livermore.
I'm a songwriter. To those unfamiliar, songwriters make their money from their words, which are fueled by their emotions, values, and experiences. Those who can make those words speak to the hearts of a large number of other people and affect them emotionally tend to make quite a bit of money. I'm not there yet, but it's something to aspire to.
My parents raised me with some values, as good parents should. One of those was a definition of the American way of life as, "I may not agree with what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it." Sadly, there is an element in American culture and politics these days that seems to have never learned that, or has chosen to repudiate it.
Without going into details, I've encountered a few individuals this week who seem to believe that "free speech" only applies if you agree with their limited views of the Universe. Not to put too fine a point on it, but that's bullshit. If you want to live in a country where only one viewpoint is acceptable and people who disagree with you can be threatened, damaged, or killed, move to China. Or Iran. Trying to intimidate people into either agreeing with you politically/religiously or shutting up is terrorism, plain and simple. If you don't believe me, look it up in a dictionary.
So with this background, I loaded up the car and headed off for Livermore for my show. I got there through rush-hour traffic, and there was a large group of very angry evangelical types "witnessing" on a street corner across from the venue. Very loud, dark looks on their faces, angry voices, and very in people's faces. And they were taking up the good parking. Needless to say, not my idea of a good time, and my initial thoughts were not friendly.
So I found a place to park a block or so away, hauled my stuff down to the coffee shop, and began setting up. I do have a few somewhat satirical songs about religion and idiots, and I began to think about working them into the show while psyching myself up to be "out there" for a couple of hours.
Two things stopped me.
First, I remembered that inconvenient First Amendment thing. If I want people to support me when I express *my* opinions, I have to be okay with them expressing *theirs*. And be willing to defend their right to do it.
Second...my show is about having fun and helping people escape from their stress, not rubbing their faces into it. If I start mocking the people across the street, then I've brought that nasty energy into my space and am propagating it to my audience. And that's not what I'm about, and none of us would have had a lot of fun. Especially not me.
So I did my regular show, out of a heartspace of wanting to have fun and share that fun with as many people there as were willing to let it in, and with the intention of making the coffee shop a bubble of positive, fun energy regardless of what happened outside.
Two things happened.
First, it was an *extremely* fun show. One group of a half-dozen folks - new friends - showed up early and stayed all the way through because they were having such a good time. A good-looking woman wearing a tiara came in to use the bathroom. I asked what that was about; she said it was her birthday. So I sang "Cabana Boy" for her, and I got a lovely hug and a kiss on the cheek (and a tip). One of the "table of six" women wanted her picture taken with me. Other people came, stayed a while, smiled and tapped their feet with the show, and then moved on. I told people about the Key West motto: we are all part of "one human family." People asked me for more original songs. It was certainly my best show at that venue, and one of my better ones in a while.
Second...remember the Jesus people across the street? About three songs into my set, a fight broke out right in the middle of them. As it turned out, it was several drunks, totally unrelated to them, who just happened to pick that particular place to fight. One guy got laid out on the sidewalk. Apparently the "people of God" packed up and left in a hurry after that, without helping either the victim or law enforcement. "By their deeds shall ye know them," and all that.
Now, getting back to that First Amendment thang, I'm glad that it wasn't the Jesus people on either end of that fight. There is more than enough urine in the well of public discourse without people getting beat up for expressing an opinion, regardless of how obnoxious it or they might be. But I'm not surprised that it happened there. Those people were generating enough negative energy to start their own quantum black hole. The drunks, already unhappy with one another, must have stumbled into that energy field and it may have put them over the edge.
I believe that energy follows thought. And it follows intention. Some people would call that "prayer." My energy and intention were to have fun and to share that fun and relaxation with other people. Ergo, the inside of the coffee shop was a fun place to be. Across the street, people were building up a major hate against "sinners," I guess, or anyone who hasn't agreed to talk with Jesus in just the way they'd want them to, and the hate popped loose into a fight, and the people spewing all the angry stuff felt a need to depart prematurely.
I got to finish my show, and people loved it.
It's a powerful lesson. I hope I remember it for a while.
Intend to have fun today. Live on "Island Standard Time," and make "Every Day a Holiday." Why not?
Crystallizing it all and bringing it into a pattern that makes sense to me were the experiences I had last night at my gig in Livermore.
I'm a songwriter. To those unfamiliar, songwriters make their money from their words, which are fueled by their emotions, values, and experiences. Those who can make those words speak to the hearts of a large number of other people and affect them emotionally tend to make quite a bit of money. I'm not there yet, but it's something to aspire to.
My parents raised me with some values, as good parents should. One of those was a definition of the American way of life as, "I may not agree with what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it." Sadly, there is an element in American culture and politics these days that seems to have never learned that, or has chosen to repudiate it.
Without going into details, I've encountered a few individuals this week who seem to believe that "free speech" only applies if you agree with their limited views of the Universe. Not to put too fine a point on it, but that's bullshit. If you want to live in a country where only one viewpoint is acceptable and people who disagree with you can be threatened, damaged, or killed, move to China. Or Iran. Trying to intimidate people into either agreeing with you politically/religiously or shutting up is terrorism, plain and simple. If you don't believe me, look it up in a dictionary.
So with this background, I loaded up the car and headed off for Livermore for my show. I got there through rush-hour traffic, and there was a large group of very angry evangelical types "witnessing" on a street corner across from the venue. Very loud, dark looks on their faces, angry voices, and very in people's faces. And they were taking up the good parking. Needless to say, not my idea of a good time, and my initial thoughts were not friendly.
So I found a place to park a block or so away, hauled my stuff down to the coffee shop, and began setting up. I do have a few somewhat satirical songs about religion and idiots, and I began to think about working them into the show while psyching myself up to be "out there" for a couple of hours.
Two things stopped me.
First, I remembered that inconvenient First Amendment thing. If I want people to support me when I express *my* opinions, I have to be okay with them expressing *theirs*. And be willing to defend their right to do it.
Second...my show is about having fun and helping people escape from their stress, not rubbing their faces into it. If I start mocking the people across the street, then I've brought that nasty energy into my space and am propagating it to my audience. And that's not what I'm about, and none of us would have had a lot of fun. Especially not me.
So I did my regular show, out of a heartspace of wanting to have fun and share that fun with as many people there as were willing to let it in, and with the intention of making the coffee shop a bubble of positive, fun energy regardless of what happened outside.
Two things happened.
First, it was an *extremely* fun show. One group of a half-dozen folks - new friends - showed up early and stayed all the way through because they were having such a good time. A good-looking woman wearing a tiara came in to use the bathroom. I asked what that was about; she said it was her birthday. So I sang "Cabana Boy" for her, and I got a lovely hug and a kiss on the cheek (and a tip). One of the "table of six" women wanted her picture taken with me. Other people came, stayed a while, smiled and tapped their feet with the show, and then moved on. I told people about the Key West motto: we are all part of "one human family." People asked me for more original songs. It was certainly my best show at that venue, and one of my better ones in a while.
Second...remember the Jesus people across the street? About three songs into my set, a fight broke out right in the middle of them. As it turned out, it was several drunks, totally unrelated to them, who just happened to pick that particular place to fight. One guy got laid out on the sidewalk. Apparently the "people of God" packed up and left in a hurry after that, without helping either the victim or law enforcement. "By their deeds shall ye know them," and all that.
Now, getting back to that First Amendment thang, I'm glad that it wasn't the Jesus people on either end of that fight. There is more than enough urine in the well of public discourse without people getting beat up for expressing an opinion, regardless of how obnoxious it or they might be. But I'm not surprised that it happened there. Those people were generating enough negative energy to start their own quantum black hole. The drunks, already unhappy with one another, must have stumbled into that energy field and it may have put them over the edge.
I believe that energy follows thought. And it follows intention. Some people would call that "prayer." My energy and intention were to have fun and to share that fun and relaxation with other people. Ergo, the inside of the coffee shop was a fun place to be. Across the street, people were building up a major hate against "sinners," I guess, or anyone who hasn't agreed to talk with Jesus in just the way they'd want them to, and the hate popped loose into a fight, and the people spewing all the angry stuff felt a need to depart prematurely.
I got to finish my show, and people loved it.
It's a powerful lesson. I hope I remember it for a while.
Intend to have fun today. Live on "Island Standard Time," and make "Every Day a Holiday." Why not?
Labels: dialogue, discussion, energy, First Amendment, fun, intention, Jesus, Livermore, music, respect, thought
