Back in the early 1980s, I used to hang around a used record store in Frederick Maryland called the Music Trader. I can count on one hand, and still hold a fork when counting the record stores I have found in their wake that can even be mentioned in the same sentence. I die a little inside every time I pass by where it stood on Market Street. If you grew up in Frederick, and you knew two shits about music, this is where you bought your stuff. They had *everything*. Sometimes. the entertainment wasnt in the shopping. The owner Marc, and the guy he hired to run the store when he wasnt there named Ben, would regularly get in arguments. It was like Beavis and Butthead meet Yoda and Luke with a little Pat Morita and Ralph Macchio thrown in (It should be noted that the Ralph Machhio character would be from his role in Crossroads, and not the Karate Kid). One day, Ben was protesting some mandate that Marc handed down. He then asked Ben, Are you trying to find a solution or are you trying to become part of the problem? Ben was silent. I just turned around and thumbed through the Amboy Dukes vinyl. Im hoping that the feeling that I had when I awoke from my nap today was from some kind of cosmic energy that came from the other part of the world where it has already ticked over to 2015. I woke up, and did not feel the need to utter profanity or even grunt. Not bad. The constant pain in my shoulders has calmed down to a dull roar, and my Turkey sammich I ate for lunch was delightful. I still dont know what we are doing tonight. I have been dealing with an asthma attack that has made it very hard to speak much less breathe. This past week, if you have heard a traffic report from me. it is entirely likely that you heard the 5th or 6th take. Id love to be somewhere where they celebrate it but Im not sure being out in the cold all night is a good idea. Ive never been a big fan of New Years Resolutions, and heres why. If you were serious about losing weight, quitting smoking or getting clean, youd just do it. It that worked for you, Im glad it did. However, with the series of bludgeonings I have been subjected to during 2014, I think its a good idea to map out some changes in course. Its not a directive, or a new me kind of thing. I hate those things too. Its all crap. I can boil it down to one word. Peace. Not the flowers and beads hippie ideal from the 60s, but if we can attain that, Im all for it. Its simply the rejection of the shower of shit that we get subjected to. Bad things are going to happen, I get that. I am more than aware. Peace can exist through that. Peace.. Does not come from the Government. Obama is not going to bring you peace. Neither will Bush, Cheney or any of the people hate or love Obama. The only person who is going to bring you that is, you. You can pray for wisdom, and understanding of your place in the universe, and hopefully you stop talking long enough to listen for clues, but the ONLY person who is going to make you happy, and bring you out of the funk, to a more peaceful you, is you.. Ive heard people tell me that theyve abandoned their spirituality because God didnt make them rich, good looking or a babe magnet. I say to them God is not a cosmic Santa Claus. The only person that can unscramble this egg is you.. In my case, it is me. So, what Im going to try to do here, is spell out how Im hoping to achieve this. Maybe you can chime in with a suggestion or two. Or if youre anything like my dear friend Jim, you can just say Ya Sook. A long running inside joke between him and I for well over 20 years, now taking on a life of its own between our Facebook friends.. Oh well. Enjoy it. Some people are predisposed to complaining about things that they have nothing to do with. The next time you see someone ranting on and on about something they dont like, do a little detective work as to why they are prattling on about it. A lot of people are upset about a lot of social stuff. Im not going to open those jars here. Most of the problem is that people look at problems as though their perspective is the only way to see the issue at hand. Look at the reason people are upset, if it looks strange to you, put yourself in their shoes. Im not saying to change your view, but for 5 seconds, OBJECTIVELY place yourself in their situation. Also, when encountering a fervent counterpoint, try and see how that person attaches themself to their complaint. I know a person who was furious over the possibility of a burger flipper making close to the same amount of money as him, that hed demanded a raise to protect himself from someone who he thought beneath him from gaining something. Coincidentally, in my search for peace, I have eliminated burger flippers from my ecosystem. The anger that consumes me when I pay for X and get Y is far too great for me to continue inviting it through my transom. There... Fixed it. The peace Im looking for is, the elimination of the constant influence of negativity. This is much harder than kicking a habit or forcing yourself into a new routine. This has everything to do with how you process everything in your head. My girlfriend enjoys television shows with negative energy strewn about them. Shows about Disgruntled housewives of some major metropolitan area, shows about who or who is not the baby daddy. I dont begrudge those shows to her, because she enjoys them. She doesnt seek out to be the confrontational types that adorn these shows, but for me I have to tone them out. I cant get into that vortex, before I start getting angry too. What it all boils down too.. Get angry if you see an injustice that YOU can understand or identify with that goes beyond impressing others who might carry some of your same beliefs, or who might belong to a group you wish to enlist. Be your own group. Put yourself in the shoes of the misunderstood, and try to figure out what message is coming from them. Not the people talking on the news channels, but the people directly. Eliminate the influence of negative people and things. Dont expect anyone else to bring you peace.. Especially those clowns in Washington. If all that fails, do what Marc did back at The Music Trader... Simply ask.. Are you trying to find a solution, or are you becoming part of the problem?.. Happy New Year, and the most literal wish for your peace.
Posted on: Wed, 31 Dec 2014 21:24:17 +0000
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