2016 is two-thirds of the way over, and it has been quite the year to say the least.
In a world where celebrity gossip, politics and who is next to get suspended on the Dallas Cowboys seem to be the only things making the headlines, one has to wonder what is truly happening in the world – and more specifically America.
Witnessing all the craziness of the world unfold this year has caused me to spend a lot more time self-reflecting, and to me, there is nothing that takes your mind to another place like music.
A staple within my music has always been the great Bob Marley. Of all the wonderful music he has blessed the world with, one song that always resonated with me is, “Redemption Song” – a song centered around Marcus Garvey’s 1937 speech regarding freeing yourself from mental anguish. The famous quote from Garvey, used by Marley, are “Emancipate yourself from mental slavery, none but ourselves can free our mind.”
Today, more so than ever, these words speak to me.
With every passing moment, many people around the globe seem to be losing themselves to the trials and tribulations of life. The days seem to get shorter as the list of problems seems to get longer. There doesn’t seem to be enough time to achieve any goal. To many, the reality of their life is only determined by what others tell them their worth is.
The issues that we face as a nation and globally all have the same root problem. On the surface, the obvious answer is greed and gluttony, but it goes deeper than the surface.
The truth is that individual thought has escaped many of the people today. The ability to talk to one another and reason on a topic is slowly becoming more and more rare. Groupthink has always been the biggest terrorist of the human race, and this election cycle is probably the greatest testament to that.
The internet has become one long soapbox of people trolling various social media platforms with hateful comments and displaying their willful ignorance for the world to see. Why is it an issue if this person disagrees with you? Why is it a problem that this person like this kind of music or supports whatever social movement? Most importantly, why are the fundamental beliefs of our country relegated to two archaic labels?
The amount of issues that we face from a social, an economical and a political standpoint cannot possibly be summed up by two beliefs. If someone feels a certain way about anything, they shouldn’t be put into a box with a group of people who feel the same way about that topic. Chances are, they will disagree on several other things, and that is perfectly fine.
That is the beauty of the human race.
No matter what we go through in life, no matter how rich or poor, we all have an opinion. Embrace difference. Embrace those with different beliefs than you. Force yourself to think outside the box. Free your mind.
Marcus Garvey and Bob Marley gave the world these powerful words on platforms that they reached because of their refusal to be the norm. They wanted more from this life, and they did not achieve their remarkable lives by falling in line with whatever was being preached to them. They challenged themselves, and sought out wealth in the purest form-- intellectuality.
No one but themselves freed their mind.
