Seven Truths

Greetings all. Just when I think I have my readership figured out (demographics-wise anyway) the letters from punk parents and various old-schoolers slow down and the younger folks start lobbing questions at me. OK, so I was a little harsh on last week's High Schooler, but if you had seen the parts of his/her question that I edited out, well, you would have had your suspicions too. But this week I have a question from a seemingly sincere middle-schooler. Regardless of what you think of MY answer to it, I hope you'll all give the question some serious thought this week.

DEAR Ask A Punk:
Please name seven things you know are true. This is for a school project. thank you. – R

Dear R=
Sorry for the delay in responding to this question. It is funny how the shortest questions can be the most difficult to answer… but I wanted to give this the kind of attention it deserves. Before I answer your question though, I want to remind you that whatever ANYone (including me) “knows is true” is most often really just their own opinion. Real "Facts" and "Truths" are slippery things. Heck, even something as seemingyly straight-forward as physics can get awfully dicey when you start dealing with things on the sub-atomic level. I think the most important part of your report will (and should) be what YOU think is true. So here goes...

Seven Things I know are True (in random order).

ONE
Anyone who tells you they KNOW what happens to you after you die is lying to you. EVERY organized religion is a scam (built on myths) that exists for the sole purpose of perpetuating itself and it’s power over people. “Organized Religion” is a cruel con that is responsible for most of the horrors humans have unleashed on each other throughout our entire history. …but please note that “Religion” is not the same thing as “Spirituality.” Yes, there IS something bigger going on here, something beyond our understanding…but that’s the thing. It is beyond EVERYONE’S understanding… Anyone who tries to tell you that he/she/they have “The Answer” is either lying, deluded, or some combination of the two.

TWO

"I could see from a very early age that Authority was only

a system of control and it didn't have any inherent wisdom."

- Joe Strummer

If you allow it, your life will be filled from cradle to grave with people eager and happy to tell you what to do and when & how to do it. You must not let this happen. Always ask who might be benefiting from the rules you’re being urged to follow. Are they REALLY for “the good of everyone.” or are they a means for a few to control the many? Know the difference and defend yourself.

THREE
Sound/Music is a mysterious energy. It is potentially the most powerful force for positive change known to man and it can bring people together like nothing else. Henry Miller said it better than I can, quote:

“In the end I think of music as a saving grace for all humanity. As the universal language it transcends the boundaries of nationality, social strata and political ideology. Whether we are educated or uneducated, rich or poor, whether we speak the same tongue or not, we still possess the ability to communicate our feelings to one another through music. The world would be a terrible place without it, a miserable place.”

FOUR
In spite of having many reasons not to, my mom loved me to the depths of her soul. Except in rare & terrible cases, we owe a debt to the people who raised us that can never be fully paid back, so it must be paid forward. We must try, to the best of our abilities, to help other people - whether they’re actually our children or not. When someone goes down in the pit - you pick them back up… next time it might be you who needs a hand. It is that simple.

FIVE
Our biggest enemy and our harshest critic is usually ourselves. You have to understand, forgive & master yourself before you can really try to take on the world.

SIX
The past doesn’t exist except in our memories. Don’t let yourself become a prisoner of it. Time, as we humans currently perceive it, can only move forward… Yesterday is as gone as last year. Last year is as gone as 1800, and so on and so on. Look forward, always forward.

SEVEN
Monkeys are funny. The only thing equal to the power & importance of music (see #3) is laughter and good humor. Everything about this world and our place in it is preposterous. We have to laugh. We have to make other people laugh and feel better. Life is as short as it is absurd. Recognize that and you’ll be better able to handle the tragedy.

Good luck with the report.