Inspired by ...

[Dharmada]

 

As we roll down into 25 years since the last show, many things have changed but some stay the same. I have some thoughts around the post by DSO today and in particular the “communities’” response to it.

 

We have gotten older. We may have lost the touch of that feeling. Of peace, kindness and selflessness. Letting go of ego into the collective consciousness in a tapestry of music and movement. 

 

We hold onto desires and material objects over the purer joys. Forgetting to uplift every cosmic soul in spite of harsher realities. Some got on the bus for enlightment or escape or some just for the party. In these trying days, I find myself reaching for something that was lost. A reminder of the beginning as we get closer to the end. It was always only about the music. But the music was about everything and everyone. 

 

Black Lives Matter

 

[Greg from Chestertown]

I am 58 years old. I was raised to be racist. My parents were wonderful people but let’s just say that interaction with blacks wasn’t encouraged. That’s how engrained into society this problem is. 
 After growing up, and moving out from our parents roof, we reraise ourselves. Some things we hang on to, some things we change. It took until not that long ago, but I consider myself successfully undone from how I was raised. This realization occurred when I realized that when I look into a mirror, I don’t see myself as white. I see myself as human. It doesn’t matter. We are all in this together. I am better than no one. 

[2muchfun]

I was born and raised in Brooklyn NY. My best friend was black.

My parents were as Greg’s systemic racist but interactions in daily life such as subway or the elevator were not filled with terror.

In their minds, the biggest issue was my education in the public school system and that meant urban flighting to Staten Island as for whatever reason in Brooklyn it was going to hell. Neither one had a drivers license so they were trapped in NYC.

I got the fuck out of there...great place to visit

[Rude]

Luckily I played basketball In high school and I was one of 4 white guys out of 25 on the team. We were a big sports powerhouse school. Everyone got along at our city school. Sports played a huge part of blacks and whites hanging out at least in social situations like that. Now we were surrounded by the country schools with no black people and they were mostly all racist at some schools. They never had a black classmate or teammate. Most of those county schools had only a small percentage to go away to college or any college. They got stuck in their echo chamber and can’t escape. Not sure what my point is. But luckily I had professional parents and a teacher mother so we had none of that in my house. But my parents are very socially liberal as children of the late 60s. 
 

black lives matter too. People don’t get the too part. That’s the whole point. They should have equal justice not more justice and the all lives matter people are twisting it as their racist counter. Yes all lives matter but black lives matter too. I’ve gotten out of trouble that no black kid would have. Black kids parents aren’t buddies with judges. They don’t get sweetheart expunged records for things many of us take for granted who are priveleged. I’m super spoiled in our society. We need to look past ourselves and how others have to live and things they are forced to endure like being questioned by cops when none on this forum would be and the lack of education from past repression and lack of job opportunities. 

[bs69]

Any change has to come from within the police forces. Officers have to be willing to root out the bad ones. You can't legislate what's in people's hearts. The vast majority of police officers are good people and so are the vast majority of protesters but a few bad apples get all the headlines. 

[Rude]

Watching New York videos it seems more like criminals are using the protestors to draw all the police away to rob and loot. Protests can be disorderly and violent. Look back to Vietnam. People are angry and the mob mentality is 100% real. I’ve been in a UK national championship mob where we cheered on burning vehicles. I was onli an observer but you felt the angst and power of having this mob. Unfortunately the police force is also a mob and they get the same anger and power emotions. Then you get President dumbass comes on the news fueling anger and shutting his ears. 

[Weather Command]

My best friend in HS was so black...my grandparents and parents were undercover, I think...to be honest, my friendship may have warmed their hearts.