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10/17/2016, 6:59 AM
Life isn't allowing me to breathe
Oh how I wish I could be free of all the hassles that cage me.
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10/19/2016, 3:24 PM
Yeah, I'm with Dan on this one! Problems were meant to be handled (pun intended). Hassles are only annoyances that irritate but do not terminate. I was in Washington DC last week and I spent a lot of time educating myself about the history of this country. One fascinating man was Frederic Douglas. He was born a slave and eventually gained his freedom. He became a statesman for the abolitionist cause. He was self educated and became a dear friend and confidant to president Lincoln. I saw various letters between them that showed how fragile Frederic's freedom was. He was constantly under siege by those who wanted to bring him captive back into slavery. One thing that I discovered that I did not know was the fact that Frederic married a White woman. She was a women's suffragette who was disowned and disinherited by her parents when she married Frederic Douglas. So, why am I telling you this? It is because we learn to persevere by studying the perseverance of others. In spite of all of his challenges, Frederic became known as one of the greatest champions of freedom the nation has ever known. His struggle shows that if you truly believe you can do something, you can do it. Even a former slave can become a statesman for his country and carry the torch of freedom to the masses throughout the world. When I think of people like Frederic I realize that my struggle is not so bad and my plight is not so pitiful. Walking through the Douglas house, I could almost feel his unyielding spirit calling to me. It inspires me to keep reaching towards my goals and to never give up my fight for righteousness and sincerity in my art form. I also realized that freedom is more a state of mind than anything else. Frederic believed he was free long before he had any paperwork to prove it. If you want to be free you must first believe you are free. Free thought is the beginning of freedom. No one can take that away from you. As I visited Lincolns memorial, The World War 2 memorial, FDR Memorial, The Vietnam Memorial, The new African American History Museum and George Washington's estate on Mount Vernon, I saw so many examples of people overcoming the odds and achieving what others considered to be impossible. One theme that remained present on all of them was the struggle by people to be free. Free to think, work, play or just exist in whatever capacity they desire. This is the ultimate goal of most humans. I worked my ass off all my life so one day I could sit around and work only on music for the rest of my life. I am now free to be who I truly am. Maya Angelou wrote a poem called "I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings" that went as follows: I know why the caged bird sings - Poem by Maya Angelou A free bird leaps on the back Of the wind and floats downstream Till the current ends and dips his wing In the orange suns rays And dares to claim the sky. But a BIRD that stalks down his narrow cage Can seldom see through his bars of rage His wings are clipped and his feet are tied So he opens his throat to sing. The caged bird sings with a fearful trill Of things unknown but longed for still And his tune is heard on the distant hill for The caged bird sings of freedom. The free bird thinks of another breeze And the trade winds soft through The sighing trees And the fat worms waiting on a dawn-bright Lawn and he names the sky his own. But a caged BIRD stands on the grave of dreams His shadow shouts on a nightmare scream His wings are clipped and his feet are tied So he opens his throat to sing. The caged bird sings with A fearful trill of things unknown But longed for still and his Tune is heard on the distant hill For the caged bird sings of freedom. In this poem, I believe the example is set for us to believe that freedom is truly possible. The caged bird represents a freedom that goes beyond physical bondage but touches on the idea that faith is the evidence of things hoped for. The caged bird sores throughout the land in his mind and knows that true freedom is possible. But for now, he just sings of the freedom he longs to have. Maya wrote many poems like this but this one is one of her most famous. It became the hope of an entire people. Freedom is a worthy pursuit by any means necessary we must seek it and achieve it. I hope these few words from me were an inspiration to you. Much Respect, Stoneman
