Walked almost six miles this morning! Though I join Claudette and friends in this daily ritual, my journey’s mostly done in the solitude of deep thought and contemplation.
I started walking regularly, with a daily goal of 10,000 steps, about 2 years ago. Today I made 13,931 and am feeling like a million dollars. A million dollars with the weight of the world on my shoulders, perhaps, but a million dollars nonetheless — as opposed to Jeff Bezos, whose estimated net worth is $237 billion and who clearly doesn’t give a rip about the state of the world.
When I walk, I feel good, both physically and mentally. It is, without exaggeration, good for the soul. I encourage those who have the physical capacity to get outside and start walking right away.
My “walking thoughts” today wandered through the normal spectrum of personal and political, settling on the personal (which of course also includes the political).
I began singing to myself as I walked…
“Come senators, congressmen
Please heed the call
Don’t stand in the doorway
Don’t block up the hall!”
Without a doubt, Bob Dylan played a key role in shaping my worldview.
The year was 1968. I was 14 years old, the war in Vietnam was raging, my older brother joined the Navy to avoid the draft, bombs were dropping, people were in the streets protesting – and Bob Dylan’s “The Times They Are A-Changin” rang constantly in my head.
It’s funny. I worry frequently about forgetting passwords and peoples’ names, but today I remember every single word of those lyrics. Same with “Blowin’ in the Wind”, Mr. Tambourine Man”, and perhaps the saddest song ever written, the “Ballad of Hollis Brown”.
I named my firstborn son after Bob Dylan.
Sometimes, when discussing the widespread social injustice that exists around us, I’ll talk about “the man under the bridge.”
I realize today my commitment to social justice was, to a great extent, shaped by that tragic image of Hollis Brown.
Bob Dylan’s unsettling truth-telling of the American history of war, called “With God On Our Side” was written 60 years ago.
“Oh, my name, it ain’t nothin’, my age, it means less
The country I come from is called the Midwest
I’s taught and brought up there, the laws to abide
And that the land that I live in has God on its side
Oh, the history books tell it, they tell it so well
The cavalries charged, the Indians fell
The cavalries charged, the Indians died
Oh, the country was young with God on its side
I learned to hate the Russians all through my whole life
If another war comes, it’s them we must fight
To hate them and fear them, to run and to hide
And accept it all bravely with God on my side.”
I’ll close today’s missive on a positive note (pun intended), with one of my very favorite Dylan tunes. I encourage all to listen, and to share with family and friends. From 1974, here’s “Forever Young”.
“May God bless and keep you always
May your wishes all come true
May you always do for others
And let others do for you
May you build a ladder to the stars
And climb on every rung
May you stay forever young
May you grow up to be righteous
May you grow up to be true
May you always know the truth
And see the light surrounding you
May you always be courageous
Stand upright and be strong
May you stay forever young
May your hands always be busy
May your feet always be swift
May you have a strong foundation
When the winds of changes shift
May your heart always be joyful
May your song always be sung
And may you stay forever young.”
•••
Gary Hooser served eight years in the state Senate, where he was majority leader. He also served for eight years on the Kaua‘i County Council. He presently writes on Hawai‘i Policy and Politics at www.garyhooser.blog.
Source: The Garden Island
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