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Keane at the House of Blues

My nephew Tony and I caught the Keane concert at the House of Blues in Orlando on saturday. Apparently this is the only happening venue in Florida because we met other Keane fans who commuted all the way from Tampa for this show; here is a shout out to the folks in Carolwood that we met.
The show had 2 opening bands which were ok. They weren't what we came for though. By the time Keane came on stage, the house was packed like sardines. The House-of-Blues is located in Disney's Pleasure Island area so the audience was quite tame. In fact, I might go as far to say that they were too tame. Keane played a short set with the familar songs: Somewhere Only we Know, This is the last time, We might as well be strangers. There were a couple of new songs which got mixed reactions from the audience. The lead singer's voice, which is the centerpiece of the band, was sometimes drowned by the level of the music. At times, he was off key too but it only happened at the beginning of the set. As time progressed into the middle of the set, he was much better. Overall, the show was enjoyable; not great, but I can't really find faults. They are a good band that has a great 1st CD and I hope will last the test of time.

Sunrise over the Ocean

My first view of the sunrise over the ocean. I suddenly realize that it has been almost a year before I notice such an obvious thing. Is it the Atlantic? No, it's just the Gulf of Mexico. It is no less spectacular as the intensity of the rising sun pours over a calm sea. The fisherman is down at the reef digging for worms to catch sheep's head. Apparently, those types of fish are very common among these parts of Florida. He digs out little twigs that stick out of the ground. He tells me that the worms build those twigs and hide in them. With some of the twigs, he is not quick enough as the worms slither away into the soggy ground when they sense movements. As I am busy learning new things, the sun quickly rises into the blue sky.

Seeking Courage

The scene is one from the movie "Gladiator". Two great armies are preparing for battle and bloody carnage is about to ensue. The commander is rallying his troops by giving them a talk to raise their courage. Most of them will die, but that is not what he will dwell on. He must raise their spirits and convince them that death is a little thing not worth being afraid of. It goes something like this:

'You are about to be written into legend. The fame you gather from today will live on forever, while all else on earth gathers dust. It is the only thing that matters in this life. Everyone dies, but fame comes only once. Your entire existence leads to this single moment. So go out there and take the fame that is rightfully yours!!!'

The scene is from "Alexander". The rallying cry from Alexander the Great before drastic battles are very similar.

'Do you want live a long life and die as someone unknown? Or do you want to live on in the memories of generations that come after? They will revere your name when they speak of you and tell great tales of the courage which you've displayed in your life.'

There is some piece of wisdom in this question which (if you are lucky) will be posed to yourself every once in a while in your life. In specific moments, you will be asked whether you are willing to risk it all. The bounty of the risk will be something very naive. It could be "the love of a good woman", "to be the single person standing for what is right", or just "to live in the memories of generations to come". If things don't go just right, your life will be forfeit. What would you do?

It is the most simple but most difficult of all questions. If you answer too quickly, you are either a fool or you cling too closely to life. There is great fear in betting your life. You have to take enough time to weigh the consequences. Allow yourself a moment to reel back from the fear that arises. (fear is your friend, it is a normal survival instinct) When the moment is past, lay the fear aside and do what you have to do.

Courage takes practice.

Just Be

You can travel the world
But you can't run away
From the person you are in your heart
You can be who you want to be
Make us believe in you
Keep all your light in the dark
If you are searching for truth
You must look in the mirror
And make sense of what you can see

Just be. Just be

They say learning to love yourself
Is the first step
That you take when you want to be real
And flying on planes to exotic locations
Won't teach how you really feel
Face up to the fact that you are who you are
And nothing can change that belief

Just be. Just be

'Cause now I know
It's not so far
To where I go
The hardest part is inside me
I need to

Just be. Just be

I was lost and I'm still lost
But I feel so much better.

DJ Tiesto featuring Kirsty Hawkshaw

Desperate

Sean Penn was asked on one episode of "Inside the Actor Studio": what is the one word that describes what he dislikes. His answer.... "desperate". For 2 years after I have seen that clip, I still remember it. And each time reminded, I agree with its sentiment.

Not many of us have ever been in a desperate situation. But those that have, would agree that it is an uncomfortable place to be. Desperate is truly a scary place to be because many times it is a tether between life-and-death. Not only are you caught between a rock-and-a-hard-place, usually the only choice facing you is a rock. Desperate situations don't disappear quickly either, they linger and numb you until all the hope is squeezed out of your being. You are hanging on the edge by bare fingernails and a slight brush of wind might tip you into oblivion.

Funny as it sounds but sometimes we don't make the hard life choices unless we are faced with a desperate situation. We don't come to grips with reality until everything we have in this world is stripped away. When the rug has been pulled from under our feet, it suddenly dawns in our brain that there is no safety net as we rapidly plunge to the ground. What we are left with in the end is a raw, untainted view of the world and of our lives. For one slight moment, we are truly real. Where we choose to go from there, is no longer tainted by "what we want the world to be".