Some of the best songs tell a story. Jim Croce and Harry Chapin were masters of storytelling songs. Most groups have at least one or two songs that tel la story. Steely Dan’s “Deacon Blues” reminds me of the self-sabotaging people I have seen over the years. It is amazing to see someone throw away every good thing in their lives, only to end up in Nidhogg’s Den (the fate of self-made losers). That song came up tonight while I was listening to some tunes on Youtube.
Right now, I am in the fight of my life. I have not been this bad since the season before I had surgery in `14. The doctors are working on it, but the final battle is all mine. Where there is life, there is hope. When I think of those who have sabotaged themselves, I wonder how they could give up on themselves. So here I am, striving against fate, and wondering why people in much better shape just let Life trample them like a bulldozer.
I have seen my own “rat’s eye view of Hell.” Of my old crew, I am one of the last two or three standing. You name it, I’ve faced it these past 60+ years. Poverty, ill health, loss, betrayal... So what? Chances are that you had your ow nrat’s eye view of Hell. There is no giving up. Think of it as being like the papier-mache Japanese Daruma doll. Every time they roll the doll, it always ends upright. There is a lesson to it: “Fall down seven times, rise up eight.”
Makes sense to me.
One of the most pathetic creatures is a former classmate who gave up about 40 years ago. He had all kinds of friends who wanted to help. The man got knocked down by Life and chose to stay down. Every attempt to help him was rebuffed.
The last I saw him in person, he was a park bum waiting for the local tavern to open. That was around 1988. Last I heard about him was in a 2012 article on indigents. There he was, photographed beside his little shanty made of used plywood and pieces of tarpaper. He is my example of those who choose to stay down rather than rise one more time.
When Life knocks you down, rise. Strive against fate. Never give up. You will make yourself a much better fate than if you decided to stay down like a whipped puppy. Life is too precious to waste wallowing in one’s own mistakes.
When Life hits you seven times, rise up eight!
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