I didn't' need to watch the video to tear up. Your commentary was enough to do it.
Could you imagine what the world would be like, how many less deaths there would have been, how many more people could have known their true potential if the precepts of this writing had been adhered to? I suspect we may have been to the stars by now if it had been so. REF: https://www.courageouslion.us/p/the-law-2024
And I am not a big fan of rap because most of the time I have to read the lyrics to understand what the rapper is saying. But this one has a woman singing in it too that isn't doing the "rap" thing and the words are fantastic... God We Need You Now https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qYJBxlpfgxo We've been dancing with the Devil WAY TO LONG!!!
I have said many times that the people do not cause wars, the rulers do for their own purposes. But I always get a lot of flack for that. Regardless, one of my hopes for the future is the vision that if a country adopted a Collaborative Democracy that the people of other countries would see the advantages and it would spread. Unless attacked, Collaborative Democracies would not go to war because the people wouldn't be interested. Eventually that would bring real peace to the planet. It's my opinion that this is the only realistic hope for a peaceful humanity.
Geeez, this is one of those synchronicity moments. Last night Hamburger Hill was on TV. I watched maybe 5 minutes of the end of it and thought to myself - I can't believe that I used to be pro war. What did these men die for? Some politician's greed and the never-ending war machine of the Industrial Military complex.
We can't know what we don't know. Before convid, I had no idea how powerful the machine is, but I honestly believe that our awareness of it - and every post that each of us shares that either informs or helps people achieve empowerment - will eventually take that machine down.
I’ve loved Jellyfish for 25+ years and never put together the meaning of this song. Thank you for this. And I wouldn’t say the song is anti-war any more than the film The Best Years of Our Lives was anti-war. It’s acknowledging that while some wars are worthwhile, there’s still a cost to be paid. Considering those affected by loss makes us human, and is one reason why art exists.
Your essay reminded me of the 1970s anti-war TV public service announcement, which I believe was sponsored by some libertarian organization. In the video, a group of old men walk up a hill. Two men, who turn out to be political leaders, remove their coats while the rest watch. Then the two start weakly pummeling each other. A message accompanied the scene to the effect that it would be better if all wars were fought by those who start them.
This was an almost eerily synchronous (synchronicitous???) post for me Chris. Was just writing a story and when I looked at my emails (bell) here was this song, slightly bearing resemblence anyway to the subject matter i was trying to deal with...kinda...maybe...feck...anyway, Cheers for this. Tis a beauty.
I was a naive teenager who saw the end of the draft which happened just one year before I turned 18. It was something to really celebrate because I’d been to several funerals of soldiers including my big sister’s fiancé who was killed in Vietnam. 😢 I was a little girl when was engaged to him and he gave me a stuffed bear on one of his return trips biome. I still have it; it’s one of my prized possessions. When I look at it I remember my sister wailing away for days. I tried to comfort her, and I couldn’t. Tears are welling up in my eyes thinking about the sadness caused by the destruction of war. 😭
What a vulnerable post to accompany this tender song. I've been thinking a lot about the destructive masculine vs. the constructive masculine. Women give birth and care for children but men build and tend the places that shelter and comfort them. We've been tricked, I think, into believing it's a competition between men and women. A woman wrote on my recent episode that it's up to women to end wars but you've just proven her wrong, it's up to all of us. And it's a wise thing you're saying, that the place to start isn't by opposing the wars as the end result--it's reorganizing our affairs, aka economy, to end the master-slave dynamic that makes war inevitable.
Here's my controversial post on male-female relationships, which you might see for its intent: to goad men and women to change the underlying economics that put us at odds with one another, rather than criticizing the choices women make: https://thirdparadigm.substack.com/p/the-anti-matri-male.
I have a hard time understanding the lyrics with the music. So for those who are having the same issue, here they are to follow along with:
"The Man I Used To Be" "Jellyfish"
I hope you remember me, I was your daddy once
Wearing the sailor cap, dirty nails
To you I'm just a picture on your mother's mantelpiece
Who chose to fight the good fight in time to fail
Into battle
And in your shadow your daddy loves you still
Yes I do
I never thought it'd be so hard to see you grow so fast
And turn into the man I used to be
But I hope you have more sense than I in matters such as these
Medals don't mean shit when a family is lost at sea, yeah
Into battle
And in your shadow your daddy loves you still
Yes he does, yes he does
Into battle
And in your shadow your daddy loves you still
Yes he does, yeah, yes he does
I save every moment I've reached out and almost touched you
But they all fade away, must be a bad memory
Into battle
And in your shadow your daddy loves you still
Yes he does, yes he does
Into battle
And in your shadow your daddy loves you still
Yes he does, yeah, yes he does
Yes he does
I am so FORTUNATE to have seen through the shit back when I was a young man and so I did everything I could to dissuade my four sons from joining or being involved in the military. I grew to be a young man during the Vietnam "conflict". I had a neighbor who was killed because he was drafted and ended up there. I remember his father talking to me and telling me his son's story. I came to the conclusion back THEN that we were being ruled and controlled by evil people with evil motives. And after reading GENERAL Smedly Butlers short explanation that he made in 1935, that did it for me!
(from the article) it doesn’t much matter whether the cause was just or not; the end result is still the same:”
I would say that it matters. I would say the justification of the man’s sacrifice is of enormous worth. The assumption that war is evil doesn’t include the intent of an enemy. A casual read through the pages of someone who lived it, retired lieutenant colonel Dave Grossman, who wrote On Killing, The Psychological Cost of Learning to Kill in War and Society. It may help close some of the holes in your worldview related to war.
I didn't' need to watch the video to tear up. Your commentary was enough to do it.
Could you imagine what the world would be like, how many less deaths there would have been, how many more people could have known their true potential if the precepts of this writing had been adhered to? I suspect we may have been to the stars by now if it had been so. REF: https://www.courageouslion.us/p/the-law-2024
And I am not a big fan of rap because most of the time I have to read the lyrics to understand what the rapper is saying. But this one has a woman singing in it too that isn't doing the "rap" thing and the words are fantastic... God We Need You Now https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qYJBxlpfgxo We've been dancing with the Devil WAY TO LONG!!!
I have said many times that the people do not cause wars, the rulers do for their own purposes. But I always get a lot of flack for that. Regardless, one of my hopes for the future is the vision that if a country adopted a Collaborative Democracy that the people of other countries would see the advantages and it would spread. Unless attacked, Collaborative Democracies would not go to war because the people wouldn't be interested. Eventually that would bring real peace to the planet. It's my opinion that this is the only realistic hope for a peaceful humanity.
Geeez, this is one of those synchronicity moments. Last night Hamburger Hill was on TV. I watched maybe 5 minutes of the end of it and thought to myself - I can't believe that I used to be pro war. What did these men die for? Some politician's greed and the never-ending war machine of the Industrial Military complex.
We can't know what we don't know. Before convid, I had no idea how powerful the machine is, but I honestly believe that our awareness of it - and every post that each of us shares that either informs or helps people achieve empowerment - will eventually take that machine down.
Great song and great post Christopher!
I’ve loved Jellyfish for 25+ years and never put together the meaning of this song. Thank you for this. And I wouldn’t say the song is anti-war any more than the film The Best Years of Our Lives was anti-war. It’s acknowledging that while some wars are worthwhile, there’s still a cost to be paid. Considering those affected by loss makes us human, and is one reason why art exists.
We all have other focuses and it is very likely that you had one that mimics this circumstance.
Once we begin to recognize the interconnections, it's all quite amazing!
We all 'know'... recognizing these connections and our true selves is a step in discovering our true nature and what is really important.
Thanks for sharing.
Your essay reminded me of the 1970s anti-war TV public service announcement, which I believe was sponsored by some libertarian organization. In the video, a group of old men walk up a hill. Two men, who turn out to be political leaders, remove their coats while the rest watch. Then the two start weakly pummeling each other. A message accompanied the scene to the effect that it would be better if all wars were fought by those who start them.
This was an almost eerily synchronous (synchronicitous???) post for me Chris. Was just writing a story and when I looked at my emails (bell) here was this song, slightly bearing resemblence anyway to the subject matter i was trying to deal with...kinda...maybe...feck...anyway, Cheers for this. Tis a beauty.
I was a naive teenager who saw the end of the draft which happened just one year before I turned 18. It was something to really celebrate because I’d been to several funerals of soldiers including my big sister’s fiancé who was killed in Vietnam. 😢 I was a little girl when was engaged to him and he gave me a stuffed bear on one of his return trips biome. I still have it; it’s one of my prized possessions. When I look at it I remember my sister wailing away for days. I tried to comfort her, and I couldn’t. Tears are welling up in my eyes thinking about the sadness caused by the destruction of war. 😭
What a vulnerable post to accompany this tender song. I've been thinking a lot about the destructive masculine vs. the constructive masculine. Women give birth and care for children but men build and tend the places that shelter and comfort them. We've been tricked, I think, into believing it's a competition between men and women. A woman wrote on my recent episode that it's up to women to end wars but you've just proven her wrong, it's up to all of us. And it's a wise thing you're saying, that the place to start isn't by opposing the wars as the end result--it's reorganizing our affairs, aka economy, to end the master-slave dynamic that makes war inevitable.
Here's my controversial post on male-female relationships, which you might see for its intent: to goad men and women to change the underlying economics that put us at odds with one another, rather than criticizing the choices women make: https://thirdparadigm.substack.com/p/the-anti-matri-male.
The anti war message is so important in NEEDS to be heard 3 times!!
I have a hard time understanding the lyrics with the music. So for those who are having the same issue, here they are to follow along with:
"The Man I Used To Be" "Jellyfish"
I hope you remember me, I was your daddy once
Wearing the sailor cap, dirty nails
To you I'm just a picture on your mother's mantelpiece
Who chose to fight the good fight in time to fail
Into battle
And in your shadow your daddy loves you still
Yes I do
I never thought it'd be so hard to see you grow so fast
And turn into the man I used to be
But I hope you have more sense than I in matters such as these
Medals don't mean shit when a family is lost at sea, yeah
Into battle
And in your shadow your daddy loves you still
Yes he does, yes he does
Into battle
And in your shadow your daddy loves you still
Yes he does, yeah, yes he does
I save every moment I've reached out and almost touched you
But they all fade away, must be a bad memory
Into battle
And in your shadow your daddy loves you still
Yes he does, yes he does
Into battle
And in your shadow your daddy loves you still
Yes he does, yeah, yes he does
Yes he does
I am so FORTUNATE to have seen through the shit back when I was a young man and so I did everything I could to dissuade my four sons from joining or being involved in the military. I grew to be a young man during the Vietnam "conflict". I had a neighbor who was killed because he was drafted and ended up there. I remember his father talking to me and telling me his son's story. I came to the conclusion back THEN that we were being ruled and controlled by evil people with evil motives. And after reading GENERAL Smedly Butlers short explanation that he made in 1935, that did it for me!
https://archive.org/details/WarIsARacket
Right on Target.
(from the article) it doesn’t much matter whether the cause was just or not; the end result is still the same:”
I would say that it matters. I would say the justification of the man’s sacrifice is of enormous worth. The assumption that war is evil doesn’t include the intent of an enemy. A casual read through the pages of someone who lived it, retired lieutenant colonel Dave Grossman, who wrote On Killing, The Psychological Cost of Learning to Kill in War and Society. It may help close some of the holes in your worldview related to war.