French Import

I met this guy on YouTube after he sent an e-mail saying, he liked some mixing I had done to some music I had posted.  I was surprised he had bothered to e-mail me, as I don’t even allow comments to be posted to these mixes.  It’s just some things I had done and I wasn’t really looking for a critique of any of it.  I was pleased that he had stated liking the mixes, as it’s music that most purists of the originals would have seen as blasphemous to have altered.

After, replying to him, I hopped over to his channel to see who he was.  I was pleased to encounter a very talented young man from France, that had somehow managed to capture much of the essence of many of his favorite musicians (that happened to be many of my own, as well) along with possessing a skill equal to them, as well.  That is saying much, as these included the likes of Joe Satriani, Steve Vai, and David Gilmour.  Yep, if you can imagine someone with the speed, dexterity, and technical prowess of Steve Morse or Eric Johnson while simultaneously having the intuitive ability of David Gilmour or Robin Trower to milk the most beautiful and powerful portions of any given chord … you would have this guy.

Jean Hancok

His name is Jean Hancok.  Where I was really impressed with his killer and unique covers of tunes from the likes of Clapton … I was today, blown away, as I opened my inbox on YouTube to discover he had sent an e-mail linking to his newest submission.  It is an original composition called La Nuit (The Night).  I needed this, today.  It is one of the best pieces of this genre I have heard in a long time.  Further, I can say that I may prefer his playing over 3 of my all-time favorites that he might be compared with – Satriani, Vai, and Johnson.  Where they are all impeccable guitar players and truly in a very small circle of excellence … I don’t think they may possess the degree of intuition that Mr. Hancok demonstrates.  There are those that may say, that’s blasphemous considering all that those musicians have contributed to the world of guitar (& truly pioneered in many respects) and the fact that they are the original “3 G” lineup; but I’ll stand by that statement.  Give young Mr. Hancok a listen and see what you think.  I’m confident you will be very pleased.

He can be found on Facebook, also where he has posted some videos and he apparently even has an album of his own completed but obtaining it may prove difficult, as I could only find it available on a French site.  The album contents are available for listening, on this site, as well.  Bon appétit.

Finding Yourself

Where have all my friends gone
They’ve all disappeared
Turned around maybe one day
You’re all that was there
Stood by on believing
Stood by on my own
Always thought I was someone
Turned out I was wrong

– From Jayhawks – “Blue”

Most of us spend our lives figuring out who we are.  Just as it’s difficult to get much of a view of your car when you’re driving it – it’s often difficult to get a clear self-perspective when you’re busy driving your life.  Like a car, we’re always moving through life adding mileage, getting dings, entering and exiting relationships, wrong turns into confusing circumstances, repairs, etc.  So whatever perspective any given moment offers … it has changed on some level, by the time we gather it.

Hopefully, we learn as we go to use other elements around us to reflect perspective.  We listen to those relationships in our lives, as they build-up and tear-down who we are.  We note reactions to our activities, replies to our comments, allies and enemies and the qualities they possess.

Through our faith in God … we try to listen.  We listen with hopes of hearing our Creator.  He knows us like no other, can.  He is a God of description.  Describing Job as “blameless and upright” … Daniel as “highly esteemed” … David as “being after His own heart”.  He can certainly give us insight and understanding about ourselves.  Listening proves difficult, however as we live in a microwave world where everything moves faster and faster.  God never changes however, in His manner of communication with us.  To know anything of God requires something increasingly rare; being still.

Psalm 46:10 (NIV) – “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.”

Above all else, this is the source of input we most need to cultivate.  Yet, it is often the area I least nurture.  I purpose to avoid being caught up in the pace of our microwave world … only to find myself swept up in its current even if I stop, altogether.  I long for the peace I can only find at the feet of God.  This focus has always been a struggle for everyone.  It isn’t a struggle any longer … it is out-&-out war.  There are a million times a million distractions asserting they are more important than this time, I need with my God.  The world is encroaching in on our most private times.  Yet, it remains.  I need to hear from God to gain any substantial understanding about myself and my world.

For a million and one reasons … I had virtually no self confidence growing up.  Like many … life was extremely hard with a sea of pain.  I always hoped, however.  I always hoped to find peace, stability, … happiness in life.  I always hoped to gain comfort and confidence, in who I was.  I always hoped to become someone, as I grew.  To define myself with traits that I held in great value.  To be honorable, trustworthy, a man of integrity; a man truly in love with his God.  What I didn’t realize is that being ‘someone’ can often mean being no one.  ‘Someone’ can be as anonymous, as anyone.  Someone can be an ideal … with no more possibilities of breathing than a statue.  I’m trying to be someone other than ‘someone’ these days.  I’m trying to be me.  Accepting all flaws and shortcomings — and falling into the mercy of God that by His grace, I might be a better ‘me’ tomorrow than I was, today.  That has become my primary aspiration.  Above all else … as I look to find myself — I must always find that I am His.

Change

Unless you live on Mars, you are by now aware of the incredible events that unfolded, yesterday.  We here in Virginia got to see firsthand, as the tide-of-change began rolling in and washing the political flotsam back out into the deep sea of “what was”.  This is a very exciting time.  We haven’t seen change like this since … well … the last election, I suppose.  But it doesn’t matter … because this is new; with new representatives carting new agendas making new promises.  Well … not terribly new, I suppose – but they are different representatives.  So … that’s pretty exciting.  I suppose.

I can imagine the changes coming in the form of the following:

1)  We will begin to hear from those taking office (no matter their political affiliation), in approximately 80 days or so how their predecessors were so inept that existing problems were far more severe than they had imagined.

2)  We will begin to hear from those taking office (no matter their party affiliation), in approximately 160 days or so how they just can’t get any cooperation from their counterparts representing the “other” political party — but they won’t give up.

3)  We will begin to hear from those taking office (no matter their party affiliation), in approximately 300 days or so how they are beginning to make real progress towards getting past the legacy of issues they inherited.

4)  We will begin to hear from those taking office (no matter their party affiliation), in approximately 20 months or so how they simply, need more time to work within the system to bring about the changes they campaigned on – and how they hope to have the support of voters, in recognizing this when election time rolls around.

When I was younger, I based my vote on the belief, in the candidate of my choice being the better person for the job.  Sometimes, I even believed a particular candidate sincerely represented good change.  As I got older, I found myself more often than not voting to prevent certain candidates from reaching office.  Lately, I found myself chewing on a line from a Rush song that states, “If you choose not to decide, you still have made a choice.”  Something else occurred yesterday, that has never occurred in my life since I was old enough to vote.  I didn’t vote.  I wrestled with this until I came to the firm conclusion, that I could not abide the idea of voting for someone based on the perception that they ‘sucked’ less than the other guy.

But isn’t it un-American not to vote?  After, all that has been sacrificed by so many, for so long to ensure and protect this right … this privilege?  On the contrary – I believe it is the very heart-&-soul of America.  Democratic election in the United States is not about simply, electing.  It is not about simply, picking someone because someone needs to be picked.  It is about democratically supporting and selecting the representative of your choice, from the field of candidates to fill the office of government.  Ideally, based on the belief that this candidate best reflects your hopes for government.  What happens when you hold no preference between those running for office because you believe them both equally qualified and capable (quit laughing).  What about when you (more likely) feel those running to be equally inept; or equally (& inappropriately) self promoting … or even equally corrupt.  What about when you have become so utterly disillusioned with the political process in America, that you cannot bring yourself to pretend it has much meaning, in any real way.  Even preparing for any election, as a voter is comical.  It is difficult for the ardent voter to gain any real understanding or insight about a given candidate even when they invest substantial time and energy seeking it.  At best, one can only hope to encounter the generic professional resume and polished political campaign refuse – which is certain to be sanitized and glamorized by their respective campaign staff or smudged and smeared by the opposition, before it greets your eyes.

Having served seven years in the Army, I’ve invested along with those that went before me, substantial time in serving our country.  I have been a solid proponent in being a good citizen, making genuine contributions to build a better country for all its citizens.  I understand the need for taxes and readily offer my share to build a better country … with better schools … roads … hospitals.  In return … the nation and government that I have supported has continued to place greater and greater burdens on me to pay for the mistakes of others by insisting that I pay yet, more taxes as this same nation and government shoves huge checks, into the hands of those that ruined whole industries.  Those now taking office look and smell to be the same plastic rodents jumping ship.  Demonstrating my gratitude and value for those that have helped to establish this right and privilege, for me; I participated in this election by making no selection.  I elected to demonstrate a virtual lack of faith in the political process we have marketed as being “of the people” for over 200 years.

Your Wildest Dreams Will Come True

The Motivation Of Innovation

I often say, “I am probably the least interested in technology, technology professional you might ever meet”.  The reasons for this are simple — use!

I readily, recognize the benefit that good technology provides in theory.  However, I also know firsthand how much of technology often gets used.  Cell phones are wonderful, in theory but mostly serve to be a nuisance in most of our lives – whether we realize this or not.   The primary motivation behind the development of most technology, has traditionally been about making lives better.  Methods of farming, cooking, … living were all improved upon over time in order that these activities would be easier and subsequently that the quality of life would be improved.  What we have seen over time however, is the exploitation of development and innovation, [itself] so that greater emphasis was given to aiming more of these efforts in specific ways of bettering many negative aspects of human activity.  So along with developing technology to send men to the moon … were efforts to develop technologies for making war, on a scale great enough to wipe out all of mankind … and the moon.

As time progresses, we see greater efforts being made to channel these innovative energies in more-&-more commercial directions – to the degree that “development” itself has all but become a commercial endeavor.  We live in an era when unbelievable resources and talents are being allocated solely, for the creation and marketing of ringtones; and consumers actually buy them.  A concept that should only exist in a Frank Zappa song.

Zappa Would Have Loved Ringtones

The cell phones that possess basic foundational usefulness are being marketed with features most of us have no need for and will very likely never even use.  Most upgrades of cell phones are made for cosmetic purposes rather than feature necessity.  Less-&-less focus seems to be being given to innovation that might genuinely improve life, for all things living … than innovation to please or even placate much of humanity.  When I was a child, it was common to hear talk of cures, in regards to goals for medical research.  Today, we virtually only hear of treatments being advanced.  It may be cynicism on my part but I can’t help but imagine that much of the reason for this shift in research focus is being driven by the fact that there is little money to be made in finding a cure – but untold billions to be made in developing treatments.  Cures are a onetime purchase … treatments, may be for life.

Since, 1966 the Jerry Lewis MDA telethon alone has raised almost 2 billion dollars towards muscular dystrophy research.  This doesn’t include all other avenues of funding, grants, donations and charitable contributions given to aid research, in this field of study.  I am unaware of any significant progress that has been made in this area, in those 44 years.  I am not implying that the money has not been used wisely … I am simply, saying a mountain of wealth has been poured into this one area alone, for decades and greater advances have been made in helping men achieve erections than finding a cure for muscular dystrophy.  So much so that, multiple competing companies have released different treatments for erectile dysfunction, at virtually the same time … where no significant muscular dystrophy advances have been announced in my lifetime.  Total funding for cancer research has to be many times that of MD and yet, the same basic state of affairs exist.  There are many different types of cancer and yet, there are still no solid medical solutions.  Only, variations of treatments that have been used for decades that still often only offer some measure of hope, at best.

Technology advances [literally] daily; frequently pushing many media devices to deliver audio and video signal with clarity beyond the ability for the human eye and ear to detect.  Product specifications are often only comparable on a chart, as we may lack the ability to detect the differences with our senses.  Yet, focus remains in these areas, for advancement because there is money to be made.  These technologies get created, updated, and “improved” even though we have little or no need (or ability to even discern without a specification sheet) for the marketed improvements. 

My cell phone has a keyboard and camera that I have no real use for.  It has the capability of playing various types of video and audio media … that I have no need for.  In fact, I have no real need for most of the features and functions of my cell phone.  But I will be notified via commercial, advertisements, and even messages sent to my cell phone by the service provider servicing my cell phone about “upgrade” possibilities for new cell phones, as they are available for purchase.

We don’t need whole industries for the creation and marketing of ringtones.  We need a cure for cancer.  We don’t need televisions that will fill my entire wall, as opposed to only half of it.  We need a cure for muscular dystrophy.  We need cures for allergies.  We need cures for AIDS/HIV and the Herpes virus.  Aspirins are great in lieu of a cure for the headache.  But we need to keep our focus on finding solutions, instead of creating band aids.  I can live with slower advances made in DVD technology.  I can live with a media player that only holds 10,000 songs.  I would wholly appreciate a greater focus on finding a cure for the common cold than finding a way to incorporate a method for remotely starting my car with my cell phone.

With that last sentence … someone just thought to themselves … “wouldn’t it be great if I could do that with my cell phone”.

Kindness Needed

As I’ve gone about the business of everyday life, I have noticed something.  I have noticed that people are tired.  Not just “didn’t get enough rest” tired.  But instead, “life is really wearing me out” tired.

I see it in their faces.  I see it in their postures.  I hear it in their voices.  At the grocery store … business meetings … intersections … passing on the street … at church — so many folks … so very many are in desperate need of kindness.  People are starving for someone to be kind to them.  To speak kindly … act kindly.  To show them love.  For kindness is love. (1 Corinthians 13:4)

And it is pervasive in society and the number is growing.  Growing and spreading.  The loads that many bear have become unbearable.  I see people running on fumes of hope; that life will offer them goodness, today.

Be that goodness today, in the lives of those around you.  Lean hard into your God and draw love from Him to give to them.  You may very well save a life by doing so – by giving them reason to believe life is worth living.

And while you’re being kind to others … remember to be kind to yourself.  You need it, too.