A trapped man

I’d like to dedicate this blog post to a person in my life. For many years I’ve known him, and yet my knowledge about him remains vague. We don’t see each other often enough to form any kind of connection, but I enjoy the way he gives a look into his mind through his art and stories. A great storyteller, that he is.

Trapped in many ways. An anarchist in this capitalist society, a high school teacher surrounded by teens who don’t long to understand, a voice who won’t be heard no matter how loud it speaks. Not only is he trapped, he’s misunderstood. When I first got to know him I did too. He seemed to be angry all the time, acted like he knew better and judged everyone who disagreed. On the other hand I started noticing how he acted when he was alone. At night he’d stay as quiet as possible while leaving to avoid bothering others, he took great care of his plants, spent hours of his days in the garden and played lovely songs on his guitar.

People change him. Suddenly those same hands he used to make flowers bloom become ways to act on violent impulses. Something during the time he grew up must’ve made him think the best way to prove a point was through being aggressive, both verbally and physically. Sadly for him people started dismissing him instead. From this point on I started to view him as a man protesting in a library. No matter how right or wrong you are, someone will come to silence you.

Unsurprisingly, he knows a lot. About politics, history, music, botanics, sea life, sociology and much more. It’s a pleasant experience to listen to him explain when he knows the person being spoken to will give thought to his words, instead of letting him talk out of fear or boredom. I assume that’s part of what he hoped for by becoming a teacher. Sharing his knowledge and showing how he views the world, but based on his own words, 90% of those kids are all stupid bastards without enough brain cells to form a basic understanding of anything. 



The last thing I want to talk about is his disappointment. As a musician looking for freedom he cares greatly about the honest expression of others through sound. The music industry has been changing. Songs are becoming more repetitive, unoriginal and lacking in meaning. In my opinion something deeper can be found in anything if you know where to look, but I definitely understand his point. In this aspect he’s stuck in the past, along with the belief that everything used to be better, and that the new generations are set up for failure. 



Now as always, if you’re still here, thank you for reading.
PS: If you made any other observations based on what I said or generally have something to say/add, feel free to do so