Not That Bad
I recently watched a brief video interview of Henry Rollins. He is a multi-talented artist. He is a musician, an actor, a spoken word artist, an author, a publisher, and other things besides.
In the interview, he talks about the low-paying jobs that he worked in his youth. They involved a lot of standing around, and taking orders from people. He worked long hours and it appeared that his life would consist of one such low-paying job after another.
Rollins was a great fan of the band Black Flag and he attended a lot of their concerts. In one concert he jumped up on the stage to sing with them. The band members were impressed. Later, after a brief interview he was invited to join the band as a vocalist. At that time, he worked in an ice cream parlour. He quit his job and joined the band. Through persistence and hard work, he was able to achieve goals that were beyond his wildest dreams.
He had a policy of saying yes to every opportunity that came his way thereafter. He says:
“…and that’s when I realized you better get plan b, c, d, e, f and g otherwise you’re gonna starve to death…”
I loved the interview. Then I started reading the comments and a heavily upvoted comment caught my eye.
@cjcar63 had commented on the video, three years ago:
“I’m the other Henry Rollins. Same time frame. Same situation. No lucky break. I’m in my late fifties now. Still grinding it out at jobs that most guys quit in their late twenties, early thirties. It’s not all doom and gloom. I have a wonderful wife, a couple of great kids, and a nice little house in the burbs. I could do one of two things at this point in my life… sit around thinking about what might have been, or concentrate on making a better future for myself and those I love. That’s why I’m here watching this video. Guys like Henry and their stories are what keep me going. Knowing that they made it out gives me hope…makes me smile.”
There is nothing that I can add to that comment that will enhance its value. One pictures a man so contented with his life that he stands completely separated from the rat race. And above all, he is able to genuinely rejoice in the success of another.
As author Alain de Botton has said:
“…the very word success has become contaminated by our ideas of someone extraordinary, very rich, etc. And that’s really unhelpful, that ultimately to be properly successful is to be at peace as well.”
I hope that you and I are able to achieve such peace.
