As I said in an earlier blog entry, Euphoria Gigs, that I never put on airs of who I “thought” I was. As Euphoria started out, we played a lot of gigs. At one of the earlier gigs, we were the second bill band. I don’t remember the other bands…sorry.
I liked being out in the crowd, because I never really saw myself as a “different” person, or “special” because I played guitar and wrote songs. If I was “special” then so was everyone else, because we are all “good” or “special” at something. However when I played, my philosophy was to give people more than their money’s worth, so that way they will come back for more…that’s probably why my knees are in such bad shape, with surgery on one of them.
As I was standing there, another young man came up and stood beside me. We said the usual greeting to each other (“What’s happening, dude”) and then he asked me what bands were playing. I named the other two and told him I was in the 2nd band. He asked me if we were any good. I basically told him that I could play like a ringing-a-bell and be a monster player, but if he didn’t like my style, it wouldn’t make a difference. So I suggested that after we were done with our performance that night that he come and tell me what his thoughts were, and that if there was anything I needed to change, I would listen to him. He said cool, and walked off to be with the friends he came with.
I got dressed in some wild clothes and went on stage. We did a great set, and the people in the crowd let us know we smoked the house down. Euphoria had some talented musicians that I was proud to say I played with. As I got off the stage, I saw the smiling face of that young man I had talked to earlier. He ranted and raved about what a great player I was and I could feel the pedestal he was trying to put me on, sliding underneath my feet. I backed off that pedestal, so I could see him eye to eye once again.
I thanked him for his wonderful comments and then asked him what he did for a living. He told me he was a carpenter working on some track homes in the city of San Leandro, CA. I looked him in the eye and told him, so you get to build things that you get to look at and see the fruits of your labor, to which he nodded yes. My response was gee, I wish I could do that. I watched his smile broaden all the more, when I shared my appreciation of him, just as he had done for me. I didn’t want to be worshipped for something that was as easy for me to do, as framing is to a carpenter, or rebuilding a motor is to a mechanic. I didn’t tell him though that my day job at the time was as a carpenter building custom homes, because my goal was to get him to appreciate who he was.
A paraphrase from Khalil Gibran’s famous book The Prophet sums up my philosophy concerning humility, which is what this is all about. This was in a section of the book called work, where someone asked about working to which Khalil replied: We have a tendency to praise the bakery for all the wonderful pastries he makes, but forget about the farmer who plants the field. We praise the maker of the clothes who puts a rainbow of color in the cloth, but forget the one who makes the common sandals for our feet. But I say unto you, the sweetness of the breeze whispers no more softly to the giant oaks than to the lesser blades of grass.
I see high-mindedness as one of the single most destructive forces in human relationships. To think one is better than others ruins opportunities to meet some really great people who could fulfill empty places in one’s life. As a Christian, I see it as one of the more destructive forces in the church. JESUS didn’t say to sanctify and set your self apart from others, but to sanctify (set apart) to be His body and Church to others. After all He told the religious order of that time, when they shared their disgust of whom He was spending His time with, that He came for the sick and not the well.
Goal number one for me is to share with everyone regardless of station, age, or anything else is that we were all created by a master creator, GOD. We are born into a greatness that GOD created us for. However Christ put it in perspective, if you want to lead, you need to serve. I’d love see everyone grow into that greatness…
