Right now, we're experiencing phenomenon that has zero parallels outside of ancient mythology and literary works of fiction. What is happening is of such a unique nature that my calling it unprecedented is the first time that word has ever been used appropriately.
Right now, online, hell on Youtube- men, women, children, people of all ages, all walks of life, all backgrounds are apologizing to each other for forgetting each other's humanity and forgetting their own. They are experiencing a shift of consciousness away from the division we are constantly buried in and towards seeing each other for themselves and understanding that we are all the same. That the differences don’t really matter.
What I’m seeing can only be defined as enlightenment, transcendence, or divine intervention. I'm watching Atheists, Christians, Muslims, Jews, etc commenting on the same video, with the same lyrics and the same melody, each coming away with the understanding that it was a message for them, to them, that reassured them in their beliefs, but not in a way that created any conflict with the others in the public conversation.
What is the inspiration? An independent musician, guitarist, rap star, composer, poet, genius… none of these words carry the right gravitas or connotation. That’s why I put at the beginning that Messiah might be the best way to describe him, but for now I’ll say he is a British man named Ren who has a truly unique ability to speak directly to the disparate voices inside of all of us, to communicate information and undiluted emotion. To help others feel hope, even as he is suffering a life that no one would trade for their own. Yes, the parallels from mythology just keep keep piling on.
I’m in awe of him, his abilities, his suffering, and the phenomenon that he has unleashed. The craziest part is that it is already too late to stop. The next generation of artists will benefit from what he's already done, as will the the entire world.
He has given hope to millions of humans who did not have it before. Not just hope, but also energy. Energy to love their neighbors and to love the people most unlike themselves. Amazingly, I’m seeing thousands, if not millions, of people communicating with others without hate, without fear.
I’ve spent the last 6 days in that Ren Rabbithole watching video after video of musical miracles. Not just his videos, but also hundreds of “Social Media influencers” who watching his videos and coming away as almost egoless believers.
These are people who thought so much of themselves and their opinions, that they built careers upon nothing more their own ever growing egos. A self assessed expert class, producing and publishing videos of themselves watching others doing things, judging those activities, and giving their unsolicited opinions on the events (The fact that I am basically doing the exact same thing right now is not lost on me. I feel that any hypocrisy on my part in doing this is worth it if I can get you to experience this phenomenon as it is happening.) I’m watching as these influencers are at first, rendered speechless in tears. Then, upon recovering emotionally, running as if driven by acute withdrawal from an addiction to the next song.
As I said, only in ancient mythology and literary works of fiction are there parallels to what you can see with your own eyes and hear with your own ears, right now.
And of course, I’m not merely watching the phenomena, I am fully in the experience. I’ve been suffering from a recurring migraine type pain which has been growing rapidly in frequency, intensity, and duration for the last 10 years. After Doctor visits, specialist visits, after tests, ad nauseam, my doctor used a questionnaire on my history of head injuries to assume that I have CTE. Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy.
It fits the history. I’ve had two men try to kill me, not at the same time, but both with hammers and the notion that my skull would be an easy crack. I failed to duck their efforts.
Additionally, I once had a rather large man, in the 400#+ range, cannonball onto my head in about 2 feet of water with the concrete pool floor opposite his mass in regards to the motion of my skull.
Those were each significant enough to cause life changes from the cognitive damage, and I’ve had about 16 concussions on top of those 3 impacts.
So, CTE clearly fits and the symptoms are only a little less horrific than the prognosis. There is no therapeutic treatment in the works. The entire body of literature on the subject consists of the words, “Opiates, maybe? Then eventual suicide” when the pain becomes too much for someone to handle.
I am like a couple years beyond the point where most former NFL players with this malady shatter their heads open on jail cell walls just to escape the pain. It’s bad all the time and the spikes into acute agony are getting worse by the week. Hell, if I could pull off any activity other than lying perfectly still in the dark, praying and offering derivatives and options on my soul to every god I’ve ever heard of, just for the chance that the pain might calm down one more time, I’d have done the bad easter trick to my skull on a prison wall long ago.
But here’s my problem, I have kids. The pain will never make me kill myself. It is not a strength, it is a rather unfortunate fact of my existence. If it could make me do that, it would have by now.
I can’t be that example for my kids. So, I have gone all in, irrationally but zealously on risky activities that kill a high number of participants. That strategy has not proven effective either.
I’m well aware of the plot hole in my “Can’t kill myself unless it is by accident” planning commission, but hear me out… wouldn’t a heroin overdose be a way better “Don’t ever drink or do drugs” message than “Daddy put a 12 gauge in her mouth one morning and showed her brains the light of day.” I think it would be and I live and die by my rules so, you don’t actually get a vote.
Now, why am I telling you this? I’ve spent 6 days, well 7 as I finish this, watching a young British messiah perform unbelievable music and seeing the rabid rabble that generally screams for each others’ blood across Youtube comments, grow into caring, empathic adults.
Oh, and on Saturday morning, my head didn’t hurt. Well, in all honestly, it did, I just failed to notice.
I told a friend that the pain was gone that morning, but I was mistaken. It was still there, it just didn’t bother me anymore.
The unending slide into Hell that was centered in my brain, wasn’t really that oppressive or inescapable in the morning light. I was a bit taken back by the thought, but even more so by the realization that I felt no desire to reach oblivion that day. I’ve been full throttle towards perdition for a decade and before that I was pushing at least 3/4 throttle into those same halls of self destruction like I was locked onto the rails.
Beyond the hope, the overall improvements to the behavior of my species, and the improvable potential of my surviving long enough to die unintentionally while doing something completely idiotic, but also more fun than trying to die by the odds, I am also experiencing a strange sensation.
It may be calm.
I may be happy.
I’m having a hard time figuring out what it is, but I know I like the feeling.
And I think the word Messiah is the best fit for this kid Ren.
Click the image above or the link right here and prove me wrong about this. I dare you.