To listen to Bob Dylan speak now, he never wanted to be the voice of the Hippie movement. He never wanted to lead a revolution. All he wanted to do was be an artist. Because of his focus on that, he has given us some of the most poignant songs to come out of American music in the last century. And although he never intended to be a revolutionary, his allegiance to the spirit of poetry has made some of those songs into timeless anthems which are as relevant today as they were when he wrote them.
Since Jaszy first started writing about her growing environmental awareness and opened up a conduit for others to share their stories at Modern Hippie Mag, both of us have seen the revolution coming around. We have seen people taking a more active part in their lives. We have witnessed a growing movement of conscious living. And we are realizing how many people are beginning to understand their connection to the world around them.
My desire to give access to clean water to those who don’t have any stems from that understanding. Water is the building block of life. In order for our lives to continue to flow the way we wish them to, we need to understand that we must share our good fortune with the less fortunate. If one of us is suffering, we are all suffering. We may not feel it in the same way. Our experience will not be the same as someone on the other side of the globe. But if we can allow them access to a wellspring of life and start that flow of abundance from the bottom of society’s ladder, that abundance will climb up. Gravity may draw water toward the lowest point, but the spirit of life that it gives always rises higher. That is what I hope to share through this endeavor.
It is not up to the government to give water to the thirsty. Historically, that has been the call given to the Church by Jesus. Unfortunately, the Church has often become a little too preoccupied with evangelism, lawsuits, and building more buildings, and many of us have stopped going. Yet regardless of our political or religious affiliations, we are all still human, and there are some of us who do not have access to this most basic of elements.
I am going to audition for America’s Got Talent this coming Sunday in Atlanta. If I should somehow win the competition, the $1 million prize will go to Charity:Water to assist in digging wells to provide access to clean water for the billion people who don’t have it. Regardless of whether or not I win, or even make the cut, I am accepting donations through my PayPal account at writetheworld@yahoo.com to make it to the audition and give the rest to Charity:Water. I humbly ask for your help and ask you to realize that the times really are changing. It is time for us to make changes as well.
I have also uploaded nine songs to YouTube which I will be releasing here at Modern Hippie Mag. Whichever one gets the most “likes” is the one I audition with. Which one is your favorite?
The songs are:
- They Times They Are a Changin’ by Bob Dylan
- You May Be Right by Billy Joel
- Losing My Religion by REM
- One by U2
- Mad World by Tears for Fears
- Raspberry Beret by Prince
- Dear Abby by John Prine
- The Rainbow Connection by Kermit the Frog
- Long Gone Lonesome Blues by Hank Williams
Steve
Steve McAllister is an actor, musician, accomplished author, filmmaker, and the man behind Your Daily Groove at Modern Hippie Mag. His most recent novel, The McAllister Code is available now as a Limited Edition Advanced Copy paperback. Find Steve on Twitter, @InkenSoul. Read his reviews and articles here.
