Heaven helps the man who fights his fear...
Uh... yeah, it's me saying I'm sorry again for not updating. *turns red* Well, I have been trying to do some productive things. Like training for the tourny. I've been doing training with Gokou, on the off chance we'll get pitted against each other. (Cause then we can go to level 4) and doing a lot more training in other ways.
But anyway, man does not live by training alone, nor woman, so today when Piper suggested we might want to go and do some serious blading in the park, I was pretty quick to agree. Especially when my brother, the world's biggest critic yelled, "YES, GO AWAY AN' STOP!" (I was practicing my violin when she came up with the idea.) And, well, to be honest, I wasn't in any real mood to practice anyway.
So, we took my bike into the city. Sure, we could have flown, but what's the point of having a bike if I don't use it? Besides, the bike is fun. Piper wasn't too sure of it in the beginning, but I think she's starting to like it. She still holds onto me tightly, but trust me, that doesn't bother me at all. Nope, not one little bit.
So, we got to the park, parked the bike and strapped on our blades. They've got some neat paths in the park for blading, that take you all through the place, and they're really well taken care of, so it's good for blading. I don't mind going to a rink, but there is something about street blading that appeals to me. It's nice with the wind blowing through your hair and seeing the scenery. Uh, I mean, with the wind blowing over your helmet, which of course I wear all the time, because my mother would be very upset if I didn't. Yeah, that's it.
So, we were blading around, (With our helmets safely on our heads, really!) and as we were gliding over to the area with the little stage, we could hear someone performing. I guess in the summer, they let local talent use the stage.
Well, one of the most basic rules in life is, "Never pass up the chance for free entertainment." And, since both Piper and I are nuts about music, we rolled on over to have ourselves a listen.
It was a local band playing, I guess they do a lot of club stuff. Older people too. Like even older than my mom! *g* Maybe even older than Vegeta! And mostly what they play is Country music. Which, isn't really my thing, although I don't hate it as much as I pretend to sometimes. But, Piper hasn't heard much Country Music, so she wanted to listen for a bit. So, rather than risk "Sad Puppydog eyes" again, I agreed.
Well, most of the stuff they played was pretty typical of Country music. Some Garth Brooks stuff, which isn't too bad for Country. But Piper turned and looked at me at one point and said, "Beej, every single song seems to be about either a broken heart, a truck, a train, or a rodeo. And in some cases, it's about all four!"
To which I laughed and said, "There's an old joke about that. What happens if you play a Country song backwards?"
"What happens?"
"You get your woman back, you get your truck back, the train doesn't crash, and your dog doesn't die."
She thought about it for a moment, then shook her head. "Beej, that's terrible!"
"Hey, I didn't make up the joke!"
But they did play one song I do know, because of my Mom and her weird love for ancient music and that's Down In The Boondocks. That's one of those songs like Jambalaya, you hear it a couple times and it just sticks in your head. And they jazzed it up a bit from the original Billy Jo Royal version, so it sounded more like Kenny Loggin's version, which is a lot better, in my opinion. So, I was kinda singing along, (softly, I don't want people to go deaf near me, you know?) and grooving a bit.
Piper was listening. When they were done, she goes, "You like this song?"
"Yeah, I do. It's catchy."
"Oh." That's all she said, "Oh." But I knew something was getting to her, but I also knew that she wasn't quite ready to share it with me. She needed to chew it over a bit, which I can respect. So, we listened some more, then skated off again.
We had a great time for a few more hours, and she didn't say anything about it, so I figured either she was putting it aside for a bit, or else decided that whatever was on her mind with the song wasn't that big a deal, so I just forgot about it.
We went home later, after eating all sorts of bad park food, like hot dogs and those big doughy things. And drinking those smoothies they sell now, the ones with all the fruit and stuff in them. Don't drink them too fast, or you get a really bad brain freeze.
Anyway, we got home and I went off to train with Gokou for a bit, because I promised him. When I got home, it was time to eat and after that, Piper went off to her room for a bit, and I helped my dad do some work on his bike. (we needed to give it a minor tune-up)
Later, as I was heading to the bathroom to wash the oil off my hands, I passed Piper's room and she was listening to the song. I kinda smiled and went to wash my hands. When I was finished, she was playing it again, so I poked my head into the room.
She had the song on her little stereo, and she was looking at her computer screen. And frowning. So, I tapped on the door. "Hey, something wrong?"
"Beej," she looked up at me, her brow furrowed, which tells me she's doing some serious thinking. "I don't get this song."
"What do you mean?" I walked in the room and sat down on the bed.
She came over and sat down next to me with her laptop. "These are the words to that song."
"Trust me, I know them by heart, but what's the problem?"
"Well, the meaning of the song is pretty clear. It's about someone who's in love with a girl who's considered socially to be his better and therefore, he's not allowed to date her openly. He can't even go to her house, because he works for her father!"
"Uh... yeah, that's pretty much it..." I said, scratching my head. "Where did you get a copy of the song?"
"It's your mother's CD." she explained. "She lent it to me. But that's not the point. I-I just... was looking things up on the net, and the song was written by someone living in the USA. And the word Boondocks, well, I found this site called Boondocks.net (http://www.boondocks.net) and this is what they say the word started from...Derived from the Tagalog word bundok, meaning mountain, "boondocks" became part of American vocabulary during the Philippine-American War. Mountainous terrain offered refuge and strategic advantages to Filipinos fighting for their country's independence, and patrolling the boondocks became a common task for the U.S. military as it sought to eliminate resistance to U.S. rule. The boondocks were a contested terrain. They were bases of resistance. In American usage the word means hinterland, back country, or a remote and underdeveloped area.
Now, from listening to the song, I get the feeling that living in a remote area makes this person not as good as everyone else."
"Uh huh...."
"Beej, I thought the United States was founded on the ideal that All men are created equal?"
"Uh huh," I had a feeling by this point, where this conversation was going, but just because I knew the general direction, didn't mean I had figured the exact location. So, I was buying time and giving her the chance to expand I admit it.
"Well... if they believe everyone is created equal, then why is the fact that this young man lives in a rural area, that's less afluent a big issue? If he and the girl love each other, why does it matter?"
"Oh boy, that's a pretty big can of worms you have just opened."
"Beej, it doesn't make sense."
"Nope, I'm afraid it doesn't. But just because a country has an ideal, doesn't mean they always follow it. While in principle, the US might have believed all men were created equal, when it came down to proving it, that wasn't always the case."
"Can we take this to the roof?"
"Sure."
So, we grabbed some cookies and headed up to the roof. It was still light out, and she brought a printout of the words. "I know you know them, I know you can sing them, but have you really read them, Beej? Do you really know what they're saying?"
Well, she had me there. Yes, I know all the words, but I never really thought about it before. To me, it was always a kinda fun song, that was catchy enough so it ran in my head for hours on end, whenever I heard it. Then it would disappear and I wouldn't think about it for months. So, I read the words.Down in the Boondocks
Down in the Boondocks
People put me down
'Cause that's the side of town I was born in
I love her
She loves me
But I don't fit in her society
Lord have mercy on the boy from
Down in the Boondocks
Ev'ry night I watch the lights from
The house up on the hill
I love a girl who lives up there
And I guess I always will
But I don't dare knock on her door
'Cause her dad is my boss man
So I have to try to be content
Just to see her whenever I can
One fine day I'll find a way to move
From this old shack
I'll hold my head up like a king
And I, never, never will look back
Until that morning I'll work and slave
And I'll save ev'ry dime
But tonight she'll have to steal away
To see me one more time
"Okay, Piper, I think I see where you're going with this, but..."
"But nothing. Beej, this person doesn't even feel he's worthy of knocking on this girl's door because of where he was born. He's a hard worker, the song talks about him slaving to save money. If someone is a good person and a hard worker, in a country which is founded on the ideal that all men are created equal, then why should he be ashamed of who he is? I mean, the whole blasted country was founded on this ideal. It's in the Declaration of Independence! And if the history I've studied is correct, the United States was founded by folks who wanted to be treated equally. They wanted a chance to show that anyone who worked hard could make something of themselves, it didn't matter what you were born to, it's what you become."
"And, as I said, that's a fine idea in theory, but when you put it into practice, it gets sticky. But Piper, you must have seen this sort of thing in action all the time when you were working for IGPOL."
"Yes, I did," she said, nodding her head. "I've been to places where certain folks were treated as slaves for being a different color, or not being born in the right place, or for having blue eyes instead of brown eyes. But the difference is that in those places, no one pretended. They never said they were founded on the idea that all folks were created equal. I'm not saying they were right, they weren't. Heaven knows I spent a good part of my time trying to free people who were being treated like dirt for nothing more than circumstances of birth. But this... it's just so... dishonest! It's like they say one thing, but mean another."
"Yeah, I know." I sighed. "But Saiyajins have that same thing too. Supreme Elite, Elite, Warrior First Class, Warrior Second Class, Warrior Third Class. "
"Yes, but as I said, they were at least honest about it. This bothers me, because it implies that... well, that something sneaky is going on. 'We say this, but we mean that.'"
"You got it." I said. "That's it exactly. Human beings are really good at saying something, but not meaning it."
"Especially, it seems, human beings on earth!"
"I haven't met too many humans who don't live on Earth to be honest, but I'll take your word for it."
"I know the song was written quite a few years ago, but why do I get the feeling this stuff still goes on over there?"
"Because you're right," I admitted. "There are people in the US who look down on others for some really dumb reasons. How they talk, how they dress, where they live. It isn't right, but it happens."
She got really quiet then. So did I, because I had no idea what to say. I mean, seeing an ideal shattered is never an easy thing. And I understood where she was coming from. Here we have a place that prides itself on the whole idea of "All Men Are Created Equal," and yet, in popular country, a simple little song that someone wrote for fun, that whole ideal is busted in a billion peices.
After a long while, she looked at me. "Do you think it's improving?"
I thought for a moment and said, "Yeah, I think it is. I think it's improving in a lot of places too, not just the USA. But since we're talking about that... well, I know it's improved. The US has passed laws forbidding discrimination against people. I mean, there are people who still don't get with the program, but they're becoming rarer and rarer. I mean, fifty years ago, in the USA, schools were segregated. And now, that's been abolished. It's not perfect, not by any means, but it's getting better."
She got quiet again, for a bit, then finally said, "I guess that's it."
"What's it?"
"I guess that's what makes human beings interesting."
"Care to elaborate?"
"Well, human beings create ideals... They come up with a concept like All Men Are Created Equal, and even if they don't fully believe it yet, they work towards it. Maybe they'll never see it in their lifetime, but maybe their children will. And that's worth fighting for. They don't give up, even if it seems hopeless."
At that I smiled. I mean, I don't give human beings much thought to be honest. Not because I'm Saiyajin, but because I was raised on this planet, and even though human beings were becoming an endangered species in my time, I still felt in a lot of ways they were my people. My mother was half human, my surrogate mother, Auntie Bulma was fully human. I just happen to physically be Saiyajin. But, in a lot of ways, I'm human. I know if I was transplanted magically to the Saiyajin homeworld the way it was in it's height, I wouldn't have lasted three days. But, Piper had a point. We, (and I'll say we because I'm human by proxy) humans suck in a lot of ways, but we do fight to improve ourselves. Sometimes it must seem like for every step forward we take two back, but we're getting there. We can believe in ideals, we can work towards them. And that's pretty neat.
"So, I guess even though we're big old dicks in the meantime, we might actually be getting somewhere?" I said.
"Yeah."
We sat on the roof for another couple of hours, talking. Eventually the conversation drifted away from ideals and onto other things. But now, as I'm sitting here writing it, I'm finding myself thinking about it again.
I'm lucky. Anyone can have someone who makes them laugh, anyone can have someone who makes them cry. And it's pretty easy to find someone to indulge in casual conversation with. But it's not easy to find someone who can really make you think. Someone who doesn't let you stagnate in your ideas in your world, but constantly forces you to see beyond your own eyes. Beyond the surface. Sometimes I take too much for granted. "That's the way it is, because it is." She never does.
Piper, if more humans were like you, that song never would have been written. And, you know, for all our struggling to reach our ideals, you're already lightyears beyond us.