Chris DeLine

There are a number of reasons why I still pay attention to Henry Rollins and what he has to say, and even more reasons why I continue to revisit his spoken word albums and videos. This mp3 is an excerpt from a DVD I was watching a few weeks ago and it essentially conveys a point that I’ve tried to keep with me throughout the few years I’ve had alive on this planet: don’t give up. It’s amazing to watch someone who might not have all the looks or the smarts or the skills do so well, and Rollins is such a person. His drive has determined who he has become and he unapologetically continues to live his life, travel the world and bust his ass.

But this conclusion really hit me when I revisited it not too long ago – it hit me when I was in the early stages of some serious depression. Not to say that Rollins’ words perked me up and took me to a better place, but they gave me a bit of hope…they still do.

It’s hard to look at artists and people on television and people in magazines as normal, but for the most part they’re pretty much just like the rest of us…and Rollins has always appealed to me because he’s a nutbar…just like the rest of us. And now I find myself sitting in my place, attempting to pass this depression by – hoping, praying that life will turn around – and this makes me smile…because it makes me remember that I’m not alone. I know that I’m not living life to its fullest, but I’m still attempting to gauge what it is that I idealistically want life to be (and what I don’t want life to be). Suppose I’m going to have to start realizing my full potential…whatever that is. You with me?

[This post was first published by Culture Bully.]