Friday, July 4, 2008

Jack Nicholson On Freedom


From "Easy Rider"

Here, from the movie "Easy Rider", is Jack Nicholson juxtaposing the concepts of "Individual Freedom" and "Free Individuals". It's a timely thought for this July Fourth, and rings as true today as it did in 1969.
It has occured to me recently that there is somewhat of a life-experiance gap between some of us older Dojo Rats and the younger, aspiring Ratlets that may be reading. There's just a lot of crap that we have lived through that is taken for granted now. I'm talking about the tragic assassinations of the Kennedy's and Martin Luther King, the National guard shooting kids at Kent State, Watergate, Iran-Contra, and of course Vietnam.
On the other hand, the '60's were also a time of great hope and promise. There was the civil rights movement, the beginning of environmental awareness, Women's rights and the birth control pill. We saw men walk on the moon. It was definately a decade when people broke out of "the hive mentality", a huge consciousness-raising experiment that changed the face of our great Nation for the better.
I feel our country is now at another "tipping point". Our back is at the wall of endless resource war and near financial ruin.
Yet we are facing a glimmer of hope, change and great things to come. Sure; it will take a generation to get our country back on track, but there is an undeniable wave of excitement and expectation for change.
Let's get this party started...

7 comments:

John Wood said...

Thanks DR, that's definitely going to give me something to chew over this 4th.

Scott said...

Buying and selling is a form of freedom. The market place is the greatest contributor to individual freedom. It doesn't always contribute to freedom, but on balance it does so more than any other institution--and that is true world wide. Happy 4th of July.

Sean C. Ledig said...

Hey DR,

I agree with pretty much everything you said.

But I would take Jack Nicholson a little more seriously if his discussion on the nature of freedom wasn't followed up with s stoned discussion of flying saucer conspiracy theories.

Dojo Rat said...

Neh,neh,neh...SWAMP!

Proinsias said...

I think Kris Kristofferson hit the nail on the head when he sang "Freedom's just another word for nothing left to lose".

Thanks for providing one of the few martial arts related blogs I keep coming back to.

Martial Development said...

A new book you might enjoy:
http://www.prosecutionofbush.com/

Dojo Rat said...

Thanks M.D.;

I have heard Bugliosi on radio interviews, I hope he can pull it off.
I don't agree with his "Oswald was the lone gunman theory" but he has got a good angle on the Bush prosecution.
Which is also why the U.S. never signed on to the International Court for war crime trials.
D.R.