The Revolution Will Not Be

Dan had this friend who majored in “Revolutionary Studies” at NYU. When we asked how he would pay his loans, he assured us that the revolution would have come by then, and the debt would be erased.  This did not, has not, so far, occurred.

At Broad Street, the minister refers to what most Christians would call the apocalypse as “the revolution,” equating a world according to Christ’s vision with what the Revolutionary Studies major would have liked to see. Maybe the revolution is what Jesus will bring back. If he does, I hope I will have time to do some shows and make some sculptures before nation rises against nation and the seas turn to blood.

So in this pre-apocalyptic world, can it really, possibly be true that all of the creative energy and genius of these people I know belongs crammed up in our desperate weekend conversations, on the plane of what we plot and will never do? All this talent and excellent intellect is housed in bodies that we rent to the companies and schools where we wear those bodies down. Can this really be what’s going to happen, and the only thing that’s going to happen? It doesn't seem well.

I work with a guy called Gio, and this is the guy who was born to thrive in my dad’s world of hard work and reward, of entrepreneurship and integrity. He’s magic with students, with customers, and with us, he turns desperate situations around. He gets in with the sun and out with the midnight cleaning crew, and when something’s not fair sometimes he yells and sometimes he cries because he wants it to be fair.  This energy gets poured into meaningless paperwork and adherence to silly slogans, alphabets of acronyms. “Excellence.” 

That’s one of many people in my circle who work, give and care till they sob to nothing very worthwhile. We do it because we don’t know any other way to work. And we do it because we need health insurance. It’s our lives and they’re going and that’s one thing, but also…there’s just all this good energy lost.

The revolution has bummed/burned me out so bad in the past. It’s the domain, truly, of the prophets and of 22 year olds. But I wouldn't mind its coming if it meant Gio’s and my and all these people’s care could go somewhere.