“Slaves have options: escape, rebel, die.
Cowards only have consequences. ”
Franklin from the Broadway musical “Passing Strange.”
On July 1 he found us sitting in a theater in New York City, celebrating our first wedding anniversary by going to see a Broadway musical. Now, expect great entertainment in the city that never sleeps, and we get it! However, what he was not expecting was leaving the theater, his mouth still open from some of the most profound statements he had ever heard.
The quote above? Only Dylan and Springsteen have ever written lyrics that touch such an internal chord.
Quick summary: Stew is an aspiring teenage rock star who grew up in South Central Los Angeles in the 1970s. During a marijuana-induced conversation with his youth minister, Franklin, Stew reveals his dream of moving to Europe and become a rock star. Franklin has followed in his father’s ministerial footsteps and, until his rap session in the front seat of a VW, has never confessed how much he regrets not being true to his own dreams.
Franklin encourages Stew to follow his heart. Then he painfully admits that he is trapped in a life designed by his father. It’s worse than slavery, he insists, because their entire existence is the result of fear. “Slaves have options: escape, rebel, die. But cowards, cowards only have consequences.”
Man, powerful stuff.
Is there anything worse than slavery? A quick answer is “of course not!” But think about it a step further and you may find a different answer. Fear.
Being enslaved by your own decisions, or rather by your inability to make a decision … that’s called a coward. And as Franklin so deeply pointed out: cowards have only consequences.
We all have options. Even choosing not to choose is a choice. And we know that all elections have consequences. But when we allow fear to make our decisions, it is the same as saying, “I’ll keep the leftovers that life gives me.” Sorry, that’s not good enough for me.
Making big decisions is scary, without a doubt. Anyone who has ever faced a life-changing decision knows that it can seem easier to just walk away. But don’t make a decision for what you believe, for what your heart tells you, well, that means fear makes the decision for you. And then what is left? Due.
Does this sound like you’re promoting the control craze? Maybe I am! Because, well, I AM a control freak when it comes to my life. Penalty fee. I have admitted it. I don’t want to give up opinion and influence over the only life I have. You do? Would anybody do it?
If we avoid things that are intimidating, we allow fear to choose, and that means we get the consequences of fear. No empowerment, no opportunity, no adventure, no possibility … only consequences.
Thank you Franklin, for an important reminder of one of the things that makes life a gift. Enjoy yours.
