‘ARE you going to rescue me tonight?” The Alarm’s frontman Mike Peters shouted to a raucous audience, as the band played the opening rift of their then new song “Rescue Me” back in 1988.
The song has become some sort of an anthem since the Welsh-based band started playing it live some 28 years ago and despite the now changed lineup of the band, Peters still preaches the same message during the middle of the song.
“I would like to become one of you tonight.
“You know, with everything we have ever done, it has always been to try to bring us as close as is humanly possible with the people who come and see The Alarm.
“Because I have always believed in what they say here in America that music should be by the people, for the people and of the people.
“You see, when I turn on the radio this 1988, I just do not feel like turning up the music anymore. It just reminds me of something Woody Guthrie once said in 1945.
“I hate a song that makes you feel like you are no good. I hate a song that makes you feel like you are born to lose, makes you feel like you are bound to lose, makes you feel like you are nobody and you are no good to nobody.
“You are too thin. You are too fat. You are too old. You are too young. You are too this. You are too that.
“I am out to fight those songs with every ounce of breath in my body. Because I have always believed that the future of rock ‘n’ roll is going to come from the people. And the people tonight are the future of rock ‘n’ roll.
“Let me hear the future of rock ‘n’ roll singing now.”
The song is part of the band’s six-track Electric Folklore Live EP. I bought the album in its cassette format back in October 1989 for P75. Listening to the album the first time brought me chills. It inspired me. It brought my spirits up. It made me see life in a more positive perspective.
Today, whenever I listen to album during some weekends, it still brings me so much positivity.
Now, compare that to what Irish Mike Grogan, a lean management expert and motivational speaker is saying in his book The Rise of the Pinoy, which was published here in the Philippines two months ago.
“You have been lied to. You have been abused. You have been exploited. You have been told that you are not good enough. You have been told that, because of your past, you do not deserve a good future. You have been told that you are too small, too fat, or too weak to make it on this team. You have been told that you are not beautiful enough, that you are too brown and that you will not be a beauty queen. You are told that you are too stupid to get a job, too dumb to be promoted.
“You have been told that, because of your family background, you will never make it big and you will never amount to anything. You have been told that, because of the mistakes of your past, you will never have the abundant future you dream of. You have been told, because of your sexual preferences, that you are not normal and are a freak. You have been told, because of your choice of religion, that you are not welcome here, that you are an outcast. You have been told that if you were born poor, you will die poor.
“You have been told that, because you do not go to the so-called best school, you will never reach the top of your profession. You have been told that you do not deserve the same level of service and respect that a foreigner commands. You have been told that, because you do not have a bank account or a debit card, you are not a respected member of society. You have been told that success is only for the few and that happiness is only for the lucky. You have been told that you are not worthy of great things. Worst of all, you have been told that you are powerless to change anything.
“I am here to tell you that these things you have been told are lies. They are not true. Never ever let someone else’s opinion of you define who you are. Never ever let someone else’s limited beliefs define how you think. Never ever let someone else’s flawed assumptions define your reality. Whether that person is a celebrity, a boss, a best friend, a parent, a teacher, or a sibling, those negative words were not meant for you. That is not who you are. That is not part of your reality.”
Do you see the similarities in the message between what Peters and Grogan have been saying? Despite the 28-year gap, they are still talking about the cruel injustice in our world. Yes, they are still very much present. But, you know what? We can rise above them all.
I caught up with Grogan and British Tom Graham, who, like Grogan, has published his own book here in the country titled The Genius of the Poor, during their talk for the staff and management of Meralco Industrial Engineering Services Corp. office in Ortigas.
The two of them have been going on a whirlwind tour of companies, associations and schools over the last two months, as they try to inspire and motivate Filipinos to become the best versions of themselves.
Already, they have done 37 speaking engagements in less than two months. They are looking to do 200 of them before the year ends. And get this, they are doing all of it without the backing of any corporate sponsors. They are spending their own money to spread the message that we have been shackled for so long by what two of them have termed as our “false limiting beliefs.”
The two of them told me how Filipinos they have met have been so generous and welcoming. They said Filipinos have given them so much inspiration that they want to give back and help our country move forward in their own capacity.
Here is the thing. Both Grogan and Graham chose to give up their high-paying jobs and flourishing careers abroad to stay in our country long term and be deeply involved in socio-civic activities that impact the lives of our less fortunate countrymen.
The two of them are just the latest examples of foreigners who have genuinely shown love and care for our country than a lot of us Filipinos have ever done in our lives. And that is just a pity.
For comments, suggestions and reactions, e-mail raalzona@yahoo.com.
Image credits: Rodel Alzona