11 November 2007

pUnK rOcK iN CaStElO bRaNcO...


I couldn't help but thinking that Miri and Edi should have been there :-)...
me and Jared went yesterday to Castelo Branco to watch a 4 band punk rock concert...Gang Band Cowboys , Hepatite P and 2 others I don't know the names...all local bands...
Lopes, one of our friends who live nearby invited us to come along ...it was fun!!!
I couldn't understand any of the words (which most of people seemed to know), and the sound was not the best, but hey, it was a punk show, eh, eh...it was up to the name...eh, eh :-)
but I just enjoyed seeing that group of young people who seemed not conformed to the world that has been presented to them...some might just have been following one more fashion wave...but some seemed very honest in their contest...not only by the way they were dressed, by their piercings or hair style, but I could feel an honest shout raising up from the depths of their souls :

"WE ARE SICK OF IT ALL...Fuck the system...I don't want to be part of it"... sorry for the word I used, but I purposely didn't want to use the "F" with 3 dots... coz I don't like when we avoid saying it when we actually mean it...and I guess it's hypocritical to use replacement words... and that's something this kinda youth is not... they are often frontal and honest... and that makes them being lots of times misunderstood...
they're looking for something different...like Bono would sing " I still haven't found what I'm looking for..."...
unfortunately they don't find any alternatives nor role models, so they discard their frustration by getting drunk, taking drugs, having sex, or simply shouting for all those who want to hear : "Fuck the world" !!! with that they also might end up fucking their own lives too, as well as others sometimes...
But among all that I could see something even cooler...they seemed to be a family... maybe a reflection of the longing of their hearts as they might not find that in their own homes...yes, let us not be naive... their homes are also part or victims of the system as well...


And suddenly something got my attention...among young people shouting, moshing, drinking, dancing, banging their heads back and forth, I saw 3 others, 2 boys and a girl, a bit older but not that much, with the same kinda vests... it was written in portuguese " Generation +...with you in the night "... what was that all about I figure?... one of them had big long hair and seemed to know some others who were there...they would offer him drinks but he would just nod his head like saying "I can't, I'm on service"... I was intrigued...they didn't seem like cops or anything...they were actually enjoying the music and chatting with the young people...so I waited for the band to stop playing so I could have the chance to speak with the girl without having to shout in her ear...
So, they are part of a group of an Organization
of social workers and psychologists who support young people... they just started this "night intervention" in september, they go to concerts , bars and discos and they are there available to those who need their help... they have a van outside to support them, where they offer alcoholic tests, condoms, pregnancy tests, HIV information, flyers about drugs and its effects...and if those young people are interested they have daily care of counselling and psychological support if they needed... she was telling there are a lot of young girls who want pregnancy tests and councelling about sexual relationships... last week, she said, they met a young guy who took some "bad trip" and they had to stay with him at least 2 hours till the guy was more conscience to realize what was going on...
Well, I was amazed with all that... and it made me remember the time I went with Juran to sell things in a "Technival" , where we end up taking care of the ones who were too high on drugs, making coffee to those who needed, offering a place to lay down and sleep, making lots of friends , etc...
I also had the chance to speak about us here in The Mount of Oaks and some kind of similar work that some Jesus Freaks do... she was interested to know more as well... and I do hope I see them again...somehow I felt this meeting was not a "coincidence"... I felt to support them somehow if we can... of course we don't have the professional skills they require...even though most of the Jesus freaks who come here are social workers anyway :-)... but we can already pray for them at least... as me and Jared already did on the way home in the car... I felt God was really pleased with what this guys are doing and wants to bless it and support it ... and I really felt God wants us to get involved... how, I don't know...maybe is just for us to pray...
Lets see what comes out of it !!!
I feel excited !!!
And I finish this post continuing to quote Bono's song...
"I still haven't found what I'm looking for...
I believe in the Kingdom Come
When all the colors will bleed into one
Bleed into one
Well, yes I'm still running

You broke the bonds
And you loosened the chains
Carried the cross
Of all my shame
all my shame
You know I believe it

But I still haven't found what I'm looking for..."


In the book "Bono for Bono" he said that this song is actually about Jesus and the kingdom He came to bring to us...available to all...he questions why he can't find God's Kingdom on earth as it is in Heaven...that's what he haven't found yet...this world as it is presented to us seems to be so far from it !!!
Funny, didn't Bono started as a young rebel punk, influenced by Sid Vicious and others?!!! Look what he's doing now... fighting world poverty...speaking in behalf of the poor before presidents, going to Africa often to hear the people's pleads to know how to act ... influencing thousands of young people to become better persons in this world...actually fighting to see what he has been looking for...God's Kingdom on Earth as it is in Heaven...

So we need to fight for a better world... not only say "Fuck the world" but actually do something to change it !!! starting in our own lives...
Not only criticizing those who say "Fuck the world", but actually hearing their shouts and encourage them in what they are right...
I wonder if this is also what these kids are looking for ... I hope so :-)
I hope they find the right cause worth fighting for !!!

1 comment:

Spence Farmer said...

Cool stuff Baba. After reading your last blog I pulled out my "Back to Basics" book. Here are a couple recipies I thought you might be able to use. I don't know how well they work, but they are all natural.
FLYPAPER. Combine equal parts of melted resin and castor oil, then spread over a long strip of stiff paper with a knife warmed in a jug of hot water. Do not coat the edges of the paper for easy handling. Thread string through one end and hang near a light or window.
OR For a saucer of fly killer, mix one egg yolk with 1 tbsp. molasses and 1 tbsp. black pepper. Set it on a windowsill or shelf.
FOR MICE. Use peppermint. Mice do not like the smell of fresh pepermint. Grow your own peppermint and leave fresh sprigs whereever you see evidence of mice.
TANSY FOR MOTHS. Tansy has long been used to keep rooms and food free of insects. (I don't know what tansy is. Some plant/herb I figure) To use it as a moth repellent, make a sachet containing the crushed dried leaves. Put them among clothing, bedding in chests and hang them in closets. (Or near olives?) That might be helpful or it might not. Hope it is. Blessings