Here is another post from my Chiropractic Mentor, Dennis Perman, I thought you would appreciate.
This weekend marked the hundredth anniversary of the birth of legendary songwriter Woody Guthrie, a major influence on Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen and many others. His instrument of social activism was the folk song, and he became the troubadour of a period of expansion of American freedoms, singing about politics, war and peace, human rights, and the glory of being able to enjoy life the way you prefer.
I remember my earliest consciousness of this genre of music was at about age six or seven – my mom’s beautiful voice warbling “This Land Is Your Land” was a seminal contribution to my own fifty year musical history. It is perhaps the most recognizable American folk song:
“As I went walking a ribbon of highway, I saw above me an endless skyway
I saw below me a golden valley — this land was made for you and me
This land is your land, this land is my land, from California to the New York island
From the redwood forest to the gulf stream waters, this land was made for
you and me”
Amazingly, it got no radio play at the time, but the kids he met while hitch-hiking across the US fell in love with it and spread it virally by word of mouth. The passion of his high value on independence and his understanding of our heritage of civil disobedience echoes throughout lesser known verses:
“Was a great high wall there that tried to stop me, a sign above me said “Private Property”
But on the back side it didn’t say nothing — that side was made for you and me.”
This week also brought to conclusion the sordid story of child sex abuse at Penn State, long considered the bastion of class and integrity among football teams and beyond. The soiling of the reputation of Coach Joe Paterno is both gut-wrenching and revolting, as it seems that many, including Joe Pa, knew about this and didn’t stop it, or even report it. Edmund Burke said, “All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing,” and in this case there were dire consequences suffered because of their silence.
Stepping up for what is right is a proud tradition, and declaring where you stand is a matter of your own interpretation of ethics, correct behavior, and personal responsibility. Everyone draws that line in their own place, and that is really what Guthrie said over and over again in his writing – we may all be different, we may see the world through unique filters, but let’s coexist respectfully and give each other the space and dignity to live as we wish. By speaking our truth when called for, we realize what was really intended by our forefathers – that this land was made for you and me, and part of living free is looking out for both ourselves and our fellow citizen who is being oppressed in any way.
It’s a lesson that we chiropractors should keep in mind – let’s do the right thing, defy the status quo and be willing to tell our story to the people of our communities, so they can freely choose the chiropractic wellness lifestyle. A hundred years from now, our legacy will be that we pioneered health freedom and gave people back the liberty and perspective to seek any quality of life they desire.
Dennis Perman DC,
for The Masters Circle
