Henry Rollins, the legendary punk rocker behind Black Flag, has a message for you. If you’re young, it’s worth a listen. If you’re older, it’s most definitely worth a listen.
In this brief rant on youth, life, and responsibility to our fellow human beings, Henry lays out what he believes are some very important qualities that people should develop, especially when they’re young and full of passion and energy. He talks about life, and the necessity to take risks if we ever hope to succeed. He talks about living a self-directed life, instead of simply getting pushed around by the waves of other people.
Yes, Henry talks about a great many things, and though by his own admission he sounds a bit like a cranky old man, well… for this young man, I found his advice quite sound.
Back to School with Punkle Henry
Though I enjoyed his entire talk, what really resonated with me was his suggestion to approach our goals with almost monastic obsession. This almost always means taking risks, and interestingly enough, risks are often what humans seem to fear the most. The very thing that will “take us places” is the thing that scares the hell out of us, and thwarts our efforts towards a better, more fulfilling life. Often times the things that scare us the most are exactly what we should be focusing on.
Now, this isn’t the first interesting talk I’ve seen from Big Think. I actually found out about the site a while back after watching a talk by Bill Nye on evolution, and how the people in society who don’t believe it are holding the rest of us back. I couldn’t agree more, and I encourage you to watch this talk as well. In fact, while you’re over there, you should browse around the entire site. It’s absolutely full of amazing talks, and though I intend to share the ones I find most interesting here on Unfinished Man, you don’t have to wait until then to see them.
