Dedicated to the memory of Mark Russell who's sad passing on 3/30/23 reminded me not to take things too seriously, especially the things I am powerless to change.
Second Class Citizen Blues (c) 2010
Words, Music, Guitar, Bass, Piano & Vocals by Lance Frank Produced & Arranged by Lance Frank & Ed Genovese
This tune attempts to sum up my musings about the various socio-economic / competitive forces I encountered as an aspiring filmmaker and musician in the mid 80’s. l later found these forces to be inescapable no matter what alternate career path I took.
The courts may be the great equalizer, but the lack of money to access them relegates most of us to de facto Second Class Citizens dependent upon getting in the good graces of those in positions of power. More often than not we are pitted against our peers while at the same time trying to forge alliances with them.
None of this is necessarily a bad thing. The struggle is often a test of will that tempers our character and forces us to learn, grow, change and adapt. After being smacked “upside the head” often enough most of us will learn to choose our words more carefully and consider how others will react to them…. a skill those who succeed too early in life may never acquire at all often at the expense of themselves and others. Then again, some people will react negatively no matter how carefully you choose your words. Even silence can evoke a negative response. In these cases, knowing when to avoid a confrontation can be a useful survival skill.
In general, if you are an idealist not born to wealth, the best way to navigate the realities of the business world to get from survival to stability to success usually means keeping your head down, your nose to the grindstone and....with the exception of mastering the fine art of cocktail party small talk...your mouth shut. In that regard, it seems that living in a Capitalist society probably isn't all that much different than living in a Communist one. In a Free Society, however, as one accumulates the wisdom to choose one's words carefully and the wealth to weather intolance from those with opposing views, one may begin to care less about the negative reprecussions of speaking one's conscious...but even that freedom hangs by a thread.
As Ancient Greek Playright Euripides (480 - 406 BC) once said:
"No man is truly free, All are slaves of money or necessity. Public opinion or fear of prosecution forces each one, against his conscious, to conform."
Lance Frank, Broker Associate Berkshire Hathaway Home Services California Properties 74-990 Hwy 111 Indian Wells, CA 92210 760-610-9282 LanceFrankBroker@gmail.com