Matt W Cook

Technical demons being what they are, it looks like I’ll be postponing my shift to a new server for a while. Sorry about that, folks.

My brother, Mike, is hanging out with me here in Pakistan. With him he brings a wealth of new tastes in music. On band that I’ve fallen in love with is Rise Against. Here’s a reason why I love them:

If I held my ground would you ask me to change?
This drought bleeds on now we’re dancing for rain
We drink the air but it’s still not the same
These worlds collide but the distance remains
We point the finger, never accept the blame.

Rise Against, in most of their songs, points out that massive problems in the predominant world system of the day. They charge society with cruelty, hypocrisy and hatred toward those different from us. In this song it seems to me that they liken this sinful world system with a drought, bleeding on. Looking at us who recognize the drought he makes the stinging point that most of us are doing nothing more than dancing for rain. We see the problems, we point our fingers at those who are guilty, but what do we really do to solve them?

Those of us who recognize the evils of this world system, this world machine “feeding on the tears of broken lives and dying dreams” have a solemn responsibility to throw “wrenches in the gears. Our lives will not be lived in vain.”

A city set on a hill cannot be hidden…

PS – New Photos