Growing up southern Baptist had its pluses and definitely had its minuses. There was no dancing allowed in our household; no movies on Sunday; no drinking of any kind; and as a teenager, I felt, no fun. My parents eventually loosened up over the years, realizing that perhaps all dancing was not the devil's tool, and perhaps a glass of wine now and then would not send you straight to hell.It's a natural human tendency to go overboard. It seems to happen more often, however, when we are deprived. Kids who go off to college and lived in a strict home environment lose all sense of reason and fall fast into the sex and drinking culture that permeates modern college experience. Adults who worked hard for years and years often chunk it all in lieu life-changing adventures. Lottery winners who had no money prior to winning often blow all of their money quickly because they have done without for so many years.
I learned a valuable lesson here that applies to everything I do in life. I learned that you can get carried away with anything. Whether it's rules and regulations related to religion, or it's getting wrapped up in a hobby that consumes all of your time, or even pouring your life into your kids. I learned that while so many pursuits in this life are worthy of our time and our passion, there is a danger in not finding a balance. And when we don't find that balance, we make extreme sacrifices that affect our lives and our futures.
Barry addresses this when he says, "My passion for music has obliterated everything in its path for my entire life. Whenever there was a choice between music and anything else, music won hands down every time. No one person or material thing could ever come close to the feeling I get when the music is right. I imagine it's like a drug addict who keeps going back for more. Once you've experienced it you have to have it again." (Sweet Life)
At times I think we as fans adopt this mantra. We pour ourselves into his music and it becomes a drug for us. We keep coming back for more and we forget that we have lives apart from the music and the celebrity admiration. And we also forget that although Barry has committed his life to this music, he has also made great sacrifices: lack of anonymity, physical harm to his body from years of touring and performing, emotional pain that we can't even begin to imagine, and loneliness. And Barry would be the last person that would want us to lose sight of what is important in this life to pursue an unhealthy celebrity obsession.
It all comes back to finding that balance. Love the music. Listen to the words for inspiration. Respect the man. Enjoy the friendships. Have fun at the shows. But keep that balance between reality and fantasy. In the long run it makes for a happier life and a brighter future.
Keeping that balance,
Texas Fan
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