When People Just Don't Get It

In 2004, I heard of an artist by the name of Ginny Owens. Her outlook to life scared me because it spoke to the darkest areas of my soul. She articulated through her music and lyrics the things that I never knew were deep within me. She had insight to life that was far beyond her age. She was a blind, white woman from the South. What in the world would I have in common with her?

In 2004, I met Pastor Michael Koh. He was a Chinese-Malaysian man, educated in London and Singapore, lived in Malaysia for the first thirty odd years of his life, and then moved to America - and pastors a church in Pasadena, CA. He spoke at our UCLA Fall Conference and broke something in my soul that probably helped shape the trajectory of the next 10 to 20 years of my life. He, similar to Ginny Owens, articulated through his life and words, the things in my soul that were buried deep within. What in the world would I have in common with him?

In 2004, I graduated from UCLA. I received a degree in Political Science with a concentation in International Relations. Today, I do music. What in the world did I have in common with a UCLA degree?

The world is full of people and methodologies that try to create causes and effects. We love linear logic don't we? We love to see how things fit in. We love to see logical correlations. While I believe in these whole-heartedly, it never seems to describe my life. It never seems to dictate the wind of events. Nothing seems to make all that much sense afterall.

My music is like this. I constantly get overlooked. I constantly become more underrated as my work gets better. I was applauded for garbage before, and now when I have a gem, I seem to be overlooked. I seem to be the one dismissed. I was speaking with a poetic friend of mine - no pun intended. We laughed at how people only like what they are told to like. We sighed as we realized that this world is full of sheep...sheep without inspiration.

One day, the world will be told to like G-Vo. They will be given the head nod by some corporate machine saying G-Vo is cool now. G-Vo is good - like him. G-Vo gets our approval now, so you should all buy into him. One day, I will have fans that said they loved me from day one. If you are one of them, I will dismiss you on that day. I will say you only like me because someone told you to. I will make a distinction between you and everyone else - my real fans - who really had an opinion when no one famous said I was good enough for the music industry.

On this day, all ideas of rational correlations, causes and effects, and linear equations will be blown out of the water. On this day, I will make 2+2=5. On this day, I still want you as a fan - no matter how you arrived there. Just as Ginny Owens sang to me, I want to sing to you. I look forward to meeting you friend.

Peace, and much love to you - John Baptist!

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