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by Dan Stacy
What two words can be uttered in public and create a singular cringe factor of 9 billion? Perplexed? Stumped yet? Well, let me venture to say that perhaps no two words ever uttered in a non-organized gathering of perfect or semi-perfect strangers has quite the same effect at conjuring up a plethora of images --all negative-- as the two words I refer to. Still baffled? I speak of the two words Journey Fan.
There really is something intrisically embedded in modern society that seems to be at work when one discusses, or even mentions Journey. A mutual disdain of this great collection of musicians permeates not only public life, but also social circles within the U.S.
But, one group gathers more distasteful looks and reactions than the group of musicians collectively known as Journey, and that is Journey fans.
I dare say that Journey fans, in general, are more looked down on than, say, those who would attend a demolition derby or rodeo in Texas are by Harvard, Yale, or Stanford allumni.
Now, I don't claim to be any wiser or more intelligent than the average snail on the bottom of a shoe, but I do have a couple thoughts I try to maintain as I go through life. I don't know that these concepts are accurate, or even original, but they seem to ring pretty true to me, so I have really sort of grown fond of them. I think I may keep them around for quite some time. I've even dusted off a space on my knick-knack shelf for them.
Concept One is that while you may not have complete control over what happens or what happens to you, in large part an event or circumstance only affects you as much as you allow it to. This concept is found on my knick-knack rack right next to the ribbon I won from youth softball for sportsmanship. I was always stuck in right field where the least amount of damage could be done, so I grew to appreciate little songs and sayings I could use to keep myself busy. As with all things in life, you can take two different approaches to events or circumstances.
The general gist of this concept can be explained in an example: Todd loses his job. Now, Todd can be devastated by this turn of events, and consider himself a victim. Todd can bemoan how his bills are too high and he may end up losing his car and house, his wife may leave him, and his dog may move in with the neighbor because Todd can no longer buy him the same kind of dog treats. Or, Todd can say to himself, 'Hey, it's too bad that this happened, but everything is an opportunity in life, so there must be a reason this happened. How can I figure out what the reason is, so that I don't repeat anything that may cause me to lose future jobs. How can I improve myself while including the life experiences I've added during my stay at this last job. And how can I find the opportunities this will open for me." You see, it's bad enough that Todd lost his job, but why should Todd allow something bad to be something worse: losing his job, having a bad day, being sad, stressed, worried, anxious, driving away those who he loves most, losing confidence, and failing miserably in his role as provider.
Concept Two says that what other people think should really have less to do with what you think. This concept actually used to sit on my knick-knack rack next to some Journey pins, but I find that I use it so often that now I keep this concept in my pocket. That way, whenever I pull change out of my pocket to buy a pop from the vending machine, I see Concept Two, and am reminded of the ideas behind it.
We Journey fans are a strange lot, that is for sure. None can argue that we have some very odd folks among us. But, that same thing can be said of almost any group of people. You see, it's not the fact that we like Journey that makes some of us odd, it's the fact that we're human, and every human is different. And I've been on this green earth long enough to realize that it takes more than a few odd people to make the rest of us look normal. Just like it takes more than a few ugly cars on the road to make what I prefer look good to me, it takes more than a few fans of what could only very loosely be called music to make me further appreciate that the object of my musical affection can make sweet melodic music.
All of us, at one time or another, have been socially conscious - it's human nature. But why should we simply like things that society tells us it's ok to like? And conversely, why should we not like things that others may not like? Maybe Journey isn't their cup of tea, or quite possibly, they may not be open minded enough, or intelligent enough to like what we think is good music. There are any number of reasons a person may not like what we like, but why should a Journey fan allow the opinions of others to change our personal preferences?
So, when we are out on the road, do we pop that Journey CD into the sound system and jam it out loud, proudly? Or, do we turn it down at stoplights, or change to a different disc if someone is going to be riding with us. Should we be ashamed that Journey's members are great musicians? Should we apologize that we admire a group of talented, accomplished individuals who have a following of millions? Should we alter our opinions, or worse, hide them, for the sake of a few?
Next time you're out and have an opportunity to talk to someone, you might try saying something to them, like 'hey, you have got to check out this song, it's from Journey's last album, and it just rocks!' And don't forget to tell them that Journey is putting out another CD this year.
Our guys are totally committed to the life they live, and totally into the 'Journey' thing. As committed fans, we owe them nothing less.
Copyright © 1994-2006 Dan Stacy, Journey Digest, JourneyDigest.com
No portion of this article may be reprinted without express written permission from the author and JourneyDigest.com