The name of this blog was inspired by four things:
- a song of the same name by the band …of a revolution
- a poem by Hafiz, a 14th century Sufi poet
- my personal philosophy
- the reason for the existence of this blog
…of a revolution
…of a revolution (O.A.R. as they are more commonly known) is far and away my favorite band. They write meaningful songs and put their hearts and souls into performing them. On Top The Cage in particular touched me with its view on things such as empowerment.
“well help out your brother to the light
at peace is a helping hand
and with help from a mother i shine so bright
and i’m gonna march to my father’s land
i said, we take spot and we take it up top
and that key gonna fit in the lock
would ya’ll you come with me on this lifting walk
and you know you can never go back
because on top the cage is the harmony
that bars and chains will never chime
wherever i go it’s not far for me
i better befriend old man time
on top my cage
i’m never coming down”
Hafiz
I had known O.A.R.’s song long before I learned of Hafiz’s poem through Chris Guillebeau, and once I read it I immediately flashed back to their song. If O.A.R. wasn’t directly inspired by Hafiz, they came damn close to replicating nearly the exact message.
The small man
Builds cages for everyone
He
Knows.
While the sage,
Who has to duck his head
When the moon is low,
Keeps dropping keys all night long
For the
Beautiful
Rowdy
Prisoners.
My personal philosophy
My philosophy is simple: live intentionally, do it on your own damn terms, and to hell with the rest of ‘em.
My personal interpretation of the phrase ‘on top the cage’ is that we should all quit worrying about what is thought of us and what is expected of us. Break boundaries, ignore expectations, follow your heart. Live intentionally, live loud. Do it your way.
The reason for the existence of this blog
I publish this blog not because I am a subject matter expert or because I want to attract a massive audience, it is simply because I am curious by nature and enjoy writing and thinking. There is no overall theme that ties the articles together, I just write here because I find it fun.