An example of resilience, grit, and spiritual awakening
When his albums didn’t sell in the USA, rumors spread that he had shot himself on onstage.
Actually, Detroit musician Rodriguez didn’t kill himself. He did what Zen Buddhists call “chop wood, carry water;” he went back to hard labor and continued to lead a simple life without even owning a telephone.
Meanwhile, unbeknownst to him or to anyone in the USA (except perhaps the record labels), he was selling more albums in South Africa than Elvis.
Not believing the rumors of his alleged suicide, two South African fans started searching for Rodriguez. When they found him, they brought him to South Africa, where he played a series of sold-out concerts. The award-winning documentary Searching for Sugar Man illustrates this unbelievable quest and his overwhelming reception abroad.
What struck me while watching the film was that he didn’t let the trappings of money and fame cloud his mind. Most importantly, he didn’t let fear win.
Fear leads us to what some call “stinkin’ thinkin’" or the sense that we aren’t good enough.
Fear makes us fall into the stream of consumerism and cling to the buoys of wealth and power.
Fear makes us get angry when we feel threatened.
Fear causes us to compare ourselves to others and drown in jealousy.
Fear makes us eat, drink, fornicate, over-work, and want more, more, and more.
Fear makes us procrastinate and be lazy.
Fear lets the ego take over.
What can we do about it?
Like Rodriguez, we need to exit the current of the consumerism stream and let it dump us onto the shore.
We need to have faith.
We need to chop wood, carry water.