A Nation of Doers, Part 2: Doers in Action

Hello Internet friends,

Last week I hopped on my virtual soapbox and preached about how we should get off our butts and do something about our problems and those of the world around us. This week, I'm getting on that soapbox again to showcase some people who, through their actions, definitely fit this blog's definition of "doer."

Our first doer of the week is Moses Mathis, a man from Fayetteville, North Carolina affectionately known as the "Bicycle Man." Sadly, he passed away July 15th, but the local news station did a moving story on the celebration of his life: http://www.wncn.com/story/22905049/life-of-fayettevilles-bicycle-man-celebrated-at-funeral . Mathis was known for repairing bicycles and giving them to children in need at Christmas. For free. And we're not talking just a few kids either (though that in itself would be heartwarming). Thanks to his program, over 26,000 kids have gotten bikes. Twenty-six thousand. According to the news story, he also organized a community watch and youth outreach programs.

The best part of the story, though, involves the words of Rev. Frederick Hendley during the eulogy at Mathis' life celebration: "...when it's all said and done, for many people there's more said than done, but Moses Mathis had done a lot of good work." I can't think of a better way to have your life remembered.

Okay, so this second "doer profile" is pretty much shameless promotion of a friend's work, but I don't care cuz I do what I want *shakes fist*! Our second doer of the week is one of my Wilmington pals, Chris Vickery: writer, composer, filmmaker, real-life Guitar Hero.

Some people say Chris is nuts. Well, he is, but in the best possible way. When Chris wants to do something, he just does it, no matter how crazy or insurmountable it seems. Wants to make cartoons: teaches self to animate. Wants to write screenplays: plows through five thick screenwriting books and writes a feature-length script in one summer. One day, after spending hours on one page of a story I was writing, I chatted with Chris, and he was all like, "yeah, I just wrote a children's book, and now I'm illustrating it."

He really does own a kilt.

So obviously, I wasn't surprised when Chris called me a few weeks ago and said "hey, I'm home for the weekend, so Imma record me an album" (he talks way more sophisticated in real life). Here is that album, a psychedelic rock 'n roll sound sundae titled "Three Days," entirely produced by Chris Vickery in, you guessed it, three days: https://soundcloud.com/chris-vickery/sets/three-days . Treat yourself to a listen, and if you know of any friends, radio stations, reviewers, or magazines who might enjoy it, send it along to them as well. For more of Chris's music (including a downloadable version of Three Days), visit http://chrisvickerymusic.bandcamp.com/ .

It even has artwork!

 So ends another weekly ramble-fest. The moral of it all: go forth, and do awesomeness in the world.


 

A Nation of Doers

They say to never start anything on the Internet with an apology, but I'm gonna do it anyway because fight the power. Life's been hard these past few weeks. I have a fast-approaching deadline for a writing competition, and I've been scouring every crevice between the couch cushions of the Internet for a job that could actually help pay off my school debt. And yesterday, while chewing a piece of meat, my sideways wisdom tooth (yes, sideways) made me feel like Bruce Willis kicked me in the mouth (to which Harris Teeter says NEIN! No dental insurance for you!). So, long story short, sorry for not posting more lately.

This was going to be my big 4th of July "what-does-it-mean-to-be-American" post, but I'll give it to you now. Sadly, this has become a common perception of Americans in general:

Couch potatoes.

But if you define "American" in terms of what this country was built on, the opposite is true. Being American means cleaning deli counters and stepping on rotten meat and cheese because you have a dream, and that dream needs money. It means that when you don't like the way things are, you DO something about it, no matter how painful. Our nation's founders were tired of getting kicked around, so they started a revolution. And for those of us with immigrant ancestors, we know that when they realized America was the place for them, they didn't just sit at home, watch Netflix, and make sarcastic comments about how their home country sucked and they should totally move someday. Instead, they came to America and started over. Simply put, America has been a nation of "doers" in the past, and now we need to step up and keep it that way. If you want something, go for it. If you see a problem, help fix it. As Gandhi said, "Be the change you wish to see in the world" (and no, it's not enough to wear that quote on a t-shirt).

I overheard an elderly woman at my neighborhood pool last week, talking to the college-age pool attendant. Basically, she said she believed her (the girl's) generation had the tenacity and resourcefulness to make the world a better place. To my fellow twenty-somethings: let's prove her right.