White Privilege. White, Red, and Blue that is…

In 1968 my guitar playing, flower power, banner waving life came to an abrupt halt.

Like a drill sergeant's bark "Platoon HALT!"  

I returned from Vietnam having been gravely wounded on the inside.

Best way to stop the demons of anxiety? 

I took to pills, booze, and toke. Lots of pills, booze, and toke.

My white red and blue privilege included this right: the right to fail completely. 

By 1974 I had broken sacred vows, and wrought havoc on an unsuspecting family. I had become a complete, no I mean complete, failure. 100% disability income checks my only source of income. 

I stood at the cross roads.The red white and blue cross roads that is: take permanent disability and a guaranteed stipend or take on the permanent risk of the musical entrepreneur and have a chance for stardom or complete failure.

I chose the latter. Rather than  lean on a known power that guaranteed mediocrity and discouraged entrepreneurial risk, I chose to lean on some unknown power that guaranteed nothing and allowed for complete failure.  

For the last 48 years I've taken  the privilege of failure, the privilege of study, the privilege of prayer and meditation, and yes the white red and blue privilege of unimaginable rewards. Rewards beyond my wildest dreams. God bless the Red White and Blue.