Bob Dylan is one of the most prolific songwriters of our time. His lyrics are timeless, his genre is one of a kind, and by all accounts, his stories are portraits that reveal the mystery behind a legend. In a career that spans almost five decades, Dylan has always walked the fine line between social activist and artist; all while using his music to express the seriousness of life. Like a great poet, his words are as simple, but deep, and most often they invite us to pause and contemplate life’s big questions – starting with your identity. To his fans, Dylan has always set his own precedent knowing that, “DESTINY is a feeling you have that you know something about yourself nobody else does. The picture you have in your own mind of what you’re about WILL COME TRUE. It’s a kind of a thing you kind of have to keep to your own self, because it’s a fragile feeling, and you put it out there, then someone will kill it. It’s best to keep that all inside.”
I recently stumbled on a TEDx video by film student, Josiah Ng in which he shared the identity challenges facing Gen Y and it reminded me of the days when Dylan was finding his way. And, as the saying goes, what’s weird today is likely to be awesome tomorrow; here’s why.