'Sunshine' by Matisyahu

This is an inspirational song by Matisyahu with a slide video of some of my spiritual heroes. Enjoy and be blessed! Consciousness and positivity always!

~ MY FLAWED HEROES ~
[An excerpt from my book "REBEL SONG: Poetry, Philosophy, Essays, and Reflections on the themes of Peace, Life, and Spiritual Revolution" by Gebre Menfes Kidus]

I don’t apologize for having flawed heroes. My heroes aren’t my saviors; they are people whose lives, words, and examples point me to The Savior. Regardless of their fallacies and failures, their courage and conviction inspire me to be a better person and a better Christian.

People tell me that Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was a socialist. They say that Thomas Merton was unorthodox. They reject Mother Teresa as a Papist. They accuse Marcus Garvey of fanaticism. They claim that Albert Camus was an atheist. They say Bob Marley was a womanizer. They accuse Dorothy Day of being a communist. They renounce Malcolm X as a militant. They call St. Francis of Assisi an idealist. They insist that Gandhi was a racist. They condemn Tolstoy as an apostate. They call Carlos Santana a hippie. They say I shouldn’t admire Muhammad Ali, because he’s a Muslim. And they tell me that Haile Selassie was a tyrant.

Well, I can’t answer all of those criticisms. But such accusations won’t negate the truth that my heroes spoke and the good that they did. My heroes affirmed life, worked for justice, and desired peace. Regardless of their religions, ideologies, or strategic philosophies, they never viewed war, abortion, or any act of intentional killing as solutions to the problems that plague humanity. They were all willing to grow, to change, and to conform their convictions to the will and truth of the Creator. Only Christ is perfect, and He alone is who I choose to follow. But my heroes all bear the reflection of Christ’s righteousness, compassion, justice, and love in one way or another.

I admire these people, not because of their flaws, but because God was able to use them in spite of their flaws. And that gives me hope, because I know how severely flawed I am. My heroes let me know that God can use a crooked river to bring the water of life to thirsty souls. So I am thankful to have such conscious companions on this spiritual trod through creation. I don’t know where I’d be without them.