Bill Hicks (14/12/61 -26/2/94) - It's Just A Ride

 One of my favourite comedians, still relevant, still pushing buttons,his ride was a life lived without fear. An anti war,  pro smoker, who waged war against corporate America and its bastions of mainstream media.As well as being  a brilliant stand up comedian, social critic, satirist and musician he attacked the complaceny of our so called consensus realities, through laughter  he made unacceptable ideas seem irresistable, cutting through  bullshit with bullets of joy.Raging  hard against  the injustices of life.
Nearly 20 years after his death, his reputation just grows and grows.You can get more from him over here. Lovely documentary about him from the BBC, that old institution that we used to trust so much.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b010j56z
 
"The world is like a ride at an amusement park, and when you choose to go on it, you think it's real, because that's how powerful our minds are. And the ride goes up and down and round and round and it has thrills and chills and it's very brightly colored and it's very loud. And it's fun, for a while. 

Some people have been on the ride for a long time, and they begin to question: 'Is this real? Or is this just a ride?' And other people have remembered, and they come back to us and they say 'Hey! Don't worry, don't be afraid -- ever -- because... this is just a ride.' And we kill those people. 

'Shut him up! We have a lot invested in this ride! Shut him up! Look at my furrows of worry; look at my big bank account, and my family. This has to be real.' 

It's just a ride.

But we always kill those good guys who try and tell us that -- ever notice that? -- and we let the demons run amok. But it doesn't matter, because... it's just a ride, and we can change it any time we want. It's only a choice. No effort. No worry. No job. No savings and money. Just a choice, right now, between fear and love. The eyes of fear want you to put bigger locks on your door, buy bigger guns, close yourself off. The eyes of love, instead, see all of us as one. 

Here's what we can do to change the world, right now, into a better ride:

Take all that money we spend on weapons and defense each year and, instead, spend it feeding, clothing and educating the poor of the world, which it would do many times over -- not one human being excluded -- and we can explore space together, both inner and outer, forever. In peace. 

- Bill Hicks