Earth Crisis Reunion Show

yesterday i was lucky enough to get to go to the Earth Crisis reunion show in baltimore. i've been into the hardcore/punk rock scene here in maryland for a little bit, but sadly have never been able to go and see Earth Crisis. as you may or may not know, Earth Crisis is probably one of the most influential Straightedge/Animal Rights bands...EVER. barring Minor Threat, Earth Crisis has been responsible for helping more kids either overcome addiction, or shun chemical dependency completely. this is a good thing. Earth Crisis is also one of the most politically active bands in the animal rights arena. devout vegans and vegetarians, a large portion of their songs are directly related to animal rights and the movement therein.

so, we waited all day and finally Earth Crisis was due to play. but before they played, two speakers came up and each gave their "Testimonials". the first guy was talking about animal rights and activism. he made mention of his involvement with Sea Shepherd, a non-profit animal rights group whose main goal is to protect sea animals from cruel treatment and/or illegal hunting practices. this guy in particular had spent time on a Sea Shepherd boat in the Antarctic, protecting Minke, Humpback and Fin whales from illegal poaching by Japanese ships. i was struck at his willingness to go to the Antarctic in the first place, much less to put his life on the line by preventing whaling ships from illegally harvesting whale, thus damaging the fragile ecosystem in that particular area. all of this for whales?

the second speaker spoke of how when he was 12 years old he had left his house after a very loud and physical altercation with his father. black-eyed, bleeding and apparently shoeless, he walked down the road in the snow just trying to get away for a while. while he was walking a van pulled over and offered him a ride. the van contained the members of Earth Crisis. well, they took this kid wherever he happened to be going, but while on way they talked to the kid and made such an impression upon him that he has ever since been Straightedge and an animal activist. all because they showed this kid a little compassion in his time of need. all of this for a 12 year old kid?

finally...Earth Crisis. the sound was incredible, the crowd was awesome and the energy of the room was amazing. but one thing in particular struck me during the show. Earth Crisis was playing one of their most famous songs, "Firestorm". As soon as they started that particular song, the crowd expanded outwards, creating a huge pit in the middle. immediately after the expansion i saw 75% of the room just start moving towards the stage to sing along. i have NEVER seen such a pile-on as i did just then. i was seriously awestruck. but its funny, a particular thought came to me when i saw all these kids singing along..."if anyone could somehow unite all of these kids into some type of movement, it would be scary to say the least".

some time during their set, Karl Crisis, the lead singer, was talking about Straightedge/Veganism. he said that a lot of people that are into the hardcore/punk rock scene are merely there for social status or to be tough guys. he stated that he believed that there was a lot of fakeness going on these days and that if people would spend less time with the material side of hardcore and actually unite to try and accomplish something then nothing could stop us. interesting idea, laying down one's pride and sense of self so that the movement as a whole might prevail? great minds think alike huh?

while i am neither vegetarian nor Straightedge, i cant argue with anything that Earth Crisis says. I think they're on the right path, but maybe just a little off target. as i am a Christian and this is a Christian-centered blog, if you cant see the direct correlation, i will draw it out.

Straightedge is all about personal purity and that is to be applauded, but to be pure in a physical sense is easy, it's maintaining our spiritual purity that is the real struggle. while its becoming harder and harder to avoid falling into the trap of chemical dependency with the advent of so many addictive prescription drugs, the easy access to marijuana and other "Gateway" drugs, the prevalence of alcohol consumption and tobacco use in our society its understandable the appeal that these things have. it's even harder to keep from falling into the trap of self-righteousness or pride. from another angle, how does one maintain a pure lifestyle when they still have negative impulses or physical lusts? Matthew 23:24-26 touches on this, and I hope this isn't taken as being accusatory or rude, but if read in context, i believe this verse could prove to be very helpful in understanding where i am coming from: "²⁵Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. ²⁶Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside also will be clean."

Another famous hardcore band, this one being Christian, "No Innocent Victim" manages to sum all of this up in their song "Whitewashed Tomb":

"You're nothing but a whitewashed tomb
clean on the outside
but full of dead man's bones
your soul knows no life
but you say no one should question you
no on can talk to you
there's just no getting through
full of your altar ego
spiritual fashion show
you're a whitewashed tomb
the Spirit's like the wind blows
how could you know which way He goes
pretending that you have control
of a God you barely know
You're a whitewashed tomb
You're a whitewashed tomb"

from a biblical point of view, it is impossible for us to live completely pure lifestyles. we can do everything right, but even though we may not physically act it out we still sin in our hearts. we are inherently evil and no matter how hard we try to change for the better, unless we change our hearts and accept Christ, all of our efforts have been made in vain. Romans 3:23 says, "All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God". no matter how hard we try, without salvation we're wasting our time.

i guess that's what bothers me the most. there are so many good people out there desperately trying to better themselves and live a life of purity...but to what avail? it reminds me of Luke 9:25, which normally is related to materialism but can be applied here: "What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit his very self?".

it just seems to me that Straightedge and Animal Rights are both noble endeavors to get involved with, but to do so without God on your side, what the point? you're basically spinning your wheels. Maybe one day when we're able to give up our pride and self-righteousness and turn our lives to Christ we might be able to finally accomplish those things that sound so nice.

for those of us that are Christians, we should take note of what some of our secular brothers and sisters are accomplishing. its inspiring to see people doing so much with so little. its my prayer that we can all come together in Christ and that's when the real changes will start.

<3
rumbaugh

ps- moshing is still fun.

(funny, my itunes has been playing this whole time and just as i finish this, Earth Crisis' - Constrict comes on...weeeirrd)