Three Little Paragraphs About Reggae Legend and World Icon, Bob Marley
When you think about Bob Marley, what comes to mind? Long dreadlocks, flashes of green, red and yellow, beautiful reggae music, and the legendary status held only by superstars like Michael Jackson or Michael Jordan. Wait, I'm missing something aren't I? Ah, yes. How much weed he smoked! Like stoner celebrities such as Snoop Dogg or Tommy Chong, Bob Marley and Marijuana will be intertwined in our minds forever.
However, Marley was not the typical stoner. Stoner stereotypes portray them as lazy couch potatoes who eat junk food and watch TV all day. Bob Marley was anything but that. Living a strict religious life, Marley was careful to eat in the "Ital style of his Rastafarian religion" which permitted him to eat "meat and most fish, but no pork and, most important, no salt"(Dudley). Additionally, Marley's use of Cannabis differs from how the average stoner may approach it. To Marley, Marijuana gave him a sort of consciousness that, as he would put it, "reveals you to yourself" (Marley). Associating Marijuana use with the use of other drugs makes sense because that is how the majority of people in our society operate. If you knew someone smokes weed, it'd be safe to assume they drink as well.
Though Marley smoked weed all day, every day, he was actually against the use of other drugs. Marley described "herb [as] the healing of a nation [while] alcohol is the destruction" (Marley). Admittedly, Marley indulged in "a little wine sometimes" but always spoke against drinking alcohol (Marley). Being a spiritual individual, I wondered whether Marley used any psychedelics other than Cannabis. To my surprise, there are no records indicating that he used anything harder than Marijuana. Overall, Bob Marley is an inspirational figure in my life. His fight for peace, dedication to a moral lifestyle, and disregard for material possessions mimic qualities of the life I want to live. I will leave you with my favorite Bob Marley quote, "money can't buy life" (Marley). Peace and love to you, and thank you for reading my three little paragraphs.
Sources Cited
Dudley, Brenda Benoît, et al. “What Did Bob Marley Eat?” Masala Eats Miami, 23 Oct. 2015, https://masalaeatsmiami.com/2014/02/19/what-did-bob-marley-eat/#:~:text=Eating%20in%20the%20ital%20style,%2C%20most%20important%2C%20no%20salt.
Hi Mason,
ReplyDeleteI love this post! Bob Marley truly is a Reggae legend. In Kenya, My cousins loved reggae music, and he would always be in their playlist! But I never new that he lived a strict religious life. I'm glad you found ways to relate to him.
Best,
Lesley
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteNice post Mason. It's interesting to me that Bob Marley spoke out against alcohol consumption because I never knew that and kind of assumed he drank like you said. In a similar sense, I also didn't know that he lived such a strict religious life. I agree that he is a very inspirational person, and after reading your post, you've motivated me to find out more about who Bob Marley actually was.
ReplyDeleteMason,
ReplyDeleteGrowing up, I really didn't know about how political Marley was in some of his opinions. I think reggae and the related cultures have a bit of a bastardized view in America. As I got older and got more into politics, I would see his views come up more and was surprised to learn he was much much more than just a typical stoner!
Kevin
MASON!
ReplyDeleteI hadn't really heard much about Bob Marley other than the stereotypes you listed in the first paragraph, which is weird because I went through a reggae phase for a couple of years. It was really cool that your paragraphs didn't tell the life of Bob Marley, but an important aspect of it that he is known for. Overall, a perfectly written couple of paragraphs. I loved your last sentence by the way.
- Ellie