What it Means to Be Inspired

“A genuinely helpful reaction to a piece of work that you’re reading is: ‘I could write this shit.’”

– Alan Moore

Sometime last week, one of my all-time favorite bands, Rage Against the Machine was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. But to be honest, it kind of made me sad and disappointed at first.

I do believe that Rage is one of the most important bands of our time. Right from the get-go, they made their dent by using music as a platform to educate the public on crucial political and social issues. Their songs — which are a sonically-innovative blend of funk, hard rock and hip-hop — beckon us to fight against injustice, to stand up to the machine that we were conditioned to be a mindless cog in.

Unfortunately, Rage hasn’t exactly been active for a long time. Since 2000, they haven’t released any new music, citing creative differences. And they’ve only gone on a few tours together since then — the latest of which was in 2022, and was cut short due to singer Zack de la Rocha’s onstage injuries.

Being inducted in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, it’s a tradition for all members to be present at the ceremony, to give speeches, and to perform together. Yet, only guitarist Tom Morello was there, acting as the spokesperson for the group at the event in Brooklyn, New York. While Zack was spotted attending a Palestine march in Washington, D.C. the next day, the whereabouts of the other two members, Tim Commerford and Brad Wilk, were unknown.

Tom started his speech mentioning that the band had disagreed on so many matters, including being inducted in the Rock and Roll of Fame (which, in some ways, is the machine). And from the way he worded his speech, it seemed to relinquish any hope that the band would ever get together again.

But then, the speech lighted a fire in my belly.

As Tom said, Rage’s time may be up, but it is now our turn to “carry on the mission and the message.” He shared about how, on the daily, many people have let him know that Rage’s music has inspired them to be who they are today — from teachers and organizers, to public defenders and the presidents of Chile and Finland. His point was that history is shaped by the average people who decided that they have had enough of the injustice around them.

He advised the listeners to do three things, “One, dream big and don’t settle. Two, aim for the world you really want without compromise or apology. And three, don’t wait for us.”

“Rage is not here, but you are,” he continued. “The job we set out to do is not over. Now you are the ones that must testify. If you’ve got a boss, join a union. If you’re a student, start an underground paper. If you’re an anarchist, throw a brick. If you’re a soldier or a cop, follow your conscience, not your orders. If you’re bummed out that you didn’t get to see Rage Against the Machine, then form your own band and let’s hear what you have to say. If you’re a human being, stand up for your planet before it’s too late.”

During the live-recorded ceremony, Tom, who is known to be very vocal about Israel’s apartheid, genocide and ethnic cleansing towards Palestine, took the opportunity to slip out a note saying “CEASEFIRE!”.

For me, Tom Morello’s speech really encapsulates what it means to be inspired. When an art “inspires” you, it shouldn’t make you feel that creating meaningful change through art is impossible or esoteric — or that the artist is like a god on a pedestal. 

Instead, it should make you realize that you are just as capable of doing it too, as long as you are willing to commit to it. It should remind you of the latent human potential that you already have in you. It should show you that there’s more to life and art than you thought was possible. It should fill your head with the determination that you could move the world in your own unique way, and to say what you have to say.

The speech reminded me of journalist Frank Barat’s incredible introduction that he wrote in Noam Chomsky and Ilan Pappé’s book, On Palestine. In it, he asks, “How does one become an activist?”

And he answers, “We do not become activists; we simply forget that we are. We are all born with compassion, generosity, and love for others inside us. We are all moved by injustice and discrimination. We are all, inside, concerned human beings. We all want to give more than to receive. We all want to live in a world where solidarity and companionship are more important values than individualism and selfishness. We all want to share beautiful things, experience joy, laughter, love, and experiment, together.”

Don’t wait for anybody else to create the art or make the change in the world that you wish to see. You have your voice, and your own things to say. Say them in the best way that you can now, because there may not be another time. 

To quote from the song Testify by Rage Against the Machine, “It has to start somewhere. It has to start sometime. What better place than here? What better time than now?”