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DAVID BENTLEY'S WEEKLY COLUMN |
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Experiencing Lessons
Most of us in the boomer generation remember Arlo Guthrie's song "Alice's Restaurant." That song, about his being arrested for littering and subsequently being deemed unsuitable for military service in Viet Nam, became a movie staring Arlo Guthrie and Officer Obie as themselves. What we may have missed, however, is the lesson behind the story of "Alice's Restaurant." Last week I heard a radio interview with Guthrie. During the interview, Arlo was asked how his father, Woody Guthrie, had influenced him. He said he always remembered his father's conviction that it is better to not succeed being yourself than to succeed at being someone else. Because of this philosophy, Arlo has influenced others and become known internationally even though he has had only one album achieve "gold" status -- "Alice's Restaurant." Few people would deny that Arlo Guthrie has been successful at being himself through his music and the work of The Guthrie Center, a non-profit organization housed in the church where his friend, Alice, once lived. However, one might wonder if much of that success would have happened in the same way had not Officer Obie also been successful at being himself. According to Linda Ellerbee, Officer Obie (Bill Obanhein) served on the Stockbridge, MA police force for 34 years, and was a model for several Norman Rockwell paintings. In 1985, Obanhein retired after being accused of hitting another officer during a discussion about the unauthorized use of a police car. Some say he was drinking at the time. Author Lynn Grabhorn maintains that, "When we view something as wrong, or bad, we automatically judge it to be negative....What we do simply is, for the experience of the lesson." Whether or not Officer Obie was ultimately successful, he was just being himself when he arrested Arlo Guthrie for littering. As a result of that arrest, and the experience of the lesson, Arlo Guthrie has been able to be himself, too.
© 2003 David Bentley David Bentley, M.Ed. & Personal Coach, coaches clients through the game of life, helping them find balance, clarity of direction, and purpose in an ever-changing world. You may contact him at 360.378.8436 by e-mail at david@coachbentley.com or visit his Web site: www.coachbentley.com |
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