Marley

 

Last night I started "Marley", a documentary on the life of reggae artist & musical legend, Bob Marley. I'm only half-way through it, but it is an excellent film on a true visionary. I was watching on Comcast OnDemand, but you can watch the full movie here.

He is one of my favorite musicians, and I can listen to his songs anytime and never get tired of them. He has so many great songs that speak to the beauty and unity of the human race. There is often the aspect of universal love or recognition of the simple things in life, that comes from a deep appreciation for existence.

I knew that Bob Marley grew up in the island country of Jamaica, obviously, but I didn't realize the poverty he experienced in his home village and in the Trench Town slums in Kingston. This struggle, along with the identity issues from being of mixed race, led to the profound expression of his soul that came out through his music.

The film delves into his practice of Rastafari, which is based off The Bible but is uniquely Jamaican. Personally, I can identify with the concepts of Jah as an all-encompassing entity, the idea of a corrupt Western society as the modern "Babylon", and the emphasis on intuitive realization of spiritual truth. However, the idea that a single man (in this case Ethiopian emperor Haile Selaisse) is the embodiment or prophet of Jah is as misguided as any other cult of personality.

The story of Bob Marley's journey to become a world-famous musician is amazing and inspiring. He has bought so much joy and so many good vibes to people around the world. His revolutionary & mystic creativity will undoubtedly have a lasting effect on humanity.

I would highly recommend this documentary to anyone who loves Bob Marley or music, in general.

It's almost impossible to narrow it down to even a handful, but here are some of my favorite songs by the Legend himself:

Finally, this one makes me think of my fiancé (who was watching the documentary with me). She made me wait for awhile, but thankfully it was not in vain :)