3/05/09
I and Paul had a really great time high energy dancing last night (3/4/2009) at Switch Wednesdays held weekly at PCL (Pussy Cat Lounge) in Scottsdale Arizona - the music was more upbeat and energetic than some other Wednesdays have been. One episode, though, raised concern for me after Paul related it to me about 1-1/4 hrs into our 2+ hours of non-stop dancing. I had seen Paul in brief conversation with a young man and afterward he told me that the fellow had asked him if he was "rolling". I was immediately concerned because, although I was not certain of the term's meaning, I was fairly confident that it had something to do with street drugs, which is what I said to Paul when he answered "yes" to my question of how he responded. In turn Paul was annoyed, partly that someone would think that the only way someone, obviously much older than the vast majority of people there, could be dancing so energetically was for him to be on some "drug". He was also annoyed that I would be concerned about what this fellow thought regarding his response to the question. Paul simply thought the term "rolling" was a good way to describe how he was moving - "really rolling", in the way of a well designed car or train. In addition, the man in the noisy club had used an arm over arm rolling motion when speaking to Paul, a movement that was common in disco dancing of the late 70s and well into the 80s. The idea of a street drug relationship to the term never entered his mind; he just has never thought that way - it still never occurs to him that someone he sees at such events acting uninhibited, energetic and with apparent enjoyment would be anything other than a healthy, self-assured, capable individual. I too think the term "rolling", especially as "rolling along" is a perfectly good term to describe someone making progress without being inhibited by possible obstacles.
I was a bit distressed when Paul told me about this young man because I don't want anyone thinking that I and Paul make use of MDMA (ecstasy) - what I today found, by Internet search, "rolling' to mean ~ "under the influence of MDMA" (like "tripping" on LSD back in the late 60s) - or any related mood-altering drugs in order to feel positive about life, enjoy our dancing and feel and be capable of the kinds of activities in which we engage, both physical and mental. It is not uncommon for one or more young people to approach us when we're out dancing, at clubs or trance events, and tell us we're "awesome" or "rockin' " or even that we're "an inspiration" - and we are pleased to get such compliments, especially to know that we cause them to think about why they never need give up energetic dancing. We typically give them a MoreLife "website" card while telling them that everything that we do to keep ourselves in such good health is publicly available.
Related to Paul's experience last night, I had been asked by a young woman earlier if there was something more in my water - I had paused to take a drink from the bottled water (we always get given a couple bottles by the hostess soon after our arrival). My answer was of course, "No. Just water. But we have thermoses of green tea in the car." She went on to say that we were just terrific. She too was given a card with the explanation that everything that we use is publicly stated. Her friend, looking at the card, noted out loud, "Extraordinary dancing...", to which I replied, "Yes, we think we're pretty extraordinary in our dancing." And off I went to continue dancing.
I am pretty certain that these two individuals I and Paul had separately spoken with had never been to PCL on a Wednesday before (or at Cafe Carumba where DJ Tranzit held this event for over a year before late last summer, and we frequently attended), and therefore had never before seen me and Paul. It is also likely that they had never been to any of the many other locations where we have danced energetically together since early 2000, mostly in Toronto and Arizona (and for Paul before that time mainly in Toronto and southern California going back to 1981, already 43 when he started). It is a real shame that they and any others would conclude that only MDMA could be responsible for us having such a good time and being physically able to dance as we did for over 2 hours straight last night.
I sure hope that the word will get (further) around that Kitty and Paul Antonik Wakfer (ages almost 64 and just turned 71, respectively) can likely outdance - in energy and duration - any attendee at a high energy dance event without using any MDMA, other street drug or direct stimulant. Neither I nor Paul smoke (he never has and I stopped when I was 22) and our only intake of alcohol is about 3oz of red wine with our single daily meal (we fast 1 day out of 3). Neither of us has ever used any "street drugs", which we consider potentially dangerous crutches rather than potentially long term beneficial chemicals that simply may not yet have sufficient research on their long term effects. We can be considered to be "rolling" on good nutrition, restful sleep, regular physical activity, much mental productivity, numerous nutritional supplements and most important of all, a life promoting philosophy - all the descriptions of which are publicly available, including physical parameters and lab test results for both of us. So if others want to know how we do it, so that they too can increase the likelihood that they will be as active as we are when they are our ages, they have the ability to find out - via MoreLife.org. I also want to make it clear that I and Paul do not consider government involvement with chemicals of any kind - except for possible fraud (under the current societal arrangements) - to be in the best interests of individuals. One need only read the Self-Sovereign Individual Project to realize this.
Maybe gradually along the way of "getting the word around", the word "rolling" itself can be saved from complete annihilation (like the once lovely word "gay" - and I am not anti-homosexual) for common usage and restored to its place as a perfectly good descriptive term for movement and/or progress.
 |
 |