Haile Selassie

Pilgrim upon the mountain 
Bare foot and still climbing 
Filling the book of hours 
Day after day in the filth and squalor 
We are the chosen people 
Safe from the next evil 
One Love! Magnetic memory 
Reel after reel, spinning within me 
I had the wildest dream last night
I was swimming with you in that Cenote the Heavens made with black fire
Just woke up too soon - Haile Selassie, Bright Eyes

Wow, so this is one of my favorite songs on the new album and I never had any Idea what the title was referring to...and now that song actually makes sense. Haile Salassie was the emperor of ethiopia 1930-1974 and was actually a messianic figure for hundreds of thousands of people. In case that word means nothing to you, it means that hundreds of thousands of people followed him as the messiah (kinda like that jesus guy) for many years. He never declared his own religion it seems but preached peace, spoke against nuclear weapons, and was slowed the modernization of ethipoia. He was Man of the Year for time magazine and promoted the idea of countries working together toward a common goal....something we still (try to) do today...

All in all, no matter if you believe religion helps or harms, this man was a bridge between religion and politics and is seen as somewhat of a revolutionary, never seeming to seek what was best for himself personally, but what was best for the human race. He never confirmed his divinity and it has been said he actually denied it, but it is clear he was a prophet of peace in a time of great world-wide turmoil.

I have never been an opponent of really any religion...I truly think it's the ideas about how to live life, deal with others, and improve the world you were brought into that are most important, not particularly who you pray to. No matter if he was a "messiah" in terms of divinity, he was an emperor who really felt that the best was needed for everyone and that all the people in the world had a stake in it. To me that is really what a messiah, a leader should be trying to do...unite people and better the world.

Anyways, very interesting people like this can be lost to history and not talked about. Even more interesting is the path it took for me to find out about this revolutionary figure.

Read much more below because this guy seems like he should be more well-known to people today.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haile_Selassie_I