Straight (Punk) Talk: Give Them Ramones’ Moments

You know the moment when you’re standing/sitting/drinking/philosophizing/dreaming with your friends and you say, “Hell, I can do that. I mean – we, seriously, can totally do this. Why not?”

Rory Sutherland calls them “Ramones moments.”

They’re the times we receive or give ourselves or give others permission to be exactly who they are.

The Ramones sang about life in all of its weirdness and glory exactly as they saw it. They did it through the lens of 2-minute pop songs, played fast and with electric guitars instead of fancy orchestrations. They even had the audacity to use some simple techniques that any kid with an instrument and a free afternoon could learn one of their songs.

It was so authentically them that it gave others a clear path to follow.

When we help others unlock their own potential, even if they don’t start their own musical movement, it can be as empowering and affirming as it gets. It’s worth striving for.

Give them Ramones moments.