a history of insubordinate behavior

I have always thought of myself as a rebel, a maverick and a non-conformist. I wouldn’t go so far as to say that I am an anarchist, but I do have an issue with authority figures. I have a long history of locking horns with stubborn bosses. It is not that I mean any disrespect to their right to conduct business the way they feel is appropriate. It’s just that I have my own ideas about how to get things accomplished. This might explain my spotty employment history. So it should come as no surprise that I can relate to the biblical character of Jonah, the wayward prophet of doom. If you are not familiar, let me bring you up to speed. God chooses Jonah to carry out a mission. Rather than comply with his lord’s wishes, he attempts to leave town and boards a ship. I don’t believe in a higher power, but I have to give Jonah bonus points for chutzpah. If you assume that God is omniscient, you have to assume he can track your whereabouts. Needless to say, Jonah doesn’t get very far. It always amuses me when the Old Testament depicts G as a vengeful creature. Seriously, the big guy behaves like J.R. Ewing on a Bender! Furious, G Man conjures up a violent sea-storm that threatens to swamp the ship. But he agrees to spare the shipwrecked sailors if they throw J overboard. Very nice! They resist, but they eventually comply with God’s ultimatum. The second they pitch Jonah over the side, the roiling seas calm and the skies become clear. Jonah is immediately swallowed by a whale, and spends several nights sitting around in its stomach. Stunned into submission, he says a prayer in which he repents for his disobedience and calls upon God for mercy. God speaks to the fish, which vomits out Jonah safely on dry land. G asks J a second time to spread his propaganda campaign. After spending three days and three nights languishing in a big fish’s belly, he decides to follow his master’s orders. The moral of the story seems to be “do what you are told”, especially if it is a divine request. But I do admire the spirit of the rogue prophet for having the balls to speak truth to power. Or at least temporarily avoid the task at hand. I don’t know if you can appreciate the defiant nature of the protagonist from this track. Leave it to me to find a profound message in a lightweight pop song. This Brit boy band seemed perfectly tailored for late 80’s. You might consider them two-hit wonders because of the famous ballads which dominated the Top Ten in 1988. However, their chart success was short-lived. Album Number 2 was released to almost universal indifference. I always preferred their upbeat pop-jazz cocktails. This might explain why I felt the need to steal the CD from the Port Jefferson Free Library. There is my dissident streak again. Jonah would be proud!