Essay by Luke Foster
“My heroes are the ones who survived doing it wrong, who made mistakes, but recovered from them.” Bono
It only dawned on me today how important the social work of U2 leader singer Bono has made by campaigning for the overcoming of world poverty for decades. My favourite U2 song is I still haven’t found what I am looking for and when I was finishing my schooling at Saint Augustines College in Brookvale the teachers organised a camp at Collaroy on Sydney northern beaches and our form master Father Banks played I still Haven’t found what I am Looking for and told his harrowing story of coming to serve god as a priest. It prepared us all for the reality of coping in the big wide world after the safety net of attending a good affluent school. It was a very moving experience but I didn’t cry but I was very moved.
“I have climbed highest mountains
I have run through the fields
Only to be with you
Only to be with you
I have run
I have crawled
I have scaled these city walls
These city walls
Only to be with you
But I still haven’t found what I’m looking for
But I still haven’t found what I’m looking for”
Bono U2
When I lived in Busan South Korea as an English teacher I used to play this song at the PC Barns or Internet cafes.
“The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page.” Saint Augustine
My second favourite U2 song is I still Where the Streets Have No Name and the lyrics are very moving.
“I want to run, I want to hide
I wanna tear down the walls that hold me inside
I wanna reach out and touch the flame
Where the streets have no name, ha, ha, ha
I wanna feel sunlight on my face
I see that dust cloud disappear without a trace
I wanna take shelter from the poison rain
Where the streets have no name, oh, oh”
Bono U2
Like most people when I feel tired or stressed I listen to moving songs like this and I come out of the difficult situations.
“To be one, to be united is a great thing. But to respect the right to be different is maybe even greater.” Bono
Today I am Bono’s loving pet cat and he is metaphorically stroking my belly.
