Good times gone, and you missed them

Adam Yauch is truly a man who inspired my life, and I had no idea on how much.

I first heard of the Beastie Boys back in the early 2000s. I remember watching a lot of MTV and seeing a lot of their music videos on it. While I don't particularly remember which was the first song of theirs that I enjoyed, I remember To The 5 Boroughs was the first record of them that I owned. And while not being New Yorker or even American, "An Open Letter to NYC" really hit hard for me. The idea that communities are fortified by diversity and adversity made a lasting impact on me. "We got the"... I loved that song before I even knew enough English to know what it was about.

Fast forward to many years later. May 4th 2012. I cried. A lot. At the time I didn't considered myself a Beastie fan, but somehow Adam's death really hit me hard. After his death, I started reading and learning more of him. His words and actions of peace. The ideas he shared on his rhymes. And somehow, those ideas helped me guide my life.

At the time I was a full year into my studies for a Psychology degree. Social Psychology and Latin American Community Psychology became what gave me the knowledge, power and wisdom for my future. As of today, 10 years after Adam left this life, I've made my professional career based entirely on empowering local communities to realise they have the power to make a difference, the power for the change we need. On a personal level, I'm no longer silent, I attend to marchs and protests to fight for our rights and while I don't consider myself a Buddhist, I follow those ideals of peace and I try to live my life without holding any grudges to other people.

Beastie Boys’ Check Your Head | 30th Anniversary