Bulletroof — La Roux,I don’t need no arms around me. And I don’t need no drugs to calm me. I have seen the writing on the wall.
Pink Floyd, Another Brick in the Wall (Part 3)
This time.
Climbing that Great Big Hill
When you live with anxiety, doing even simple things can seem like the end of the world. It’s a really surreal experience and hard to describe to someone who has never experienced it. Generally speaking, it’s the lead up to an event that is the most difficult to navigate. In my experience, the thing I’m worried about is almost never as bad as the actual event itself. That’s a reassuring fact, to say the least, but it doesn’t immediately solve the problem. As far as I’ve discovered, there is no substitute for simple “Grinning” and “Bearing.” The ancients understood better than we ever could that ‘Life is Suffering.’ Thanks to the advancements that allow us to live as we do, this suffering has been greatly reduced. Many of the problems facing modern people are pretty superficial within the scope of our own mortality. I take great comfort in knowing that I am not actually alone. I have to say, though, that it can be a total bitch.
Not Afraid — Eminem,“Strikes and gutters, ups and downs.”
The Dude, The Big Lebowski
We can walk this road together.
Another Word for Hesitation
I’m the type of person who likes to weigh consequences. I like to take my time and think about things, consider the issue before making any sort of grand gesture. I think keeping it simple is usually the best solution, and I like to temper it with telling the truth. The problem, near as I can tell, is that the more neurotic aspects of a personality like to highlight some of the more negative possibilities, and that can drive a person down a wild rabbit hole. This is not helped by the fact that other people descend into hell, and I’ve been there a time or two myself. Mistakes do have consequences after all. But there’s also a limited window of opportunity that isn’t necessarily going to strike more than once, if at all. It’s in those moments when preparation has to meet opportunity, or you are simply shit out of luck.
Surfing with the Alien — Joe Satriani,I’m up all night to get lucky.
Daft Punk, Get Lucky
Surf’s Up.
&& Making Waves
While there are many things in life that are simply out of a person’s control, I refuse to believe that we are anything except for the arbitrators of our own destiny. I subscribe to a sort of hyper-individualist thought process which causes me to place an emphasis on personal responsibility coupled with freedom of expression. This means that, essentially, I believe it’s our job as individual people to find our own purpose and meaning in life, divorced from whatever collectivist ideology happens to be in vogue at the time. I find my time much better spent bettering myself than blaming others for the bad things in my life. Even the people I have conflict with are not my enemies. I do not dislike them as people. I actually enjoy conflict.
I Don’t Wanna Stop — Ozzy Osbourne,With a rebel yell she cried “More! More! More!”
Billy Idol, Rebel Yell
Everybody’s Walking. Nobody’s Talking. It looks a lot better from here.
Salt and Pepper
There are blessings and there are curses that come with every kind of gift. Everybody, not one person excluded, has felt unbelievable pain. This is an interesting point to take into consideration. I find myself to be extremely conscientious of other people in a way that exceeds virtue. There are many reasons for this, but one of them is an exceptional level of empathy. I’ve been accused from time to time of being cold and unsympathetic, but that couldn’t be any further from the truth. There came a point in my life when I started caring more about facts than I did about feelings because it occurred to me that such a course was actually better for the people around me. I don’t believe bending the truth helps the people I care about in any way. It might be easier in the moment, but there are long term consequences. You might think you’re doing someone a favor by shielding them from harsh realities, or by letting them continue in an intangible delusion, but no good deed goes unpunished.
Everybody Wants to Rule the World — Tears for Fears,Do what thou Will shall be the whole of the Law.
Love is the Law.
Love under Will.
Aleister Crowley
Welcome to your life.
What’s Overwhelming About Power?
Every person is an infinity. There is limitless potential in every single human being on the planet. While it may be going too far to say that everybody could do everything, or even that anybody could do anything, there’s a lot to be said about what people are capable of as individuals and as a group. That’s part of what interests me about people so much. It’s also what drives me nuts. There is absolutely no way to every truly quantify a person. A human being is an end unto him, her, or it-self. Think about that and apply it to yourself. Who could you be if you were the best version of yourself? Contemplate that for a moment.
The Way You Make Me Feel — Michael Jackson,Will you be walking in a straight line? Now you know crime doesn’t pay.
Boy George, Nice and Slow
This beat is Legendary.
Offensively Defensive
What do you suppose it is that stops a person from going after the things he or she wants? A better question might be: What stops you from doing it? It is my heartfelt belief that everybody has moments where they quaver at the thought of simply being happy. Maybe it’s the vulnerability. Maybe it’s the idea that the dream is better than the reality. I think it’s because people do not value themselves as much as they should. I’ve been reading a really good book* lately that talks about just that thing. Did you know that people are more likely to take better care of their pets than they are themselves? I find that astounding. I wonder where that comes from. The solution posed in the book is simply genius: “Treat yourself like someone you are responsible for helping.” What do you think about that?
I’m starting with the man in the mirror. I’m asking him to change his ways.
Michael Jackson, Man in the Mirror
It’s the End of the World — REM,
I feel fine.
That’s all for now.
Until next time,
Thank you;
*12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos by Jordan B. Peterson.