Welcome to the Dark Room

I find myself on the cusp of a new chapter of this story I like to call my life. At the culmination of my adolescence, and in an attempt to mentally process what my future should or can be, I seem to become increasingly grateful for the positive influences that I have so far let into my life.

In a previous post I have talked about my connection to certain forms of music. And without intention to sound like a broken record, In the context of the message I'd like to bring to you here, I must reiterate. I feel that as a teenager, I produced a certain impression in the hearts and minds of my peers. I was "that kid" with long hair, wore black clothes, liked punk rock, art, and worshipped idols not found on TMZ or on the covers of magazines ...which to those around me I cannot deny must have been the picture of adolescent cliché. However, the actual thought processes and judgements behind many of my interests at such an age were perhaps more profound than just everyday teen angst. Even then I felt very particular about the history and deeper meaning behind what I enjoyed on what may have seemed like a superficial level, and music is a prime example of this.

Getting into punk rock as a teen, I was lead to Minor Threat, DC legends and veritable pioneers within music subculture through advocating living a positive lifestyle and living life on your own terms. My initial choice to internalise the philosophy of the Straight Edge movement may have been marred by a hint of classic teen rebellion, but the fact that such an ideology was against the grain in the society I was (and continue to be) surrounded by was but a small part in the reasoning behind making such a choice. Integral to the original ideas of the movement is the idea of respect, the notion for me that I clung to was that through respecting myself, I can better respect others, and would be better equipped to treat others how I would like to be treated. I do not consider a Straight Edge lifestyle to be a militant "anti drug" stance, instead I see it as something that it so personal that I could not think to expect it to extend to everyone around me. Through the influence of Straight Edge, I've found better clarity in my relationships with others. If someone chooses to uses substances , but can respect my choice to refrain, mutual respect is inevitable, and this for me is why I stay true to what I believe has been a greatly positive influence on my life.

The idea of PMA, also known as Positive Mental Attitude is sometimes thrown around rather ubiquitously, in a variety of contexts. For me, especially in more recent years, it is something I find myself coming back to repeatedly to help myself progress. My understanding of the term has in some ways evolved, I understand it to be not just an internal thought process, but an active output of positivity that effects not just myself, but those around me. I suppose the idea is to give out positivity, and receive this back in return. At this point in my life I've become much more motivated to cut out or at least modify the aspects of my life and relationships with others that become negative. Recent developments in my personal life also bring me to the conclusion that PMA is always possible, even when I encounter the negativity of others, this is fuel for the bonfire of positivity I like to keep radiating in the center of my mind.

I would like to point out that I have, in many ways, "calmed down" in terms of the predominance my own subjective philosophies place on my day to day life. I think that self discovery and the pursuit of individuality is an important right of passage for all of us, and at a certain point, which I have come to realise more recently, this is what allows you to be happy in a civilisation where it is true that "no man is an island". The logic of Donne is palpable, in that everyone really is a part of a whole.

Push and Pull. Give and Take.

As a teen I may have once thought that the goal was to "not fit in" with everyone else, hence my striving to live in my own way. Now I find that it is this very pursuit that will allow me to find a place for myself on this crazy spinning rock as it endeavors on its journey that I know is larger and more important than anything I may live through, think or write about. Humility and humbleness is also a road to inner peace.

Staying positive and finding truly positive influences to perpetuate that mentality can be an uphill battle, but I find it easier to stick to especially when left to my own thoughts, hold up in my bedroom as I write to you when everything "out there" may be far from positive. I hope I have provided some food for thought, without coming across as too trite or overbearing. Thank you for listening to my word vomit.

In the words of H2O, "One Life, One Chance, gotta do it right"

सत्याग्रह (Satyagraha) - The means in life are everything , and are inseparable from the ends:

"If I want to deprive you of your watch, I shall certainly have to fight for it; if I want to buy your watch, I shall have to pay for it; and if I want a gift, I shall have to plead for it; and, according to the means I employ, the watch is stolen property, my own property, or a donation" - Mahatama Ghandi

http://www.onelifeonechance.com/

Welcome to the Dark Room

Friday 30 May 2014

Playlist 5/26/14

Thursday 22 May 2014

Playlist 5/19/14

Friday 9 May 2014

Playlist 5/5/14

Friday 2 May 2014

Playlist 4/28/14

Friday 25 April 2014

Playlist 04/25/14

Reviews

Thursday 24 April 2014

Life, Influence, Energy, and Positivity