I’ve always wanted to be a writer. More accurately, I’ve always wanted writing to be the underpinning through which my inner voice worked tirelessly to make sense of our shared reality. I hold great reverence for those whom language is the chosen weapon. I’m attracted to the misfits and outlaws of our society. The drunks and addicts. The aloof. The mystics. Those who use charisma and intrigue as currency. The men and women who have not simply rejected the chains of conformity but have instead chosen to burn the bridges connecting them from the rest with a zeal and vigor akin to religious fervor. These folks are the true hero’s of the human narrative. They are not good capitalists. They are not good puritans or standard bearers of Victorian ethics. They are people for whom the shared experience, and honesty, and personal freedom are virtues. Anything less is treasonous – an affront to the muse of collective consciousness.
It has taken me a lifetime to get a sense of what all this means. What the root of this fascination means and what I’m supposed to do with that information. It’s not just the writers, but the comedians and podcasters too. All of these people are teaching me that there is more to life than what we have been lead to believe is possible. That this life that I’m living is mine to control.
I have spent a lifetime avoiding responsibility. I have taken the easy route. I have avoided experience. I have taken refuge in comfort and the path of least resistance. I have been living a life that hasn’t yielded psychological, or physical, or philosophical meaning. I have not held up my end of the bargain. For too long I have sat on the sidelines and idolized those who do the work, often for the wrong reasons. It’s not the demons that make the artist appealing. Its their ability to be honest with who they are and to use that honesty as a club to beat their way through a culture and society designed to destroy them.
This project is my attempt to break free. It is here where I intended to bring my demons to light and expose their chicanery. In this space I will work diligently to explore ideas and concepts with intellectual curiosity and honesty. This is my first real attempt to add to the narrative of human experience and grow and find meaning. I’ve always avoided sharing my thoughts and opinions and feelings assuming that it was too narcissistic to do so; That I couldn’t possible ask or expect folks to lend me their time to explore and engage in the metaphysical and practical alike. What I have come to realize is that this lack of openness was based in fear. What my idols have been patiently telling me, and what I’m just now beginning to see is that fear should not and cannot be an impassible obstacle. Instead fear and discomfort are tools to become the best version of the self.
My intent is that this space serves as a springboard for which I can learn to cultivate the inner voice and learn to live in a way that is more align with my values and the spirit of my mentors. It is about growth and shedding preconceived notions. It is about testing convictions and exploring big ideas and learning from peers and fellow travelers. I am excited to start working.
I thank you for your time, and happy Thanksgiving.
Sometimes, Things Don’t Suck 
Fantastic! All I’ve ever wanted to be was a lousy capitalist; all I’ve ever wanted to do was blow up the puritan ethic. We, the societal, spend so much of our time romanticizing the past, trying to make some failed epoch or failing philosophy our paradise. As Don Henley said, though, “call some place paradise, kiss it goodbye.”
I’m not the best noncomformist. I spend so much time (too much?) trying to build that bridge between the lost (those who buy the plan) and the free (those who have escaped it), so I lack a martyr’s edge. But I admire the Fawkes among us, same as you do. Viva la revolución, monsieur!
Your paragraph about breaking free gave me shivers. “This is my first real attempt to add to the narrative of human experience and grow and find meaning.”
The world has been waiting. You have so much to add to that experience. Welcome to the front lines, D!
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You are too kind my dear friend! Thank you.
I truly feel that this is our struggle. As Tyler Durden says, “I see in the fight club the strongest and smartest men who’ve ever lived. I see all this potential and I see squandering. God damn it, an entire generation pumping gas, waiting tables, slaves with white collars, advertising has us chasing cars and clothes, working jobs we hate so we can buy shit we don’t need. We’re the middle children of the history man, no purpose or place, we have no Great war, no Great depression, our great war is a spiritual war, our great depression is our lives, we’ve been all raised by television to believe that one day we’d all be millionaires and movie gods and rock stars, but we won’t and we’re slowly learning that fact. and we’re very very pissed off.”
We have the unique luxury of boredom. We gravitate towards mind-numbing excess that provides no real sense of purpose or meaning. The great struggle of our generation, as I see it, is to rocket ourselves out of this complacency and trivial consumer bullshit and into an awakening of art and purpose and togetherness.
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I need watch that movie again; I clearly was not in the right frame of mind when I called it “two hours of my life I will never get back.” I will watch and reassess as soon as possible. 😉
Btw, as I expected, your replies are every bit as good as your original posts. Bravo on making the internet a better place to live! 👏👏👏
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Reblogged this on Tom Being Tom and commented:
My good friends, I would like to introduce to you the newest member of our blogging community, a man who is like a brother to me. We have spent countless hours over the years, he and I, discussing every facet of this thing called life together, over beers, over texts, through e-mails. Over more beers. When I was new to this, I counted on this man to tell me if I could write. When I failed, at times, to make my point, I counted on him to tell me to try again. He always did. And now, his thoughts have joined ours; his wisdom added to, augmenting, our own. He says he wants to “add to the narrative of human experience,” and I have no doubt that he shall. Please give his introductory exposition a look, and join me in welcoming him to the world of online writing. 👏👏👏
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❤️
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Strong piece! I came across you from Tom’s blog and I can already tell your blog is going to be intriguing! The misfits are some of the best people out there.
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Thank you for the kind words!
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I love the way you phrased your view of artists.The men and women who have not simply rejected the chains of conformity but have instead chosen to burn the bridges connecting them from the rest with a zeal and vigor akin to religious fervor.
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Thank you. Artists are pretty rad! I have a profound appreciation for those who are able to exist comfortably (and especially profit from) in realities gray areas. Thank you for taking the time to read and comment. Cheers!
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Not at all. I am glad Tom pointed me your way, and I look forward to whatever else comes.
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