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"Of everything that was to be, to be was everything...
And nothing else makes me the same the same as anything...
If anything could be as thick, if layers could be false...
I'd bet my life I'd win again, it's your bet, I mean, your loss..." -Ethan Womack

Wednesday, January 25, 2012

The Comfort In Being Sad

It would seem odd to think that the negative aspects and or situations that life can sometimes bring to one's doorstep could be anything to boast about or to adore, however, as you read this, I would ask that you take such things to heart.

As a musician, this is a topic that comes up rather often. I listen to music, and write my own songs, and I ponder upon such thoughts.

Should we view the negative aspects of life as something to be avoided? Or are such times of sadness and despair needed?

I guess the real question is, why do we as humans find it to be so attractive? Sadness that is. We can all identify with it, yes, but is that why when we hear a terribly depressing song that it resonates with our soul in the measure that it does, sending chills through our body, or bringing about tears? Have you ever analyzed such feelings?

I personally have had my times of terrible sadness, and, as fate would have it, recently have come along something that has stolen away my ability to be truly sad ever again it would seem. Yet, even I, in all of my bliss, identify with such works of art in the very same measure as I did back in the day, when my feelings were the same as those that are being expressed. I find it to be attractive. There is this sort of, esoteric epicness, and from my perspective, a great deal of potential hope hidden behind it all, as though, one day something will come along and release that spring, and all of that positive energy will burst forth.

However, that is not my main point of this article. The point of this article is to point out to you that indeed, sad times come, and sad times go, but I want for you to focus on something.

Whenever you get knocked down by life, or brought to that point wherein you honestly feel as though you simply cannot take even one more step, I want you to realize that no matter if you feel "good enough" or whatever may be the case, that those times of despair, are there for one reason and one reason alone; and that is so that you can show yourself just how amazing you are.

The reason that such songs, movies, whatever form of art, touch us in the way that they do, is because honestly, on a subconscious level, we DO find it attractive. I know that sounds rather masochistic. I mean, pain is not something that one should seek after or desire. But you know what? It is something that is to be embraced. Have you ever noticed that any song of hope that you've ever heard has within it portions which speak of the writer's feelings of hopelessness? It has to be that way, and the reality is, that nobody ever succeeded at anything without first failing.

Someone somewhere once said, "I have not failed 1,000 times, I have discovered 1,000 ways that will not work".

The truth is, that this concept, permeates throughout the universe. Something new cannot be created without the old first being destroyed.

Any hardship that life throws at you will not get better by your complaining, in fact, the only thing that complaining is good for, is for you to tell yourself how unhappy you are with your less than gleeful situation, so that you can get it off of your chest, and move on...but that's not what we do most of the time now is it? We sit, and we weep, and we sit, and we weep, and before long, we have no idea what it is that we're actually sad about, we just enjoy the comfort that sadness brings.

One cannot be truly happy nor satisfied until they have been made to be truly unhappy and dissatisfied. It simply does not work that way. In fact, if you went and got as comfortable as you could possibly get, laying on your couch and watching television, your body would make you uncomfortable before it let you lie there for too long. You would die if you never moved from that position of comfort.

Have you ever noticed that pain or discomfort has never actually killed anyone. I'm talking of minor discomforts, or earth shattering emotional trauma even. These things are essentially harmless when it comes to life and death, and yet, in America, I find that we are nearly all so consumed with our own ideas of comfort and security, that we neglect the fact that when such things are threatened or taken away, that it is just like our body's refusing to let us stay comfortable in one position for too long.

Now, to me, this post feels scattered and not well written. My wrists hurt, this chair is not very comfortable, and I don't seem to be getting out what I intended to write in the first place, but, still within me is the desire to point such things out to you, and so, rather than deleting all of what I've written, I'm going to continue to type, and when I finish I will post it, because honestly, what I have to offer to this world does not depend upon my perception of it, nor of my comfort in doing it. The only thing that matters in the end, is that I can say that I at least tried. I had it all worked out in my head how I would write this, and tell you many great things about this subject, and now, I can't even seem to get anything of it out, but it doesn't matter, because I know that someone out there will read this, and it will be exactly what they needed to hear.

One cannot live by simply being self-serving all of the days of their life. I would encourage you to read through some of the other posts on this site, and search your soul, find out who you truly are, and realize that there IS something that you have to offer to this world, and see the infinite value of that, and then, stop complaining and procrastinating, and just go do it. What have you got to lose? You've got the world to gain....

I'm gonna go and play a song for the woman of my dreams. She's in the other room right now strumming away. She won't play for me, I'm not sure why, but it will all come out in the wash I suppose. The song that I'm going to play for her is one that she told me was her favorite out of all of the songs that I've written. It was written from a very dark place, full of doubt and despair. It was about her. You see, for quite some time I was in terrible pain, and she was the cause of it, and she knew what she was doing, but, from that period of darkness, I got this song, and not only is it her favorite, it's mine as well. Some of the best work that I've ever created in my opinion.

I think the thing I wanted to say in this post, was this....

"It seems to be at the moments of the least amount of hope, and of the most crushing despair, when we as human beings are pressed down on all sides, that out from within us proceeds the greatest and most awe inspiring works of art that the world has ever seen, powerful enough to inspire whole generations to search within themselves and find that same brilliant light. It is in our darkest hour that true human emotion is set free, and all is cleansed in that moment, and we see what we truly are..."   - Ethan Womack

4 comments:

  1. Nicey said. Indeed exactly what I needed

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  2. Thank you so much!! i love this!

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    Replies
    1. I had forgotten this was even still online, or that I'd written it. I'm glad you enjoyed it. :)

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