A Colder, Blacker Destination

All the integrity in the world just isn't worth the heart ache.

My mother always told me, "You must fight for what you believe in."
My grandfather always told me, "If something is worth doing, it is worth doing well."
Don't believe a god-damned word of it. The whole fucking world is a hideous, dirty, selfish, back stabbing shit hole.

I'll tell you what I wish they had told me.
First off, don't ever fight for a thing. You get what you put in; sheer bull shit in the end. Nothing will ever come of it. You will put all of yourself into something, and just get shafted at the end of the day. Nothing will ever amount to the expectations you place, when you actually truly put yourself into that worthy struggle. No one else possesses the ability or desire to meet you even half way. That is, unless their own personal and selfish goals momentarily align with your true and just intents.
Secondly, nothing is worth doing well. You won't ever get so much as a thank you. Master the art of bull-shit, master the art of small talk, master the art of self interest, master the art of charm, master the art of lying under the feigned guise of ignorance. These are the things that will get you everywhere and everything.

Fuck your ideals. Learn how to be cute and charming. That is all you need to get by. Nothing that is preached is practiced and nothing considered sacred is truly valued. Integrity is dead, chivalry is dead, morality is dead. Fake your way out of all the things that are difficult. Never confront anything, never put any of yourself into anything. This is the key to happiness. Just make yourself too damn dumb to know any better.

Give up now, and compromise what it is that you truly, or just claim to believe in.

Alone, miserable and proud. Or completely content and stupid enough to be happy in your comfortably numb state. Do drugs, get drunk, eat McDonalds, watch reruns, find faith in a storybook savior. You won't be happy either way; but at least with the latter set of suggestions, you're just too dumb to know any better.

Never care about anything. It only ends in heart br(ache).







For the meek few, honesty remains though. As hard as you try to push it away, you know it will always be waiting and rearing with the strength of one thousand horses. At least know that you are in the good graces and company of such warriors as Chris Simpson and myself. All vanity aside, it's just that I know no others fitting of this description.

I STAND ON A BUILDING AND THROW UP MY ARMS TO THE SKY/I SWALLOW MY PRIDE AND ADMIT THAT IT'S NOT ALWAYS BEST TO UNDERSTAND THE REASONS WHY/IT'S JUST NOT THE SAME WHEN YOU WAKE UP IN THE MORNING WITH A SMILE ON YOUR FACE/WHEN YOU KNOW YOU LIED YOURSELF TO SLEEP TO MAKE IT BETTER/I KNOW I'VE GOT TO LIVE MY LIFE/ROLL AROUND ON THE GROUND AND FEEL THE STRIFE/I WILL NEVER FORGET HOW YOU TAUGHT ME TO STAND ON THESE RUBBER LEGS AND FIGHT/I TRY TO SPEAK BUT THE TEARS CHOK THE WORDS/I THINK I FINALLY KNOW WHAT THEY MEAN WHEN THY TALK ABOUT JOY

WHEN I'M FINALLY NAKED AND STANDING IN THE SUNLIGHT, I'LL LOOK BACK AT ALL THIS SELFISHNESS AND FOOLISH PRIDE AND LAUGH AT MYSELF


Now Playing;
Mineral's "The Power of Failing"
Mineral's "EndSerenading"
The Gloria Record's "The Gloria Record"
The Gloria Record's "A Lull in Traffic"

Change?

"As we stand with our backs to the breakers, we are looking down on a world gone dark. Where golden seas once washed on pristine shores. As we stand with our backs to the breakers, we are looking down on a world in pain. And though we may die young, I swear we won't die in vain. We are a new faith. We are a new face. We are everything in this world that personifies change."

The above is a transcript of lyrics I sing in a song that my band performs. I recently introduced this song - linking it to a prior speech on how the questioning of authority can be the first step to change - by describing what this song is supposed to encapsulate. I explained that this song is meant to call people to action, in essence. Things in the world are in a very poor place right now and, in my mind, the only feasible way to have a desirable outcome is to change our ways of thinking and acting towards a positive outcome. We must make the world a better place. We must focus on that final desired out come.

All this aside, though. As soon as I had finished describing the intent of this song, I found myself being heckled by kids in the crowd. And the reason astounded me. Their exact words were, "Then why did you vote for Obama?". Mind you, this was your standard group of ratty punk rock anarchist kids. They're everywhere, in every town, living in their parents' half million dollar houses, continually spewing pure uninformed, unthought out, shit from their mouths. And usually I just ignore them. But, for some reason, this time it just enraged me. I was the bigger man and I didn't give them the satisfaction of getting me worked up. I offered them a logical discussion after our set. Ironically enough, no one really seemed interested in having any political discussions afterwards.

So far, this whole post has been about how annoyed I was with these mere children. But, now I must discuss the reality and sanity, or lack of, in regards to what they brought up. I will put this in very plain English. Short and concise statements. Hopefully, my opinion and my point will be well illustrated. I just hope that everyone is coherent enough to give an altering view point a chance. Open-mindedness is a gem.

Okay, here it goes:
Obama is different than the last eight, even perhaps the last 28 years. Obama is different than McCain would have been, had he won. McCain or Obama were going to win, end of story. Obama isn't perfect. Obama is still a part of the flawed big government, bureaucratic system. But, a drastic change is not going to happen over night. With Obama, standards were pushed to a new radical level that mainstream society hadn't seen before. No one is saying that Obama is great and we need not continue fighting. But, given the circumstances in November, Obama was a wise choice. His ideas will stretch the status quo. They will make what is accepted by the populous a more greatly expanded set of ideals. In conclusion, Obama was a logical and much needed step towards betterment. He isn't the ideal and he is quite flawed in many ways, but he truly brings us one step closer to that ideal.




Listen to the song, "A Necessary Change", at http://www.last.fm/music/Trunks%2B%2526%2BTales/Tour+EP.

Holiday mentality

I am pretty certain that the person who created all holidays is the same person that created families to spend these holidays with. This place is empty today, moreso than all the other days. Or, at least, it feels that way. Perhaps the weather will shape up. Fingers crossed.


Now Playing:
Bonnie Prince Billy & Matt Sweeney "Superwolf"
J Church "Travels in Hyper-Reality"
Farside "Rigged"
Lucero "Tennessee"
Whiskeytown "Stranger's Almanac"

Moot

The best time for giving up is when you have nothing left to give. After all, you've nothing left to lose. And, similarly, the best time to shut up is when you have nothing left worth saying. On nights such as these, everything is foreign and utterly terrifying. Embrace this if you are fortunate to have the ability to do so. After all, the best time to start over is when you have nothing; a clean slate. Otherwise, just cease all being. All loving, all caring, all hope is now completely null and void. Moot point.

It was never worth the effort; not once, not ever.


Now playing:
Rival Schools "United By Fate"
The Blow "Bonus Album"
Mirah "C'mon Miracle"