no extra measure

as the old saw goes, it's not so much the things that people don't know, it's the many things that people know (or profess, or believe) that just aren't so. that are foolish, misleading, or flat-out untrue. that's where the world's screwed-upness comes from.

you try to think for yourself, and not the standard rebellion thing that's just looking to shock or be different. goth might as well be the standard uniform for people who don't want to be boring. you try to figure things out for real, no matter where it leads, and it just naturally ends up being the road less travelled, winding through some pretty odd, interesting places.

it gets to to the point where you don't have to advertise with tattoos or or funky hair or dressing differntly, your oddness just comes through, word gets around. socrates said, looking at a marketplace, see, there are so many things that i don't want. and of course there's diogenes, scorning the world and everyone in it.

i've always held to the theory that there are no extra measures of life. maybe not exactly true, but at least that everyone has the same amount of energy to start with, to invest over their various interests and concerns. and my trick was always a ruthless kind of focus. screw the dross, things like food, clothes, or hair. balance is the mantra of the lamer, for the boring and conventional. And i’ve held as a post-mortem axiom for when things don’t go right, then something wasn’t extreme enough, wasn't drastic enough, didn't crank it up to the level where it should have been.

will durant said that the truth may not make you rich, but it can set you free. certainly does make the ride more interesting.