11-7-00
Writer's Block, at eWCenter
By: Andy Bloxham

First off, I would just like to welcome Samantha James to the column section here. Check out her web-site (but I'm not going to plug sammy-online.com for her…she'll have to do that herself). It's got some good stuff. On with the column . . .

Has anyone ever heard of Edgar Allen Poe? Maybe some of you have (sarcasm). He wrote a large collection of pieces. Some have even been turned into movies long after his death. He was also the man responsible for "The Raven." That poem was responsible for the name of one certain wrestler who I know a lot of you follow the career of.

What is ironic, though, is that his entire life was a direct contrast to how he is viewed today. He was a lonely, depressed, and quite bitter man. His poetry reflects the dire mood of his life. During his time of existence, he was not viewed as an intellect. He was an outcast. Only now, in today's world, is he given the respect and adoration that he truly deserves.

Anyone ever heard of a man by the name of Kurt Cobain? He played guitar and sang in a little band called "Nirvana" a few years back. These days, a lot of people hold him in the highest regards. Some worship him like he was the Second Coming. Others committed suicide right after he did. Regardless, a large portion of those who are involved with rock music hold this man upon the highest esteem.

But years before his fame, he received no such honors. I was told that he was in the ballet class while growing up through school. He was not apart of the "cool kids" in high school (that dog-eat-dog philosophy that is prevalent in high school these days is a whole other subject, though). Would being apart of the ballet class warrant such a distinction? With the high school way of thinking, no. And yet, many years later, I would think that it would be a reasonable wager to say that some of his peers could be driving down the road with "Come as you are" playing in their car's CD player.

There are many other examples. Take, for instance, the mainstream pop rock band "Matchbox 20." They were a group of homeless musicians before they made it big in the music world. How many people ever show a Dumpster diver respect? Read "On Dumpster Diving" by Lars Eighner for the answer to that. (It's a seriously good read).

I can even use Stephen King as an example. Before he published "Carrie," he was living in a small trailer with two children and a wife, trying to get by on the putrid wages of a high school English teacher and publishing any article he could to get by. Now look at him. He's a highly successful author who is held in the highest regards by almost any writer out there. Not bad for a man who wrote "Carrie" on a small typewriter in the back room of his trailer. There are also the polar opposite extremities. There are rich businessmen, people who you think have it all, but are depressed and angry at life. Their "success" hasn't bought them any happiness. It's just a public figure that means nothing when they try to lay down in their satin beds and try to get to sleep at night.

Also, there are "poor" people living in this world who are fine and content with how their life is going. It is because they are doing something that they enjoy. It doesn't matter if they are looked upon as "geeks" because of it or not. If it is something that they enjoy, then it shouldn't matter to them.

The point I am trying to get at is this: do not judge someone by the things that they do. Just because something is looked upon as "most popular," does not make it the best. In all honestly, there is a large percentage of people out there who laugh at those who try so hard to maintain a place in something just because it's viewed as "popular." Since when is something not fun when it's deemed by others as "not cool" any longer? If someone was truly enjoying himself or herself, then the answer is NEVER.

Don't look down upon someone right now because they don't seem to meet the status quo of how they should be living their life. Everyone has a certain thing in life that makes him or her tick. Don't let others tell you what it is that makes you a "nerd" in life now, even if it was something they themselves were doing just six months earlier. If it's something that is apart of your life, then so be it. You, and you alone, are the person responsible for living your life.

You never know if that kid who sits in the corner playing "Magic: The Gathering" while wearing a Boba Fett T-shirt might become a celebrity icon one day in life. I'm sure the kids who went to school with Kurt Cobain never dreamed he would reach the status that he achieved.

Go figure.

Andy Bloxham