1. appreciate your "fans", but be hesitant about trusting them. people will write you emails as if they worship you and want desperately to be your intimate companion. and the moment you do or say something human, or something they don't like…they will turn on you in an instant. sometimes in extreme ways.
2. expressing a feeling is a survival tactic, like letting steam out of a tea kettle. it's not necessarily solicitation for advice or lectures from anyone, particularly people you've NEVER EVEN MET. some people have more steam than others, and there's not always a reason. trust me - just like no one would CHOOSE to be gay - no one CHOOSES to be full of steam. although it's much easier to believe everything in life is a choice, i just don't believe it's that simple for everyone. intangibles like physical depression & alcoholism are real, and unchosen. just like cancer is real. or sexual orientation. or height. we all have our handicaps, and all anyone can do is their best.
3. people yell at you when you blog too much. they yell at you when you don't blog enough. they scream at you for not writing "happy, upbeat songs"….and when you do, they scream at you for "selling out".
4. people yell at you for not responding to an email. and if you do respond, they yell at you for not responding fast enough, or not writing enough sentences.
5. some people spend a few dollars on your music, and then act as if they purchased a part of your soul, and are now an equal parts shareholder in who you are and what you do.
6. you can't trust politics, government, religion, or even science. it used to be a known fact that the earth was flat. one day eggs are proven to cause cancer, and the next, they are proven to prevent it. pluto was a planet for decades and now…its not. no matter how certain someone seems, no one ever really knows what they're talking about.
7. experience is much more valuable than opinion. but even experience is specific and subjective.
8. we live in a world where someone can build a life & career explicitly around hating others & causing pain, and then that person can turn right around and become a spokesperson for a "No Hate" campaign. that really confuses me.
9. few human beings have a sense of humor, and when they do, it's often very basic & underdeveloped. people don't like questions, and they don't like layers.
10. some religious people won't stand up for black people, even though they have experienced some of the same oppression. some black people won't stand up for women, even though they have experienced some of the same oppression. some women won't stand up for gay people, even though they have experienced some of the same oppression. some gay people won't stand up for depressed people, even though they have experienced some of the same oppression. depressed people are awesome, and stand up for everyone. haha
