The Insatiable Lust for Home...Frolicking in Familiarity...Fear and Loathing at Home.

"You know, Thomas Edison tried and failed nearly 1,000 times to develop the carbonized cotton-thread filament for the incandescent light bulb...When asked about it, he said, "I didn't fail, I found out 999 ways how not to make a light bulb.' But he only needed to find one way to make it work."

~National Treasure

Normally, I would try and avoid a Disney quote at the beginning of an entry, however it fits. Plus it adds a bit of cohesiveness to the bumpy beginnings of this post.

I have never made it a secret the fact that I feel that the U.P. is quite possibly the most stifling place in the world. Of course, there are the usual pundits on the flip-side of this constantly quoting this being "God's Country." This is a solid argument that I cannot refute. The U.P. is unquestionably beautiful, and can soften even the most ruthless of hearts (just ask former mobster Al Capone when you get to Hell).

It has never been the caliber of the landscape, but rather that of the people that infuriates me to the point that I dust off the keys to "Tha Lair" to make my first post in over four months. While the rolling hills and endless beaches on the shores of the Great Lakes may be the foundation on which Michigan's Upper Peninsula is built, its people are the mortar, and you're cracking folks. There is an unspoken pride that roughly 98% of the population feel in regards to their home town. Sure, we all talk about how much we can't stand the area we are from, but at the end of the day if you hear a news report about a massive drug crackdown in your place of birth...well it hits home (pun INTENDED). This a natural thing. We all have a generic sense of pride when it come to our upbringings, but it is when you let this pride become unadulterated that you run the risk of falling into line with the herd.

Perfect example. I have many good friends that are from the U.P. and are constantly talking smack about their hometown, yet when something good comes their way, they refuse to deviate from anything that may be new and exciting. Instead going back to their home. It seems that this is a general sense of being afraid to take risks in life. Too often people are afraid to take a risk and stray from their day-to-day. That's not to say that these people are not driven, but rather they are just too scared to do anything about it.

Whether this fear comes from getting burned by an ex-boy/girlfriend or from legitimate hardships in one's life, this fear is debilitating. Twice in the past month I have had conversations with two different people on taking chances. Both of which ended in the same fashion: "Risk taking is a great thing...would I do it myself? Hell NO!" I may have paraphrased that a little bit to further my own point, but that is essentially what was said.

For these people, life is easiest when the KNOW that they can handle it. Is it rewarding? Not particularly. Will they ever be truly happy? Probally not. But can they HANDLE it? Most definitely. However, when you are just doing the bare minimum to "get by" you loose out on hundreds of great opportunities. It is very possible that many of you reading this would not even be here if one of your parents hadn't stepped-up and taken that big plunge by talking to the other the first time they met (of course this would go against my other theory that most American children born since 1970 were accidents).

The strangest thing about this is that most of the people I talk to take offense if you call them "scared," however the manner in which they lead their lives is a stunning example of how fear can put a strangle-hold on your life. Fear is the great debilitator. Its time we stepped up and said, "no more!" Take a chance by asking that girl out. The worst that can happen is that she'll say no (well actually the WORST that could happen would involve the 1998 Green Bay Packers, a midget, and a meteorite with Bruce Willis nowhere to be found).

This is a call to arms! Dust off, and reattach those things you so gleefully used to refer to as your balls. Ask for a raise, try a new food, TALK TO A STRANGER! Do whatever it is that you need to do to improve your life. Take a risk, and reap the rewards. As the late great Hunter S. Thomson once wrote, "Buy the ticket, take the ride." Upon reaching adulthood, we all bought a ticket. Stop waiting in line and take the ride my friends.

~peace, props, & chicken pox

Soul Brotha Joel