I Do As I Say

Yesterday I had some fresh ink put in on my left pectoral. I had the symbol for the Tao placed over my heart, to remind me to always follow my path. The square piece on the right represents a man's head, and the piece on the left represents 'the path' or 'the way.' The symbol as a whole stands for, roughly, "the path a man walks along during his life." But there was something more I wanted to add to this tattoo. A phrase. A motto. A way of life.     "Elevate Your Mind." It's a lyric from the chorus of "Rebirth of the Temple" by Silent Civilian, the band of my personal rock 'n' roll God: Jonny Santos. About a year ago I heard this record, and the power behind its lyrics completely changed my life. It’s only one song, sure. But it came at a time when I needed it. I needed Jonny’s words, needed to hear his pain. His lyrics cured my sorrow, showed me I wasn’t alone, gave me the strength to be reborn. I can almost single handedly blame this song for motivating me to get into shape and addicted to the weight room.     Ya, sure, it's just one heavy metal song. But it wasn’t the song, it was the moment - the feeling. The overwhelming source of strength that can come from nothing more than words. The words of an artist, who even if you’ve never met, understands you. He feels your pain. He shares in your sorrow. For those minutes, when your fist is in the air, silent amongst the screaming masses, you feel an inner sense of pride, the one you’d forgotten at fifteen and tried so hard to bury. It shows you who you were born to be, the man inside who screams outs for support. It showed me the person I needed to become. It showed me that I could. Gave me confidence where there was none. Gave me strength when I had none.     So I made the words my slogan. I made them something I would represent. It didn't matter if it meant getting high, educating yourself, reaching enlightenment, having a new perspective, being more compassionate, or pushing through pain. "Elevate your mind" was my way of life. And now those words are on me forever, coupled with the symbol for what I consider to be the most brilliant philosophy of all time. If you'd like to see where this all came from, I've posted the video for the song as well as the lyrics. Elevate Your Mind. (As a nice side note, I got to meet Jonny twice and express my love for his music. At the end of the second show, he even walked over and personally handed me his guitar pick. It was a gratifying moment, to say the least.) Wake up and rise to live another day Put on your gloves to fight society Sedate your fears and build your train of thought Stand up for your beliefs and never stop Pushing hard each day (To) Keep our individuality Elevate your mind Strength within is what you need to find Pick up the pieces we all make mistakes Rebirth of self esteem ignore whats fake Move on, you're not alone Stay strong, do not lose hope