shines

Your music is an inspiration to me and thousands of fans around the world. But you already know this. I wanted to tell you my story. Your music has always been open to interpretation. While I am sure each song was written with personal feelings and memories attached to them, every fan interprets the songs’ lyrics and sound based on their own experiences and thought-processes. As a young girl, I really discovered your music as a teenager, 13 to be exact. The angst-ridden beginnings of your music appealed to me and as Lateralus was produced I loved you even more. I remember distinctly my first trip on mushrooms at around the age of 17. I had a complete spiritual awaking. In this state, I realized that every living creature is made up of energy just floating along in the universe, visualizing a physical world in which to interact. We create this reality that we live in, where lessons are learned, and we bring ourselves to a higher level of existence with our learning. To me, the lyrics of Parobola personify this revelation. “Embrace this moment, remember we are eternal, all this pain is an illusion.” In my altered state I realized that all the suffering and drama of daily life is just a step to the next plain and it doesn’t really matter, per se, it is a state of our own creation, to better us and move us forward. While I know that these lyrics mean something else to you, to me it means to take every day, especially the awful ones, as though it were not really of any importance at all. Sure, be a kind person, do good and try your best, but don’t sweat the bullshit, because its not really real. Life hurts, its fucking terrible, it is suffering and pain, but all of that is an illusion. We will get through it, we will persist. You die and that is not the end. Energy has to go somewhere. We persist. This thought-process has gotten me through some very rough times, and I thank you for that, even though I know it was not intentional. I have been listening to your music for over a decade, and I hope you never stop. Fuck all the people who say you’re burned-out. True fans will love you for as long as you choose to make your beautiful music. Each album evolves, it changes. Those of us who have been with you through the years know that its not about the money, its not about the fame, its about being artists and doing what you love, and expressing yourself in an amazing way. Even if you stop making music right now, I could listen to everything you have done thus far over and over again and never get sick of it. I have only seen you twice in concert, but both times were two of the most amazing moments in my life. You have such an eclectic fan-base and an amazing visual display. Your music is haunting and touching and it reaches out to so many people. I just want you to know that. I do not know you as individuals, but only through your music, but I hope you will read this and feel the emotion and sentiment and be proud of yourselves. Thank you! Persist my friends, persist.