The coming of a new year is not only a time to celebrate the beginning of the next chapter, but also to reflect on the one we have closed. As we approach the fruition of endless possibility in our next 365 day venture, it is important to make goals based on our past experiences and 2014 was a year full of shortcomings for EDM fans.
As much as we may revel in the memories we made, it is impossible to look back and say that as a community we’ve truly come closer to our greatest potential. It is inevitable that as time goes on our family will grow and as more people cultivate their passion for this music we have to make sure we are in a place where we can create these experiences in harmony.
What many of us forget is that when we step out onto these dance floors, they are not ours to own but ours to share and with that fallacy we have established a precedence of separation. When tragedy strikes a divided community, it becomes a hostile matter of “us” vs “them” rather than a compassionate circumstance of “we” vs “ourselves” and the negativity that follows will only continue to grow in every crevice we have left barren of love.
The same way cracks filled with water will shatter stone when climates suddenly drop, the negative energy nesting in our community could one day break us too. We must realize that if we hope for EDM to hold a bright future we need to build the glowing fire ourselves and everyone who wishes to bask in its warmth must lay down a log.
With that being said, I propose a set of New Year’s resolutions that will contribute to the positive growth of this scene we claim to hold so dearly and hopefully lay the foundation for a larger, more inviting space to share with those to come.
1. Evaluate Your Purpose At Shows And Fulfill That
There is purpose in everything we intentionally do. Sometimes that purpose calls us for something greater than ourselves and our own satisfaction. Granted, if we’re at a festival that took months of planning, saving and preparation we expect to enjoy ourselves as much as possible but moment to moment there is so much more to live for.
Sometimes your purpose is to energize those around you so that they may radiate the same positivity. Sometimes your purpose is to forget your current situation so that when you return to it you are better than when you left. Sometimes your purpose is to guide others to theirs.
You might not get the same instant gratification from some actions as you do with others, but every positive motion you set forth in this life will eventually revolve around the curves of the horizon back to you.
2. Stop Comparing Yourself To Others And Others To Yourself
There is a poem that reads, “If you compare yourself with others, you may become vain and bitter; for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself…. Be yourself. Especially, do not feign affection.”
When we attend shows, although the idea of family is there through the passion for music we all share, we are inherently different. We come from all over the world for some of these events. We come for different artists on the lineup. We come with a different state of mind. We need to respect the differences among us and accept that although we are not the same, we all have a right to be there.
If someone chooses to see Carnage over Bassnectar, so be it. If someone chooses fluffies over chucks, so be it. If someone chooses hooping over shuffling, so be it. But we must all choose love over judgement for us to coexist.
3. Embrace Your Neighbor
If we begin to not only tolerate one another at shows but embrace one another, we will see the long awaited change that we so desperately need right now. When we come to view those around us as neighbors rather than strangers, we can open ourselves up and share the overabundance of positive energy that we all forget we posses.
People who feel welcome and cherished are in a better place to then propagate that generosity of spirit until every last attendee feels at home. These shows are breeding grounds for friendships and personal growth that transcends everyday life if you will only take the opportunity.
In 2015, I urge you to let your guard down so that you may see there is nothing to fear and nothing to lose by loving for love is a renewable resource with infinite promise. As much as you share it, you will receive it until the very fabric that holds us together is completely permeated with nothing but love.
4. Stop Supplementing Genuine Happiness For Chemical Pleasure
Event after event with boundless potential for greatness ended in sorrow and regret this past year. That being said, there is nothing we can do to change what has happened but through realizing that we are the lone dictators of our futures, we can change what may come.
By understanding ourselves, we can uncouple the things that will bring us true satisfaction from what will leave us wanting more. To quote Ernie Banks, “You must generate happiness within yourself. If you aren’t happy in one place, chances are you won’t be happy anyplace.” Knowing that happiness is within our control and satisfaction is a choice we make, we can consciously decide when we’ve had enough of everything else.
When it comes to substance abuse at shows, remember that drugs can only serve to enhance an experience or reality but they cannot create something that does not already exist. You will only ever get out of an experience what you have invested into it. To expect happiness when you have only planted listlessness and snobbery is unrealistic no matter how many drugs you take.
Practice gratitude in each moment and you will find yourself relying less on outward substances to create your experience and more on your own mind. Get to know yourself so you can enjoy the fun of letting yourself go without overstepping the limits of your own body and mind.
5. Stay Present
It is impossible to fully absorb a moment if your mind is somewhere else. Focus on the experience at hand and all your senses will be heightened. The colors will shine brighter. The sounds will reverberate clearer. The scents on the air will burn memories into your mind.
We all want to record special moments to play over and over again or to share with those who couldn’t experience it firsthand but in doing so you sacrifice cementing that memory in your mind. More than just social media but all of life’s distractions can easily transport you mentally and as time is so fleeting, it is important to cherish every moment.
Bonnaroo encourages their guests to picture their festival as a snowflake that you can only hold onto for so long before it melts and is gone forever.
When you are present, time seems to slow and every second can be truly savored for what it is. When you are present, you can interact with the world directly around you and the people you are sharing it with. When you worry about the future or the circumstances elsewhere in the world, you miss what is happening right now.
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