A man of greatness often lives by a personal code of honor that keeps him true and on course. It is so difficult to maintain your identity when the slick marketing and mass commercialism of this society run rampant. According to advertisers, youneed their product in order to succeed. You need their hair gel; you need their deodorant; you need their t-shirt. According to their incessant pitch, you are worthless and destined for a life of doom and gloom if you do not buy whatever they are peddling, and buy it this instant. You are bombarded with this endless propaganda that can wear down even the strongest resistance, like water washes away stone. A relentless and unceasing assault on your spirit necessitates self control. Otherwise, according to singer Henry Rollins, you turn into that which you despise and begin to hate yourself.
According to Rollins, clarity and focus must be a priority. You must decide on your core mission in life, then make a supreme effort to work at that mission as often as possible. He likens it to the code of a Japanese Samurai warrior, whose every action is determined by, and adheres to, a strict set of governing principles. Don’t live by an external-imposed code. Live by your internal, self-composed code. Decide what is important to you and act! You’ll make mistakes along the way and veer off course; a constant monitoring of what makes you weak and what makes you susceptible to losing your way is required.
Early in his life, Rollins became a singer in a series of bands. His code of honor held him to the high standard of total intensity whilst performing. Whenever he sang, whether in front of a large crowd of adoring thousands or a small crowd of hostile non-fans, he sang to his maximum. He focused on each note and poured his entire being into every letter he sang. In the realm of his code, the slabs of brutal sound emanating from his throat bashed down the walls of conformity and sameness that the outside world tried to impose on him. The music he sang mirrored the thoughts in his head: each turned on his full power within and served as staunch resistance to the battering ram of complacency that threatened his code.
Turn on your full power, and be true to your code.
From September 2010, http://raising-a-man.tumblr.com
According to Rollins, clarity and focus must be a priority. You must decide on your core mission in life, then make a supreme effort to work at that mission as often as possible. He likens it to the code of a Japanese Samurai warrior, whose every action is determined by, and adheres to, a strict set of governing principles. Don’t live by an external-imposed code. Live by your internal, self-composed code. Decide what is important to you and act! You’ll make mistakes along the way and veer off course; a constant monitoring of what makes you weak and what makes you susceptible to losing your way is required.
Early in his life, Rollins became a singer in a series of bands. His code of honor held him to the high standard of total intensity whilst performing. Whenever he sang, whether in front of a large crowd of adoring thousands or a small crowd of hostile non-fans, he sang to his maximum. He focused on each note and poured his entire being into every letter he sang. In the realm of his code, the slabs of brutal sound emanating from his throat bashed down the walls of conformity and sameness that the outside world tried to impose on him. The music he sang mirrored the thoughts in his head: each turned on his full power within and served as staunch resistance to the battering ram of complacency that threatened his code.
Turn on your full power, and be true to your code.
From September 2010, http://raising-a-man.tumblr.com