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On Venting
4 years ago
"Shamed into solitude
Shunned by the multitude
I learned to listen
In my dark, my heart heard music
I longed to teach the world
Rise up and reach the world
No one would listen
I alone could hear the music"
-"No One Would Listen," by David Zippel, Charles Hart, and Andrew Lloyd Webber
It almost goes without saying, but is self-destructive to vent to an unsympathetic audience. From the audience's perspective, you are seeking validation for something deemed indefensible, so they will likely exploit your vulnerability callously. Vents are meant to be cathartic, though they may not always be entirely logical. Venting is pitiful, even when done with resolve and without anger. It can be difficult being an outcast among outcasts, assimilating to a less-fringe culture. If you face a similar challenge, know that the sacrifice is sometimes for the best. Trust your moral compass, treat everyone with respect, and be kind and honest to yourself.
This is a meta-vent because it has to be. By layering the vent, it makes it more palatable. This journal is vague enough that it has a chance of resonating. Even if it does not, it is ambiguous enough to be generally comprehensible. For those that taught me the valuable lesson of venting more cautiously, I want to say "thank you." As bittersweet as it is, it is because of you that I have been able to embrace the lyrics of The Phantom of the Opera's credits song, "Learn to be Lonely," by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Charles Hart. I end this with its last two verses (with parenthetical directions because I am a romantic sap):
"So laugh in your loneliness,
child of the wilderness
Learn to be lonely
Learn how to love life that is lived alone
Learn to be lonely
Life can be lived
Life can be {*voice cracks*] loved...
[*choked whisper*] alone."
Shunned by the multitude
I learned to listen
In my dark, my heart heard music
I longed to teach the world
Rise up and reach the world
No one would listen
I alone could hear the music"
-"No One Would Listen," by David Zippel, Charles Hart, and Andrew Lloyd Webber
It almost goes without saying, but is self-destructive to vent to an unsympathetic audience. From the audience's perspective, you are seeking validation for something deemed indefensible, so they will likely exploit your vulnerability callously. Vents are meant to be cathartic, though they may not always be entirely logical. Venting is pitiful, even when done with resolve and without anger. It can be difficult being an outcast among outcasts, assimilating to a less-fringe culture. If you face a similar challenge, know that the sacrifice is sometimes for the best. Trust your moral compass, treat everyone with respect, and be kind and honest to yourself.
This is a meta-vent because it has to be. By layering the vent, it makes it more palatable. This journal is vague enough that it has a chance of resonating. Even if it does not, it is ambiguous enough to be generally comprehensible. For those that taught me the valuable lesson of venting more cautiously, I want to say "thank you." As bittersweet as it is, it is because of you that I have been able to embrace the lyrics of The Phantom of the Opera's credits song, "Learn to be Lonely," by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Charles Hart. I end this with its last two verses (with parenthetical directions because I am a romantic sap):
"So laugh in your loneliness,
child of the wilderness
Learn to be lonely
Learn how to love life that is lived alone
Learn to be lonely
Life can be lived
Life can be {*voice cracks*] loved...
[*choked whisper*] alone."
