Get it While you Can

I guess that most people recall Janis Joplin as a girl that was quite misunderstood. She seemed to embody a lot of the same traits that many of us struggle with on a day-to-day basis. She obviously didn't fit in as a young woman--there was no question about that. I think that she wanted to be accepted just to show that she could be, and when she was not accepted, she seemed to take on a more angst-driven attitude toward the more mainstream people of her generation.

I have never read a biography on Janis Joplin, yet she has always seemed like kind of an underdog type hero to me. Yeah, sure....she had her bad habits, like cursing, drugs, and wild sex with numerous partners. But you'd have to recall....it was the late 60's and early 70's, and things of that nature just went on among the groups of young people. Everyone has bad habits....even now. If people put you down and consider you a failure your entire life, as if you have no right to exist at all, then you are going to have some animosity toward people in general. My good friend Wendy (AKA Wendy F-U) could enlighten you immensely on the subject. Have no need to fear, Underdog is here!

I am not saying that I totally agree with everything Janis has ever done. Certainly I do not condone the usage of hardcore drugs like heroin and cocaine (see my former blog, "That Shit'll Kill Ya"). One of the things that I have heard Janis say was that one should never compromise himself for anyone--to me that was a very powerful statement. In the end, I guess Janis did give in.....perhaps. It's not exactly clear if she was just trying to get a fix or a high or whatever, or if she just wanted to blast herself into oblivion and never come back because it was easier not to hurt at all. I guess no one really knows for sure.

When I was a young adult on my way through med school, I had a vision about how my life was going to be. I was going to get married, have some children, have a wife, and have a house in a subdivision because that was what was expected of me by my peer group and everyone else. It was what I was "supposed" to do. I simply wanted to please everyone and be perfect (even though there is no such thing). I was compromising myself based on the expectations of others....something that I would now consider a cardinal sin. I was MISERABLE. I hated myself. I had become something that I hated most of all--a phony and a hypocrite. I fully believe that when a person is young, he/she should do what he/she feels suits him/her best. Whether that be a more traditional route, or a route that is more distant from the mainstream...........as long as it helps the person define more clearly who he/she is. "If it makes you happy, it can't be that bad"

I realized that striving for perfection is not a fault, but striving for someone else's definition of perfection is. You need to do what makes you happy. You need to accomplish life goals that make you feel fulfilled. My turning point came when my good friend Lindsay said, "You don't have to do any of that stuff if you don't want to. It's not like anyone is forcing you to do it." And you know what--she was and still is exactly right. No one was forcing me to do anything; I was forcing myself to conform to the norms of society. And I never took the time to try and go against it or fight it, even though I never would have had to.

I'm not really sure what the point this story is. All that I do know is that. Janis Joplin once said, "Don't compromise yourself for anyone". I truly believe that statement. You are just as important as anyone else. You must believe in yourself, because there will be times when no one else will. You need to stand up for what you believe is right, regardless if it's widely accepted or not. You have as much right to happiness as anyone else, and if that definition differs from the mainstream definition, then fuck the mainstream. "It's your limitations that make you what you are". I guess the main point of me writing this is that you have to realize when you are young that you need to LIVE. LIVE, damn it! Don't let anyone else tell you how you are supposed to do things. Just LIVE!

...Don't you know when you're loving anybody, baby,
You're taking a gamble on a little sorrow,
But then who cares, baby,
'cause we may not be here tomorrow, no.
And if anybody should come along,
He gonna give you any love and affection,
I'd say get it while you can, yeah!
Hey, hey, get it while you can,
Hey, hey, get it while you can.
Don't you turn your back on love,
No no no, no no no no no.....

"Get it While You Can"
--Janis Joplin

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ju9yFA1S7K8