Make Yourself.

Make Yourself.

What do you think of when you read that phrase? Now hold on to that thought, and we'll get back to it.

I just finished watching The Devil and Daniel Johnston which is rated PG-13 "For thematic elements, drug content and language indicating a sexual reference." Can anyone give me an example or explain what the heck "language indicating a sexual reference" is? It reminds me of the Far Side comic by Gary Larson with a caveman sitting in front of a television and the screen says something like: Caution The Following Program Contains Language.

MPAA warnings aside, the movie is an excellent documentary, in that, as a documentary should, it documents its subject very well. It is helped tremendously by Daniel Johnston's exhaustive cassettes recording much of his life; there are also many home movies he made with his Super 8, including his muse for many of his hundreds of songs. Aside from the slight discomfort from witnessing his manic-depressive behavior, I was oddly compelled by his music. He manages to distill each song into an emotion, a lyric, and a tune. That is all, and while this seems simple, it is the essence of his genius. Each component isn't always great by itself, but they combine wonderfully.

Alright, back to the matter at hand: Make Yourself. I used this phrase once as my Peanut Gallery slogan/motto. I liked the album of the same name by Incubus, and I was fresh off an Early American Lit. class that talked often of the Rugged Individualism (nothing to do with carpet baggers of the same time :) proponed by those late 19th century authors. I also liked the concept that you are responsible for your life and who you are. No "victim t-shirts" allowed.

So that is how I used to interpret the phrase. The problem I've ended up with, though, is that I don't shirk responsibility, but I'm too tolerant and accepting with my condition. I'm kinda like George W. Bush in that way; I take responsibility for getting in the war, but that doesn't make it a good thing. So my new take on the phrase is "make yourself" the imperative, force yourself. I hope to find some willpower and internal motivation in this revised reading. Wish me luck.