buried alive; logic; reasons

Music and loneliness have a symbiotic relationship. Music doesn’t cut away the loneliness but it sure numbs the pain that arises out of it. I remember in my second semester at univeristy I had my earphones resting on my ears constantly, no matter where I went. In February 2018 I was introduced to Logic’s Under Pressure by a fellow music enthusiast and music producer. I fell in love with Logic instantly. He is revered by a lot of people for his honest take on anxiety and depression, almost as if an older brother is listening to you and your fears. I remember sitting alone for breakfast eating quickly whilst listening to Buried Alive, the memory is etched so clearly that listening to the song again now brings back images from that time and a thump in my body because of the physiological changes that anxiety brought forth were sometimes more pronounced while listening to relatable music. It was mostly a wrenching of the gut- up and down so strong that it would force my hip up if I was on my bed.

There was a dependence that I fostered on certain types of music that helped channel some of my confusion with life into energy to get up and do shit. I owe a lot to the artists whose music I listened to then. The desperation of loneliness demands prompt attachment to anything constant. People couldn’t be there in the way I needed them to be, so an only child was still the only child at steel tables, with two hundred of his peers ten meters away. It was almost necessary, the way my life unfolded then; it made me impervious.

Everything happens for a reason and the reason is made clear after the happening; almost always.

-Tanmay

blues and hairstreaks + ants

Sustainability in relationships is surprising especially where there was not general bonhomie before. We make friends with a diverse group of people as we grow older and find ourselves moving in even more diverse circles professionally and socially. There are multiple studies investigating why people become friends but they’re based on probability and statistics, which render certain scientific-evidence-based overview of friendships, but I don’t believe many of us would tamper with the existing social and emotional dynamic with the people we love and cherish and put scientific labels on it.

There are some friendships based solely on the fact that the two people share one similar interest and thus they have their paths cross at those points in their life which also coincide with the execution of such interests. There are those friendships that go beyond a mono-focused interest or activity base, rather the emotional bond percolates more aspects of personal life of both the friends to the extent that important decisions which alter the lives of people are influenced too.

I have been blessed to have a few such deep relationships with people from both the aforementioned categories (there are more, however in my experience it is broadly divided in the two). It isn’t so from the very first day you meet them though. I can clearly remember my initial years at school where my introvertedness was at a peak and I had fewer friends than the fingers on my hand. The situation is much different now and I am happy for it. So it is also true for me that childhood was a peculiar time where there was often a lot of friction between the people (i.e. kids) in the way they treat each other. If not you, then at least I had that with some people then without whom I can’t imagine the life I would have today.

It is an evolutionary process I feel, where people adapt to protect each other’s vulnerabilities thereby enhancing longevity and happiness.

That’s how it’s been for me so far anyway.

-Tanmay