MY ADVICE
December 10, 2008
1. Shut the fuck up.
2. Eat shit and die.
1. When I say, "Shut the fuck up," I am not actually telling you to shut the fuck up. I mean, you're not even talking to me. So what kind of sense would that make? Remember, the theme (and title) of this page is "My Advice." When I say, "Shut the fuck up," I am advising you to do so. And why am I doing that? Because, if you are like most people, it is very likely that you are talking to yourself entirely too much. So when I say, "Shut the fuck up," I am advising you to cease and desist with talking to yourself.
And why am I doing that? Because it is very likely that what you're saying to yourself is bullshit, a re-hashed version of all the bullshit you received from the culture around you.
The phrase, "Shut the fuck up" runs like a theme song throughout my book, Watching the River Flow, which is a book of daily meditations. Getting beyond words is the primary goal of meditation, and meditation is an effective path to serenity and/or peace of mind.
2. "Eat shit and die" is no doubt the most difficult piece of advice to accept. What do I mean by it? Quite simply, to embrace your own death. This advice is of course not original with me. It actually occurs in the bible:
Whenever I consider this advice I am reminded of Don Juan's discourse with Carlos Castaneda in The Teachings of Don Juan. He casually assured Carlos of the wisdom of accepting one's death, going so far as to say that his own death was constantly with him, virtually perched on his shoulder.
To resist your death is virtually the same as resisting your birth. There is no such thing as beginnings without endings. If you had a beginning, you must have an ending. Your death is every bit as much a part of your life (and just as important) as your birth.
So what is the "eat shit" part about? It's just another way of saying, "Shut the fuck up." If you are not accepting of your own death it is very likely because of all the bullshit that you have imbibed from your culture (which, remember, you are constantly repeating to yourself).
In closing, I feel I should offer some explanation for the use of the language in these pieces of advice. To begin with, I am a street philosopher and thus claim the right to use street language in the presentation of my philosophy (not to mention the fact that this is a counter-culture website, which means that language of the same ilk is simply par for the course). But, even more importantly, I believe in the emotional element in the use of language. Language without spice is language that is quite often one-dimensional. I have used the example before of the choice on the tax form (well, it used to be a choice) about whether or not you would like for a dollar to be contributed to the presidential election campaign fund. The only choices were yes and no. I was always unhappy with this. I thought that there should have been a choice that somehow reflected the emotional component that could be attached to such a choice. I wanted to see a choice that was offered as fuck no. You have to admit, there is all the difference in the world between saying "no" and "fuck, no."
Also, the language chosen works as a sort of mnemonic device for remembering the advice.