Urgent, over-the-top info-messaging comes at us from every angle; it’s a virus that has infected the very fabric of civilization. The world feels locked in a St. Vitus’ dance of epidemic proportions, but no one wants to admit it. I’m getting whiplash from flinging my head from the left to the right, trying to keep time with the pressures, keeping my hands in too many projects at one time. Everyone is desperately trying to keep up the appearance that they have everything under control. “I got this,” I declare out loud with a feigned confidence, but “I’m losing control” is what I’m screaming inside.
We can’t stop for a second. We need to keep smiling, keep pretending that “we got this.” The only way to survive is to keep your feet moving faster than the person flailing next to you. Don’t break a sweat. Don’t betray your insecurities. Feed the beast. Put on “Troubled Mind” by Dan Mangan to help you get through. Bop to its whip-smart beat, or dab with the fiery melody; spin and sway with the song’s unrelenting rhythm. Smile, and sing along with Mangan at the top of your lungs, but don’t you dare cry. Don’t even think of shedding a tear. That’s the sign of weakness they’re all waiting for. Even if the gymnasium is on fire and threatening to light your hairspray-filled hair on fire, just tell yourself “I got this” and hope everyone else bursts into flames first.
