PRISONER EXPRESS

At first glance, I did not find this title alluring enough to capture my literary fancy. Because, on the edge, per se, as a social concept is about now worn out. That is to say that the ideal itself is merely a "cliché", and so much silliness and superfluous stupidity -- my own included -- can be attributed to consciously on the edge, under someone else's influence, most of the time. We were being cool, or at least to the extent that we'd been led or misled into thinking that we were being cool.

But what about those "times" upon which we can all reflect when living on the edge has caused us considerable embarrassment, harm to others, and even ourselves. And when it donned upon us are once that we'd been fooled by our own vanity and mortified by that reality?

Never the less, the woes of vainly living on the edge notwithstanding, we can bring a new freshness, a new vitality, and still a nobility to the rhetoric of living on the edge which will raise it above all the hyperbolic pretensions.

The new edge I'm speaking of now is the boundaries which society has imposed on us all as human beings. They have drawn into the lines upon his race, class, religion, irreligion, sexuality, asexuality, conformist, nonconformist, Baptists, Catholics, Muslims, it is exasperating to see how our so-called leaders, historically, have seen to it that our narrowness and prejudices, which they cloak with words like traditionalism and conservatism: what is there to conserve? -- Perpetually divides the human race!

I've always liked crossing their lines, though. So, I entreat the readers, come to the edge, and cross every line that restricts your freedom unduly. So many people are living in such mentally stifling conditions, under the psychological oppression of idiots, zealots, and hypocrites, and pseudo-patriots. They say that nothing in life is free. Neither is my patriotism and neither is my belief...

Yours shouldn't be either. Socrates, that excellent, highly individualistic philosopher of Ancient Greece said to "Question Everything," and that "the unexamined life is not worth living." Why not examine some of those cherished beliefs, prejudices and pretensions you hold. See if they're true or false. Intelligent human beings don't harbor false beliefs. The logical person is concerned with what's true, or at least what's more likely to be true.

Breaking free and finding out who one really is, is no easy feat. Because as soon as we come into the world, we aren't allowed to flourish freely and individually. The first thing someone wants to do is baptize one and preach and even beat one conforming to one form of BS or another. They keep on hammering until they have made you as miserable and narrow and as stupid as they are!

Living on the edge under this new idealistic twist has nothing to do with speeding down a water-slick highway or putting a huge piece of crack on a glass pipe, which, is actually an alternative of conformity. It's not original. It can be detrimental speeding down slick highways and putting huge pieces of crack on a pipe.

Developing a talent -- really believing in yourself, and really striving towards greatness in a world in which the mediocre rule is to live on the edge. Why? Because, as soon as you distinguish yourself from the herd in an unusual way, the Enforcers of mediocrity will begin to hand you. Sometimes they are your friends. Family members, foes, preachers, teachers, police, they're everywhere! But your worse enemy will be yourself, for tending to listen to them. And for not following your inner-person -- that ultimate dream that you really desire but which you don't actively pursue as if you can really attain it.

"Come to the edge. We might fall. It's too high! Come to the edge! And they came, And he pushed And they flew..." (Christopher Louge)