Steve-O's Meaning Of Life
December 13, 2006
When I returned to Albuquerque, New Mexico after Clown College, and became aware that I was not going to get an offer for a contract to work in the circus, I moved in with my skater buddies and sold pot for a living. It was late in 1997 when I picked up a roommate's book from the living room coffee table, a book called "Life Magazine Presents: The Meaning Of Life". I read that book from cover to cover in one sitting, and it changed my life. It consists of nothing but entries devoted to interpreting the question, "What is the Meaning Of Life", all of which do not exceed 250 words. The book was full of the most remarkable, insightful words written by the oddest people--nurses from terminal wards, janitors, etc. The dumbest shit seemed to be written by the richest people (including the owner of Apple) and, curiously, the guy with the highest recorded IQ on Earth. Reading this book was so incredibly impacting on me, upon finishing reading it I immediately grabbed a piece of paper and wrote my own Steve-O's Meaning Of Life in less than 250 words. Check it out, it's the same piece of paper I scrawled on that day in 1997, and my beliefs haven't changed at all. I don't need organized religion, because when I do wrong, I feel bad. When I do right, I feel good. I believe that many people who subscribe to organized religion are trying to be good for the wrong reasons. They are trying to be good because they are afraid of Hell, and will do anything to serve themselves by making it to Heaven. If Heaven is all it's cracked up to be, I'd love to check it out, but, I'm not going anywhere without my loved ones, of all faiths. With that said, I believe that God is the reward for good behavior, and, I would like to honor the lives of every chicken, cow, tomato-- everything I ever ate, by living a good life. I would like to honor every blade of grass I've ever stepped on, by making the World a better, and sillier, place.
Answering the question "What is the Meaning Of Life?", is easy-- PICK ONE! Life is what you make it, find your own special meaning and bring it to your life! A much tougher issue to deal with is the "What Is The Purpose Of Life?"-- our primary instinct is to survive (a.k.a. "Fight or Flight"), and our only guarantee is that we won't. Talk about Catch-22 we really, really don't want to die, but all know we will. That fucking sucks. I believe the "Purpose Of Life" is to find a way to believe you will live forever, and I see that there are three of these ways:
1. Believe in Heaven (not for me, try to intimidate me with Hell and that's exactly what I'll give you)
2. Reproduce (this idea terrifies me, I can't handle that kind of responsibility, and I see only tragedy in creating a new life, as it will end)
3. Permanently Document Your Life, (Like cavemen did by drawing stick fiqures on the walls of the caves--clearly my "legacy of choice")
I've been on a massive crusade inspired by anger, and fear, of death. I think it sucks that we're going to die, and I get my mind off of that shitty fact by doing everything in my power to entertain others enough to get their minds off of that shitty fact. I am a "distraction therapist". I often talk of how proud it makes me to consider that I, as an entertainer, sacrifice myself for the "benefit of Humanity", the example I illustrate this idea with most is, "I make cancer disappear", and that makes me very proud.
Now, about God. Start by thinking of your own body, it is made up of cells. Some of those cells are helpful (i.e. healthy), and others are harmful (i.e. cancer cells). Regardless, all of the cells in your body constantly die off, and are replaced, while you, the "organism" continues to live on. My belief is that God is "The Sum Of Life", meaning that we are all "cells" in the "Body Of God". Some of us are assholes (i.e. cancer cells in the Body Of God), and some of us do great things, but, no matter what choices we make in Life, we are all a part of God. Whether we realize it or not, we are all inherently Divine. It's a very simple concept, but most people are too terrified to think of/discuss Death to grasp it. Be stoked on Life, you're a part of God, and you have the power to make God better...
On an un-related note, by the time I launch my awesome Internet store, it will be rocking, flawlessly. I am the indisputable boss of the whole program, there will be no problems with your orders being fulfilled quickly, efficiently, and with the utmost professionalism. I'm sure I'm not supposed to share this yet, but, I'm the damn boss, so, check out some of the shirts I'll be selling on here when the store goes up:
I've got a whole bunch of crap up my sleeve, keep coming back, I'm going to keep this site rocking for a long time to come. Love you all,
Steve-O
