What’s with all of those strange people jumping, headbanging, sweating, throwing themselves at each other, and hurting themselves? That looks so dangerous! Why are they all so angry? What’s the point of it?
If you’ve never seen a mosh pit before, this is the kind of reaction you would probably have. I have seen and heard people say these exact things. Honestly when I’ve distanced myself for a while and look at it, I get a little scared and wonder how I’ve ever survived. The moment I finish reflecting, I jump in. The impulse is huge, and becomes something that you crave. You can only go so long before you need a good mosh again.
Moshing is an exhilarating experience. It’s the same feeling as a good dance or sports game- just more extreme. The thing about it is, you know you had a great time when you come out with a lot of pain. My post-concert ritual is counting how many bruises I ended up with. The point is never to go in and hurt people; you will get kicked out because that is rude and unspirited. Everybody is there to have a good time and take care of each other, as strange as that may seem. When you look more closely at it, it begins to seem less strange and make sense on a deeper level. Society asks us not to fight, be kind to those around us, and be active. Humans are still animals, and there is something that we are missing in the living experience if we do not place ourselves in the face of danger. The fight or flight instinct is real, and I believe it is necessary to engage with it; at a concert it can be done in a controlled environment. What’s better than doing it with a group of people while watching your favorite bands?
You feel a strong sense of community with those who you mosh with. It’s about trust and love, a fun tackling of people in a high energy pit. There is a heightened sense of awareness of your surroundings. Pushing others and defending yourself, at the same time as making sure that you and everyone around you is still standing is a pretty incredible feeling. The better part about these learned behaviors through moshing is that they become instinctual. When I walk down the street, I am almost always ready to extend a hand to catch somebody if they are about to fall. This is my favorite part about the experience: it’s amazing to know for a fact that the moment you fall down, somebody will pick you up. Nobody counts how many times you fall down in a night and decide that you can just help yourself after a while. This is so widely symbolic of the type of people you need to have around in your life. A community of people who are there to pick you up instead of push you down or walk over you is what needs to be looked out for.
Now what does all of this mean to people who do not like loud, heavy, screamo music where you may actually fear for your life at a concert? Going back to the relationship between moshing and sports or dance, these activities are a release of emotions. It’s about getting out there and taking risks and having new experiences. When you find ways to incrementally push yourself outside of your comfort zone, you’ll find that there is valuable change beginning to happen. Life tends to feel dull when you’re not taking chances with anything. You don’t need to be good at sports to gather some friends together to play a game. Dancing works the same way: most people think that they can’t dance, so nobody will be judging you when you don’t know what you’re doing. In both situations, there are people who are willing to help you to improve.
If you’re looking for a more solitary affair, then there is no harm in going out on your own to try things. Making a successful sharp turn on your bike, or walking off of the trail on a hike are things that enhance your day to day experience because you face risk and uncertainty. It’s the little things that have huge rewards for your self-esteem. Beyond that, it gives you another story to tell. Don’t be afraid to get your surfing scar; it shows you’ve done something worth talking about!
The adrenaline of doing something exciting and risky is a great feeling that surges you forward through life, and it doesn’t need to involve actually putting your life or safety on the line to do it. I believe that it is necessary to do things that challenge you once in a while. If you don’t like it, then don’t do it again. When you find something that you enjoy, stick with it, because it will open the door to more adventures. More often than not, when you find something that you like to do, you will eventually run into other people who like the same thing and you can make new friends through the activity. If it’s moshing, ballroom dancing, or running a marathon, don’t think about how you look. Think about how you feel. This will create the better experience, the one worth having.