Miley Cyrus

We get used to things. I’ve discussed habits probably as much as anything else on here but this is slightly different. This would be more about adapting. We adapt to our environment then. When we stay in one place or in one environment long enough it becomes normal and we find a way to at the very least survive. In the extreme you could have someone going from a position of power and wealth to one of poverty and subjugation, think of any successful class based revolution for example. If they didn’t end up getting their head chopped off, end up in front of a firing squad or find a way of smuggling themselves out of the country; there is a good chance they would have to either adapt to their new way of live or die. That then is an extreme example and for me right now I am as far from that as I can think. I have adapted to my surroundings though, my admittedly comfortable surroundings.

For me this adaptation has been more about a change in a way of life. Having spent ten years as a traveller living wild and being free – that is the version my romanticised ego would like to portray – I found myself in this little village by the seaside. It was only supposed to be a couple of months, the winter at most with spring bringing new adventures. There is no need to go over this years events but as I’ve previously discussed they have been habit changing to say the least. Now though I potentially change these new habits again and see whether further ones are created or old ones return. Today is Friday, on Sunday I leave my home by the sea.

Undoubtedly there has been a lot I’ve enjoyed about life here. I’m beside the sea and when not rammed with summer tourists it’s slow and chilled out. It is though a bit backwards and insular which is enough to push me away, but it has also shown me enough to imagine a new way of life is possible. There were many times in my past travelling in which I openly admitted to being exhausted and tired of constantly moving and packing but I also really enjoyed the discovery and constant new in front of my eyes. I’m still after all this time like a child when I see something previously unseen. This time has made me realise I am in my heart a wandering traveller. It has also made me realise how easily I could settle somewhere too given the right conditions. It’s all about balance apparently. This mythical never been seen or fully understood beast called balance. But you can’t have balance when you want it all.

As I pack my now enlarged pile of stuff I realise I am happy to move on while also not being entirely keen on the exhaustive side of this moving on. The stepping into the unknown excites and the prospect of being free is overjoying. As I would have discussed yesterday though had I not got distracted by Miley Cyrus, freedom is an entirely mental construct. We need to find freedom internally, allow the mind to accept the ever increasing randomness of existence and responsibly live in the moment. It doesn’t matter whether you’re stuck in the endless toil of menial labour or sailing the ocean. Admittedly one is probably easier to feel free in and we can do ourselves favours with the environment we exist in, but as I said, it’s how we approach existence that matters. One more moment before the next then in this constantly testing journey to free the mind. Maybe that would be a good habit to create. I already have the key after all. I could get used to finally being free. Just be careful not to want it too much.

Of all people, I was drawn to Miley Cyrus as a guest on Joe Rogan’s podcast this morning. He releases a few a week and usually I only listen to them if either I know the person or they sound interesting enough to give a chance to. Miley Cyrus would not traditionally catch my eye as someone I would want to devote two hours of my time to but then sometimes we need to step out of our norms to create new ones. You’re immediately struck with how distinct and surprising her voice is. She sounds gravely. Apparently it has really come into it’s own like this in the last year and I’m sure she said having surgery on her throat affected it. She admits too that having smoked a lot and sung a lot it has also played a part.

I wasn’t sure what to expect although I doubted I would listen to more than twenty minutes. In the end I found myself almost captivated by someone who has clearly grown into quite a likeable person despite how she has been represented in the media for years. Joe Rogan is quite good at this though and it wouldn’t be the first guest he has had on that has managed to improve their public image from it. There are also some who, in my eyes at least, have walked away with no credibility at all, so it can’t just be Rogan and to think otherwise must do a disservice to Cyrus.

She comes from a world apart from ninety-nine percent of the worlds population. The daughter of the country singer Billy Ray Cyrus and the goddaughter of the almost mythical Dolly Parton, she was thrust into the spotlight herself at about twelve years old when she became the star of Disney’s Hannah Montana. She talks of struggling to connect with people and of the affects of growing up in and only knowing such a life. This is where Rogan can expose his own distance from the average listener though and it’s not the first time I’ve felt like I’m listening to two aliens discussing a disconnected unknown world. He has an ability to reach both his listener and his guest but there are moments in which he doesn’t feel like one of us despite attempting to portray himself as such. He is just being honest though and that too is part of his appeal.

The plan for this piece had been to discuss our understanding of freedom and how it is at it’s base entirely in our mind. Some thoughts came to me while listening to this podcasts and mentioning Cyrus was supposed to be my leading into it. Evidently I got a little caught up in what appears to be some kind of new found fandom. I still won’t listen to her music but I will view her in a different light. Miley Cyrus, in my blog. Life truly is all about the unexpected.

Tag: Miley Cyrus

To Find True Freedom