Making Sense of Nothing

Making Sense of Nothing
by Clifton Kump

Hello, everyone!!! My friend Walid has asked me to do a regular column in his magazine. Well, this is the inaugural installment and I hope you like it!!! In my column I will, of course, be talking about Straightedge. I will also be talking about how it affects my life and hopefully you, the reader, can take something out of it and apply it to your daily life and maybe make some choices that will benefit your life.

I am 35 years old, have not had a drink since 1993 and have called myself Straightedge since 1994. I hail from Reno, Nevada, USA.

Straightedge for me, is more about who I am and not about what I am about. I live the lifestyle. I try to hold myself to a higher standard and live each day like I took the oath yesterday. Although I do not wear my commitment on my sleeve, I don't need to; it is buried deep inside of my and is part of me. It is truly in my blood. Straightedge is not infallible; it will not continue without the few committed followers who choose to take it on as their life. I have always believed that if you have taken the oath, it should be for personal reasons and not for outside acceptance. It should be strictly because it fits with who you are and where you see yourself going in this life. Straightedge is an ideal that will outcast you from most of the factions of everyday society as the commoner knows it; it is the true rebellion. Rebellion AGAINST rebellion. We live the sober lifestyle. We live it not because some story tells us to, we live it because we know that it is the right thing to do. It is engrained inside.

Living the is a choice that will make you different. Being a strong, disciplined and steadfast person are the traits that are needed in a Straightedge adherent. You will need the strength to fight for your beliefs, whether it be verbally or physically. You will be challenged. You will be challenged by people who are threatened by the very choice that you have made. They will seek to confront you. They will find you. You will have to stand up for yourself. What you choose to do in this situation will shape and mold you for the rest of your life. This is not an easy path to continue on for the rest of your life; you will struggle with the fact that you will be outcast from everyday society. You will see your friends sell out and lose interest in you yourself as a friend. You will see yourself become a member of something, that on a local scale, could be as small as JUST YOURSELF as a member.

This path that you choose, the path of Straightedge, could be the very choice that makes you a success. There is one caveat; seeing the world for exactly what it is, will require some deep soul-searching and an analytical thought process. People think that Straightedge people are closed minded; we are, in fact, some of the most open. You will need it. I PROMISE.

Good luck on your journey, if you choose this path………...

XXX