Goth enlightenment: The light side if the dark chasers

    This is Philippines. No Goths around. . .


    How weird to hear that there are just few here in my country who knows about the goth genre. They know punks, those people who do Mohawks and black muscle T-shirts and nose piercings and head banging concerts and esophagus tearing noises (that's how non-punks understand the way punks do). They know Emo, those kids who do literally hurt themselves to say they are one and wear bondage over it and wear black and white sweat shirts or stripy polo's under 28'C temperature every day(Again, that's how non-emo's understands the way the Emo's do). But they know no goth.

    I was in my high school days when someone notice my everyday get-up attire and asked me if I were a goth. I thought he was talking about the architectural designs of the late era. I never wear any dress color aside from the color black unless it is my uniform which happens to be all white and partially green. After having a small conversation with that guy, I wondered, am I goth?

    But the dress is not the issue.

    I've been reading for almost many blog sites including goth blogs. And what catches my attention are these questions: "Are you goth enough?", "how to be a goth?" etc. It's the typical questions from the baby bats (referring to a newbie goth) and confused and those who are having issues being one. Some preferred to show they are one by the way they project themselves to others, some to fashion and some... They just do it the way they wanted.

    This time, I'm not going to answer these questions, but I'm going to pull the light side of the thing they called the dark and the GOTH. (I hoped my pre-med psychology course background will help)

    For non-goths who are aware of the goth culture, they say it is a satanic thing that we kids (did I say 'we'?) shouldn't follow. For some it is a deep, dark culture that we must explore. For my parents, it is a "just-do-what-you-want" thing. And for me, it is the greatest, so far, challenge that I encountered.

    Challenge. Why did I called it a challenge? Let's just say that being a goth is a trait, and this trait is definitely the opposite of me.

    I got fascinated over these gorgeous lady goths who wears Victorian dresses and those state of the art make up by Adora Batbrat. But I can't do that. I can't make myself look like that. Not because I can't, but I'm not able to.

    Now I see, confidence. Goth, not dark at all

    It takes courage to make yourself goth enough, confidence to say you are goth enough.

    There is creativity because every goth shows their uniqueness through their cloths, make-up accessories etc.

    There is FREEDOM. You heard it right. Freedom. I always thought that Goths are free souls. They do what they wanted without hurting anyone even themselves. They are free to express their feelings in a way--in any way-that only themselves can do. Though they seem like they are always so deep and dark and creepy or... what words they used to describe themselves, they always seem so free, free to do all the thing they want amidst the critics they get from the people who can't appreciate the art of being a goth.

    You just don't have to be goth outside, but also inside. Being goth (for me) is how this trait shows the real you and how you feel inside, without hiding or concealing the real aspects of yourself.

    To be honest, to realize and internalized that I (and everyone) possessed this trait taught me to come out of my shell (yes, I thought of it as a trait) and say what I feel inside without actually saying it. Everybody possessed this trait unknowingly same as the other traits you can find in the dictionary. But the question is are you able to pull this trait out of your hidden self and confidently say: "I am that one".