Excuse me while I Mosh

So if anyone has ever been to a concert or show you might be familiar with the practice of MoshingImage.

Wikipedia refers to it as a “style of dancing” but I just call it an insane release of aggression and energy. The first time i witnessed this practice I feared for my life.  Hundreds of kids shoving and flinging their bodies against each other in response to music-like some twisted Pied Piper nightmare.  From an outsiders perspective, Mosh pits can be perceived as negative and dangerous (“Why on EARTH would anyone do that?”) But when you look closer it’s actually pretty interesting.  This form of expression involves the entire body to participate.  Some pain (and sometimes death) is involved but a sense of camaraderie is achieved as well. Often times when people think of a “stress reliever” and venting frustration it’s associated with yoga or meditation and therapy.  But in this arena, one is allowed to tap in to the strong energy released among the crowd and simultaneously release their own personal energy back into the crowd.  Its like recycling-but instead of giving back to the earth, you just beat the crap out of your neighbor.

One thought on “Excuse me while I Mosh

  1. I never really understood the appeal of moshing until earlier this year. Even when I was into harder music, I would avoid “the pit” out of fear of getting hurt, but at this life-changing event, I let loose and smashed my entire body weight into anyone within a two-foot radius. My ex was being particularly frustrating that day, and it was a cathartic experience, to say the least. I admired the etiquette that everyone participating exhibited towards each other: if anyone was knocked over, they were helped back up immediately. It seemed that we were all in this together, whether we were helping each other or hurting each other, a surprising finding for a phenomenon that seems so relentless and sadistic to outsiders.

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