As referenced throughout my blog, I grew up exposed to religious indoctrination. My dad was a Jehovah’s Witness. Aside from dabbling in the dark arts, my mom took my sisters and me to a nondenominational Christian church congregation. Later, I transitioned into the Church of Christ.
Currently, I remain agnostic concerning religious and spiritual matters. I simply don’t know what I don’t know – and unfalsifiable claims aren’t of much value to me. Despite this information, it’d be disingenuous to claim that religious faith hasn’t underpinned my moral and ethical code.
In any case, I recall being stationed aboard Camp Kinser in Okinawa, Japan from 1997 to 1999, as a Marine. There, I met a noncommissioned officer (NCO) who wound up representing the epitome of Marine Corps leadership regarding my active duty service from 1996 to 2007.
A lifelong fan of rap music and subcultural devotee to hip hop, I was nebulously familiar with the music of Insane Clown Posse (ICP) when in Okinawa. However, I passed by the duo’s music, because I thought that painted faces was a bit too clownish for me (pun intended).
Nevertheless, a mentoring NCO told me one night as we were cruising the streets of Kadena Air Base, “Dude, you don’t like ICP? Aww nah, Dog,” as he used a shortened form of the affectionate term Devil Dog, “you gotta hear this one song!”
From the perspective of Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT), I recognize that the NCO’s use of the term “gotta” represented a recommendatory should belief. This is a non-self-disturbing declaration used to persuade a person toward entertaining an idea.
Contrarily, had the NCO utilized an absolutistic should belief, it would’ve been as though the sergeant (E-5) was ordering me – a lance corporal (E-3) – “You absolutely should listen to this song, or else there’ll be unpleasant consequences for disobeying my command!” BOHICA!
Because I was being persuaded to entertain the idea of an ICP song, rather than being commanded to do so, I was more open to considering the track. From ICP’s 1997 album The Great Milenko, the NCO played “Pass Me By.” It wasn’t what I expected.
For whatever reason, I thought the song would be some tasteless drivel about a topic in which I wasn’t interested. However, I was pleasantly surprised. In the introduction of the song, a presumably preacher-type figure states:
Does this excite you? Think about it! Does it not stagger the imagination? No builder on Earth can conceive any structure to compare to the mansions above. Won’t that be something? When you go to live in your own mansion? There’ll be no concern about paying for it. It’s already taken care of. There’ll be no worry about being moved out of it. It will be yours forever.
The monologue reminded me of televangelists of the 80s and 90s. The message relayed by many of those individuals was a persuasive appeal to materialism. From my Jehovah’s Witnesses upbringing, I considered the absurdity of the utility for mansions in relation to spiritual beings.
Nevertheless, I appreciated the ICP appeal to religiosity in the beginning of the track, because I still considered myself a Christian at the time. The song goes on to discuss a topic of which I’ve been intricately aware since my earliest days of existence: Death. The chorus states:
We all gon’ die, but I’m not gon’ fry
Even though most never try
I’m not gon’ let this pass me by, no
[x2]
To this day, I can appreciate rap songs which don’t shy away from acknowledging the inevitability of death. Truly, “We all gon’ die!” To pretend otherwise, or to distract from the inescapability of an eventual end to this physical existence, is absurd to me.
Using my then-Christian perspective, I enjoyed how ICP confidently claimed that group members weren’t going to fry in the flames of Hell—a place regarded in various religions as a spiritual realm of suffering, traditionally depicted as a place of perpetual fire beneath the Earth where the wicked are punished after death.
In 1997, I was also convinced that I was among those who would be spared perpetual torment. Of course, my religious upbringing didn’t solely rely on confessions or other verbal admissions to bring about salvation.
As is the case in “Pass Me By,” where ICP states, “Even though most never try,” I was taught that deliverance from evil required effort. As a recommendatory should statement, at the time I believed that I should’ve tried to walk (action) according to the scripture, per Philippians 2:12-13:
Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose.
When the NCO played “Pass Me By,” I didn’t expect an ICP song to infer meaning of biblical teaching. Perhaps most notably, I appreciated the line, “I’m not gon’ let this pass me by.” Per my interpretation, ICP valued purpose and meaning.
Whereas purpose relates to the reason for which something is done or created, or for which something exists, meaning regards the implicit or explicit significance, quality, or worth of something. Thus, purpose is justification for one’s duty and meaning is worth derived from purpose.
Regarding salvation, I was taught, “For many are invited, but few are chosen,” according to Matthew 22:14. One explanation for why relatively few people would be saved was due to the notion that too many people were comfortable with not fulfilling purpose and meaning.
Using this religious instruction, the majority of individuals who’d ever existed or who would ever live were merely willing to let life pass them by. As a then-Christian, I didn’t abide such complacency.
Although I’ve long since set aside religious practice, I continue to value the foundation up with which I was raised. In fact, I promote the principles of purpose and meaning in my personal and professional practice of REBT, to include the action component of the work one performs.
After all, we all gon’ die, even though perhaps most never try to improve their level of functioning and quality of life. As for me and those with whom I work as a psychotherapist,
I’m not gon’ let this life pass me by without trying to help others accomplish their goals, no.
If you’re looking for a provider who works to help you understand how thinking impacts physical, mental, emotional, and behavioral elements of your life, I invite you to reach out today by using the contact widget on my website.
As the world’s foremost old school hip hop REBT psychotherapist, I’m pleased to help people with an assortment of issues from anger (hostility, rage, and aggression) to relational issues, adjustment matters, trauma experience, justice involvement, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, anxiety and depression, and other mood or personality-related matters.
At Hollings Therapy, LLC, serving all of Texas, I aim to treat clients with dignity and respect while offering a multi-lensed approach to the practice of psychotherapy and life coaching. My mission includes: Prioritizing the cognitive and emotive needs of clients, an overall reduction in client suffering, and supporting sustainable growth for the clients I serve. Rather than simply helping you to feel better, I want to help you get better!
Deric Hollings, LPC, LCSW
References:
Hollings, D. (2024, July 9). Absolutistic should beliefs. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/absolutistic-should-beliefs
Hollings, D. (2022, March 15). Disclaimer. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/disclaimer
Hollings, D. (2024, February 25). Doing the work. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/doing-the-work
Hollings, D. (2023, September 8). Fair use. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/fair-use
Hollings, D. (2023, October 12). Get better. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/get-better
Hollings, D. (2024, April 13). Goals. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/goals
Hollings, D. (n.d.). Hollings Therapy, LLC [Official website]. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/
Hollings, D. (2023, September 19). Life coaching. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/life-coaching
Hollings, D. (2023, January 8). Logic and reason. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/logic-and-reason
Hollings, D. (2022, June 23). Meaningful purpose. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/meaningful-purpose
Hollings, D. (2023, October 2). Morals and ethics. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/morals-and-ethics
Hollings, D. (2023, September 3). On feelings. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/on-feelings
Hollings, D. (2024, May 26). Principles. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/principles
Hollings, D. (2024, May 5). Psychotherapist. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/psychotherapist
Hollings, D. (2022, March 24). Rational emotive behavior therapy (REBT). Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/rational-emotive-behavior-therapy-rebt
Hollings, D. (2024, July 10). Recommendatory should beliefs. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/recommendatory-should-beliefs
Roma, R. (2004, January 16). BOHICA. Urban Dictionary. Retrieved from https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=BOHICA
Hollings, D. (2022, November 1). Self-disturbance. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/self-disturbance
Hollings, D. (2023, October 22). Unfalsifiability. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/unfalsifiability
Hollings, D. (2022, September 3). You gon’ die: The existential window. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/you-gon-die-the-existential-window
Tales-of-the-Metaverse. (2023). Insane Clown Posse splatter art [Image]. NightCafe Studio. Retrieved from https://creator.nightcafe.studio/creation/EyBO0ijqlclRuvUIMdOr
W1CK3D863. (2011, July 2). Insane Clown Posse - Pass Me By [Video]. YouTube. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/-E7LZTV5kNI?si=1XHsKgbtWrFw92mK
Wikipedia. (n.d.). Insane Clown Posse. Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Insane_Clown_Posse
Wikipedia. (n.d.). The Great Milenko. Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Great_Milenko
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