Sumthin' Wicked This Way Comes

[DISCLAIMER]

When I was in high school, R&B group TLC (singer Tionne “T-Boz” Watkins, singer Rozonda “Chilli” Thomas, and the late singer and rapper Lisa “Left Eye” Lopes) released their second studio album CrazySexyCool (1994). It was my favorite anthology by the group!

On the album was the song “Sumthin’ Wicked This Way Comes” that featured lyricist André 3000 (of Outkast fame). Noteworthy, the song’s namesake is derived from William Shakespeare’s The Tragedy of Macbeth (simply Macbeth). In particular, act 4, scene 1:

[A cavern. In the middle, a boiling cauldron. Thunder. Enter the three Witches.]

Second witch:

By the pricking of my thumbs,

Something wicked this way comes.

Open, locks,

Whoever knocks.

For context, “wicked” is defined as morally very bad: evil; disposed to or marked by mischief: roguish; disgustingly unpleasant: vile; causing or likely to cause harm, distress, or trouble; and/or going beyond reasonable or predictable limits: of exceptional quality or degree.

In some regards, I was involved with wicked behavior when CrazySexyCool was released. For instance, I commonly associated with members of the Crips, Sureños, and Bloods. As a non-validated member of any gang, I may or may not have participated in illegal activities.

At the time, I thought it was “wicked” (i.e., of exceptional quality) to hang out with gangbangers. Simultaneously, people at the Churches of Christ congregation of which I was a member would’ve considered my behavior as “wicked” (i.e., morally very bad: evil).

Therefore, depending on one’s view, when seeing “2-Nice” (my nickname) come around when CrazySexyCool was released, gang friends or fellow Christians rationally (in accordance with both logic and reason) could’ve stated “something wicked this way comes.”

That’s how I conceptualized the mind, body, and soul (i.e., the self) back then. Now, I recognize that I’m not wicked. I’m merely a fallible human being. Although I may or may have done some genuinely wicked deeds, I wasn’t “something” that was “wicked” when coming around.

In essence, people aren’t their belief, ideas, behavior, or otherwise. Each individual is simply an imperfect being capable of wicked actions. Ergo, when the second witch in Macbeth expresses that “something wicked this way comes,” I argue that there are no wicked people.

When discussing this helpful perspective shift with a client earlier this week, the individual stated, “That’s a controversial take! Not everyone agrees.” To this I say, “Find a topic upon which everyone agrees.” Controversial or not, you, me, and no one else is “wicked.”

Of the song “Sumthin’ Wicked This Way Comes”, I find it useful to offer another healthy viewpoint. T-Boz states, “Take a good look in the mirror and tell me, do you like what you see? Masters of deception, corruption, and evil, but you’re always quick to point the finger at me.”

I took a good look in the mirror when in high school, and I didn’t like what I saw—not in a literal way (though that was also an issue of mine), yet in a figurative sense. I understood that I may or may not have been involved in wicked activity, and I wanted to change my behavior.

As expressed in Uncle Sam’s Misguided Children: Forced and Unforced Errors, I decided to join the United States (U.S.) Marine Corps, in part, to distance myself from gang-related activity. Whereas I wasn’t a validated gang member, I was an official member of the U.S. military.

To my surprise, Marines weren’t that different from my gangbanger friends. For clarity, a “gang” is loosely defined as a group of persons working to unlawful or antisocial (hostile or harmful to organized society) ends. It can also simply mean a group of persons working together.

Depending on subjective views of law and justice, my gangbanging friends and Marines alike qualified for either definition of a “gang” which is used in common parlance. It’s with this background information that I now turn to a book that I’ve been steadily reading.

As Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT) is informed by Stoic philosophy, this blog entry is part of an ongoing series regarding a book entitled The Daily Stoic: 366 Meditations on Wisdom, Perseverance, and the Art of Living by Ryan Holiday and Stephen Hanselman.

The authors quote ancient Stoic philosopher Epictetus who stated, “We must undergo a hard winter training and not rush into things for which we haven’t prepared” (page 271). In his quote, the philosopher used a recommendatory must belief, as opposed to an absolutistic must demand.

Whereas a flexible recommendation to engage in preparedness for difficult times doesn’t necessarily cause self-upset, inflexible demandingness regarding preparation does cause self-distress or self-disturbance. Thus, the former is helpful while the latter isn’t all that helpful.

In this vein, I stated in Ready 4 Whatever, “On one hand, I’m ready 4 (for) whatever – life or death. On the other hand, I own and carry firearms in preparation to defend myself against those who would do me harm.” Similarly, I stated in Preparedness:

In 1997, Suga Free released an album entitled Street Gospel that featured the song “If U Stay Ready” which became my mantra for a number of years—“If you stay ready, you ain’t got to get ready.” I likened it to being prepared.

Lessons learned from hanging around gang members and U.S. military service personnel aligned with staying “ready for whatever” and taught me that “if you stay ready, you ain’t got to get ready.” Per my interpretation of Epictetus’s flexible recommendation, one must do these things.

“Wait a minute,” you may interject, “that’s all well and good, but what does any of this have to do with allusion to “something wicked this way comes?” Well, imaginary reader, I’m glad you asked. To answer this question, consider that authors of The Daily Stoic state (page 271):

Before the advent of modern warfare, armies typically disbanded during the winter. War was not the total war as we understand it today, but more like a series of raids punctuated by the rare decisive battle.

When Epictetus says we ought to go through “hard winter training”—the Greek word is cheimaskêsai—he was disputing the notion that there is such a thing as part-time soldiering (or part-time anything for that matter). In order to achieve victory, one must dedicate every second and every resource into preparation and training.

As I read The Daily Stoic—a book written by two men who, unless I misunderstand their background, never served in the military—I actively practice REBT. Usually, my beliefs about their views results in either tolerable distress (e.g., annoyance) or healthy indifference.

Notably, they talk about military service quite a bit—apparently without having ever shown the intestinal fortitude to don a U.S. military uniform or shoulder a rifle thereby. In a TLC-esque sense, I wonder if when the authors take a good look in the mirror, do they like what they see?

At one time, I didn’t like my reflection. Though not a validated gang member, I may or may not have done some wicked things with gangbangers. Had that lived experience never have occurred, would I now write ad nauseam about behavior in which I never actually took part? I doubt it!

Likewise, I don’t believe I’d attempt to mask my lack of military service on behalf of my nation by bloviating about what does or doesn’t happen in “modern warfare” if I’d never served. Wicked! Unburdened by appearing as charlatans, the authors conclude (page 271):

The U.S. military trains its soldiers day and night when not at war, in preparation for when they have to go to war; when they do go to war, they fight until it’s over. The same is true for us [I serious doubt that shit!]. We can’t do this life thing halfheartedly.

There’s no time off. There aren’t even weekends. We are always preparing for what life might throw at us—and when it does, we’re ready and don’t stop until we’ve handled it.

I appreciate a lesson in preparedness, as I suspect the authors could offer their perspective without wickedly glazing those of us who’ve served. Nevertheless, I’ll settle for tolerable distress in the form of annoyance when “Sumthin’ Wicked This Way Comes” (i.e., glazing).

Besides, imposters are merely fallible human beings—as am I (the imperfect part, not in the charlatan sense). If other flawed people uncritically ingest the drivel about military culture offered by authors of The Daily Stoic, then perhaps they recommendatorily shouldn’t.

Then again, what do I know? As stated on the chorus of “Sumthin’ Wicked This Way Comes”, “I just don’t understand the ways of the world today,” “So I’m longing for the days of yesterday” when I wasn’t too afraid to have donned a U.S. military uniform or shouldered a rifle thereby.

Truly, it isn’t as though authors of The Daily Stoic absolutistically must share my perspective or experience. After all, someone may benefit from their lesson on preparedness. Therefore, I may want to entertain healthy indifference rather than tolerable distress in this regard.

And now, dear reader, presuming you’ve stuck around this long and made it this far in the blogpost without skimming to the end, you’ve witnessed how I practice REBT in my personal life. Leaving this post with a slight shrug of the shoulders, I’m now indifferent. Wicked!

You, too, can achieve this healthy outcome when “something wicked this way comes” in the form of beliefs which cause distress or disturbance. Sincerely, you’ve been privy to a demonstration herein. If you’d like to know more about REBT, then I’m here to try to help.

If you’re looking for a provider who tries to work to help understand how thinking impacts physical, mental, emotional, and behavioral elements of your life—helping you to sharpen your critical thinking skills, I invite you to reach out today by using the contact widget on my website.

As the world’s foremost hip hop-influenced REBT psychotherapist, I’m pleased to try 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 trying to help you to feel better, I want to try to help you get better!

Deric Hollings, LPC, LCSW

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