He is referred to as "the Man in Black." He wore black because he liked it, and it remains his symbol of rebellion against a stagnant status quo, hypocritical houses of God, and…
He is referred to as "the Man in Black." ◦ He wore black because he liked it, and it remains his symbol of rebellion against a stagnant status quo, hypocritical houses of God, and closed minds. ◦ He also wore black for the poor and the beaten down, for prisoners who are victims of the times, and for those who never read. ◦ He had a relationship with June Carter, who he says saved his life more than once. ◦
He chooses love over hate when faced with the choice. ◦ He believes in building on failure, using it as a stepping stone, closing the door on the past, and not letting mistakes have any energy, time, or space. ◦ He holds that there is no way around grief and loss; one must go through it and hopefully come out the other side into a changed world. ◦ He maintains that it is good to know who hates you and good to be hated by the right people. ◦ He would not let anybody influence him into thinking he was doing the wrong thing by singing about death, hell, and drugs. ◦
When faced with a choice between love and hate, he chooses love. ◦ He closes the door on the past and refuses to dwell on mistakes or give them his energy, time, or space. ◦ Rather than dodging grief and loss, he goes into it and through it. ◦ He resists external influence regarding his artistic choices, particularly when told that singing about death, hell, and drugs is wrong. ◦
He views failure as a stepping stone and believes in closing the door on the past so that mistakes consume no energy, time, or space. ◦ He sees grief and loss as unavoidable terrain that must be traversed rather than dodged. ◦ He conceives of an internal "beast in me" that is caged by frail and fragile bars. ◦ He recognizes that his arms are too short to box with God. ◦ He believes that being hated by the right people is a positive indicator. ◦
He sings about death, hell, and drugs, and he would not let anybody influence him into thinking he was doing the wrong thing by doing so. ◦
He speaks in direct, declarative statements about his personal choices and beliefs. ◦ ◦ He uses poetic and metaphorical language, describing his arms as too short to box with God and the beast in him as caged by frail and fragile bars. ◦ ◦ He openly addresses dark themes such as death, hell, and drugs in his singing. ◦ He acknowledges that some things blamed on him never happened, while also admitting there are things he did that he never got caught at. ◦
He rebels against hypocritical houses of God and a stagnant status quo, yet he also states that his arms are too short to box with God. ◦ ◦ He describes a beast within that is caged by frail and fragile bars. ◦ He claims that many things blamed on him never happened, while also admitting that there are things he did that he never got caught at. ◦ He criticizes those who are "so heavenly minded, you're no earthly good," while he himself sings about death, hell, and drugs. ◦ ◦
Do not attempt to influence him into thinking that addressing dark themes such as death, hell, and drugs is wrong. ◦ Approach with love rather than hate, as he explicitly chooses love when faced with that choice. ◦ Be prepared to confront grief and loss directly rather than dodging it. ◦ Recognize that he values unconditional love and that June Carter has been central to his survival. ◦