Heavy music - love it or hate it, it's here to stay, and it's constantly expanding. Every year there are new bands contributing new ideas to the scene. Every year there are amazing records being produced, shows being played, and writing being done. One major thing people notice when they go to a punk or metal show is the moshing that takes place. The pushing, shoving, flailing arms, weird dancing that's sometimes done, and the jumping. What is one to think when they see this and they don't understand the heavy music scene? Some jump to conclusions and think it's just violence for the sake of violence. I'm writing to prove that it's much more than that.

I remember my first time going into the (mosh)pit, it was at a local show in my hometown. I had no idea what I was doing so I just followed along with what the other kids around me were doing: moving their arms around and jumping. Seemed easy enough so I jumped in, got pushed around, felt the rush of the music, and had a great time. I noticed something while I was in the pit; it was oddly therapeutic. I went back in at the same show and let out a ton of energy, while the other kids around me did the same. I didn't know them and they didn't know me, but the music brought us together to perform this seeming violent act.

Moshing isn't about trying to hurt someone. It's about feeling the music and losing yourself in it. Not enough to where you don't look out for those around you, but enough to where you can enjoy yourself. It may look chaotic, but there's beauty in that chaos. At least for me, I discovered that I let out most of my anger and frustrations in a mosh pit. Not by hitting or kicking someone to intentionally hurt them, but by pushing someone and having them push me back. When I was younger and went to more shows, I would love moshing because it let me release all of my negative energy. No matter what I was dealing with or who I was angry towards, moshing helped me redirect that anger through exercise and music. Angst, parents that "don't understand", anxiety, depression, fake friends, and school troubles are all things many people deal with and have different outlets for dealing with. I was fortunate enough to find something where I could enjoy my favorite music, exercise with strangers, and forget about everything that was going wrong.

Believe it or not, people who participate in mosh pits really do look out for each other. Again, I will reiterate, the purpose of moshing is not to hurt someone. In fact, I've heard stories and seen people that have gotten their butts kicked because they were trying to hurt someone, and everyone else who was enjoying themselves didn't take too kindly to that. One time, at a show I went to with some friends, I saw a girl that was a little shorter than me at the time (around 5'4"). She also looked like she weighed much less than I did at the time (around 100 pounds). At one point during a song, she decided to jump in the pit. She got destroyed instantly. It was no one's fault, because when you're in the pit, sometimes you don't have enough time to stop and look where you're moving. So when she jumped in, big guys and had bumped into her and made her fall. Which caused some people to not see her and bump into her some more. However, a few seconds after she had fallen, two guys covered her from the crowd, picked her up, and took her out. She was okay, and she thanked them. She later went back into the pit and had a great time. My point here being that even though it may seem violent, the people in the pit are still looking out for each other.

I've been in my fair share of mosh pits, and the only loss I've suffered was a pair of glasses. Moshing is freeing and fun. It helped young, adolescent me find a way to vent my frustrations. I'm sure it has done the same for many others. It may look like people are trying to hurt each other, when really some may just be trying to let out everything that hurts them.