Those who rave know the meaning of PLUR: peace, love, unity, and respect. They whole-heartily believe in each word as they trade kandi and do the PLUR handshake with a stranger under flashing lights. PLUR is a lifestyle and a set of values to live by, and the misconceptions often made by those who don't rave, might lead you to think it's just an atmosphere that encourages drugs and nudity. However, a true raver knows that PLUR isn't a moment at a rave, it's a lifestyle.
With each letter comes a deeper understanding than its surface meaning. These words are applied to one's life at a rave, then continuously outside of it. What are those deeper meanings you ask? Well each person has their own take on it but the overall message is the same. These following definitions are what PLUR means to me and how I apply to them my life.
Peace.
A rave is a place that is filled with positive vibes and everyone likes to keep it this way. I can personally say that out of all the raves I have been too, never once have I seen a fight. I think this has to do with the application of peace among the community. We all keep an open mind and are accepting of everyone.
Now apply this to life. Keep peace in your surroundings. Do not encourage and feed into negative feelings, stay calm, level headed, and understanding. Radiate positive vibes in everything you do and where ever you are, be the light people wish to bask in.
Love.
At a rave you can feel the love, it spreads like wildfire and stays lit inside you forever. It's a strong love for yourself and others around you. Love is what makes rave culture so welcoming to everyone, it's what drives the community embrace each other and look after one another.
Now apply this to life. Do not hate anyone or anything, be accepting and encouraging. Tell the people you care about that you love them, even tell a stranger they're important. Love is important to life, it is it's energy to keep it going. Without love their is hopelessness, but with love there is life.
Unity.
Being in a rave atmosphere quickly becomes home to many. I like to think this is because of the sense of community and acceptance we have towards each other. We are unified through our passion towards music and want to share it with everyone. A stranger quickly becomes a friend, who then becomes a member of your rave family. it is our sense of unity that keeps us defending the rave culture.
In life we are all different but we can still be unified. We can apply this by being welcoming of others into our community, inviting those outside the window of our group to come in. Educate ourselves on different cultures and explore new things with open mindedness. By gaining insight we can then gain a stronger community that we surround ourselves with.
Respect.
Respect is my personal favorite, and ties in with unity. With a strong sense of community comes respect; respect for yourself and towards those around you. Being at a rave you are in a judgement-free zone, you're free to do as you please and be who ever you want. Many people outside of the culture tend to judge the outfits we wear and the music we listen to.
Respect has always been the golden rule. Treat others how you wish to be treated. Do not judge one's lifestyle or preferences. Observe all you want but do not pass negative judgments. Just as we were taught as kids, do not say anything if you have nothing nice to say. We must go on with life respecting ourselves so others will respect us, knowing how you hold yourself is important--it can define us, but remember that even if someone does not come across as what you might define as "respectable," you do not know their story so approach them with an open mind.
