This past weekend I took my oldest to his first metal concert. He has gradually gotten into the music over the last few years (my influence, and several around me) and this opportunity came up to go to Minneapolis to see a two day Metallica show with our buddies, Matthew and Raymond. I had promised him a trip for his 16th birthday (hopefully will be a family tradition) and he loved the idea. Leading into the concert I was talking to him and he said he was a little nervous. I asked him why and he said that he intended to mosh but wasn’t sure what to do, if it would hurt, etc. I told him that yes, it definitely could hurt and then me and the others went over some rules. These are rules that are fairly universal in metal and are pretty strictly enforced–not by an authority but by the community. 

1) elbows, fists, etc. to a minimum. Bodies and shoulders and backs and such
2) let someone out if they want out
3) no headbutting
4) absolutely pick someone up if they fall

The cool thing is to see this in action. As expected, last night a pit was almost in constant action immediately behind me. My son, who now loves to mosh, was in it most of the time. I saw him get knocked down and three guys immediately picked him up. I saw a kid lose his glasses. Pit immediately stopped and he got them back. I saw another guy stop the pit to get a cell phone back to someone. I saw the pit bounce several guys out because they were going too far. It was a safe, violent release of pent up aggression and anxiety and restlessness. It was fueled by the music and policed by its own community and it was beautiful in its own way. 

Extend this to our life. What if we automatically, almost reflexively, picked someone up as soon as we saw them get knocked down? What if we cared enough about our community that we would immediately stop what we were enjoying just to give someone a possession they lost (and honestly, it was their own fault)? What if we identified the bad players and expelled them from our community and it meant something because they really wanted to be in that community. It meant enough that it taught them the lesson. Even in the midst of chaos, people are people and people care about people. We can do better. We can treat people in the life mosh pit like people in the concert mosh pit.