The Weight of Experience

From Life on the Edge

War!

A vast portion of my life has been spent amidst conflict, in some of the most perilous corners of the earth. For 14 years, I lived in a camp entirely cut off from the outside world, without the faintest link to what we call "normal life." Throughout it all, music has been one of my most steadfast companions—a constant, soothing presence in the chaos.

When someone speaks to you about life, they must have truly lived it in its fullest sense. To grasp the essence of existence, one must also have brushed against the shadow of death. A grave illness, a near-fatal accident, or the profound loss of loved ones—those irreplaceable pieces of our existence that, without them, life becomes unimaginable—are the trials that bring us closest to understanding life’s fragility and its intensity.

Merely having experiences does not grant us the authority to teach or speak of them. An experience must cut deep, leave its mark, and transform. For it to hold value, it must emerge from a collision with vulnerability, survival, and transformation.

This understanding has urged me to share the breadth of my lived experiences with you—not as lessons, but as stories that carry within them the raw pulse of life.

Admittedly, this is not easy for me. Many things in life are difficult for us, yet purpose has a way of lightening the load. A strong enough goal can make the hardest trials bearable.