Gift of MARS

This 11th phase of the Untitled Echelon project invited me to explore what 30 Seconds to Mars means for me personally, what impact the band and their music has in my life and how it has changed me.

Honestly, I never actually spent time to stop and think about this matter before, EVER

I thought that I already know what 30 Seconds to Mars means to me, it is very simple actually, it is my favorite band. It should mean more than enough, right? I purchase all their albums, even have multiple copies. I spent the money to buy A Beautiful Line on iTunes Store because the iTunes refused to import the songs from the CD and I am too lazy to burn a copy and then import the songs. I use Night of the Hunter as my ringtone (to my coworkers protest), my alarm is Edge of the Earth (even my brother memorize the beat), I follow all the members of the band on Twitter, and retweet any news. Not bad for a fan, right?

Of course, in the world of MARS, there is the ECHELON. I consider myself an Echelon, I help promote, I introduce their songs to my friends, heck, I even managed to ‘convert’ my cousin to the ‘cult’, which is a pretty good achievement if I say so myself. In any way that I can, I try to contribute even just a little.

But to tell you the truth, I have to admit that I never had any experience where the band or their music has helped me through a rough patch in my life, pick me up when I was down, and motivate me when everything else fails. I can say I truly admire anyone that can say that they have been helped by the band or any of their songs, because I never consider myself be personally attached to any song.

I love their music; I consider all their songs to be deep, meaningful, filled with beautiful (and sometimes tragic) imagery waiting to be explored. Some are disturbing, some are peaceful, some are beautifully performed that it invites you to get in touch with your feelings, but I cannot associate a song that helps me through this bumpy journey even when my life depended on it.

So why am I here? Why did I decide to join this Phase? Because lately I realized that 30 Seconds to Mars DID give me a very precious gift that I never took time to appreciate until a few weeks ago.

Without 30 Seconds to Mars, I would have never had the wonderful opportunity to get to know my ‘crazy, beautiful, dysfunctional family’, my brothers and sisters literally ALL OVER THE WORLD. I have to admit, if it was not for 30 Seconds to Mars and Echelon, I wouldn’t even think about befriending some of the people now regularly messaging me. I wouldn’t even consider sharing a sliver of myself with them if it was not for the entity that has called themselves 30 Seconds to Mars.

I guess 30 Seconds to Mars really did touch and change my life, even if it is not visible at first.

It would be unfair of me if I measure the impact they have in my life based on my ability to memorize their names, faces and the lyrics to their songs. Because that is not what being an Echelon means, for me being an Echelon actually means more than promoting and doing the 12 steps, or trending something on Twitter that has something to do with the band.

For me, Echelon means widening my horizons, spreading my wings, taking chances, even so much as sharing my life with people I never met in person.

So I guess I owe 30 Seconds to Mars a thank you. Not only for sharing their talent, music, words, feelings, and time, but also for the chance to experience MARS.

For all my brothers and sisters out there, this is dedicated for you. Because without each and every one of you, this experience will be incomplete, THANK YOU.

MIRANTI ( -M- )
JAKARTA, INDONESIA