Stricken

“All this hurrying from place to place won’t bring you any relief, for you’re traveling in the company of your own emotions, followed by your troubles all the way.”

-Seneca

“Stricken” was the second single from Disturbed‘s third album, 2005’s Ten Thousand Fists. One of their most commercially successful singles, it was certified 3x platinum in the United States for sales exceeding three million.

Whereas “Guarded” was more of a teaser, “Stricken” was the proper introduction to the then-new album. Like most of Disturbed’s material, it strikes a balance between heavy and melodic elements. And, in an effort to create some distance from the nu-metal stigma, it was one of the band’s first songs to include a guitar solo.

Radio-friendly? Yes. Soaring and emotionally charged? Also yes. “Guarded” concerned itself with the feelings of being isolated and the loneliness and paranoia this could bring. On “Stricken,” frontman David Draiman sings of the torment of obsession and unrequited love. Loss of control, and a sense of inner conflict and helplessness. “You don’t know what your power has done to me,” Draiman sings. “I want to know if I’ll heal inside.” Whoever inspired this song really had a destructive effect on the guy. A constant sense of push-and-pull, Draiman seems unable to get himself out of this situation, physically or emotionally.

And then, Draiman’s signature combination of vulnerability and unbridled anger.

The video takes place in an abandoned asylum. A man is depicted having affairs with two women, and his original girlfriend is upset, screaming. The narrative is interspersed with performance footage of the band in the background, with objects being either thrown around or dropped. At the end, the man is seen with no emotion, as he buries his face in his hand.

You definitely get a sense of passion throughout Disturbed’s songs. That is, if you interpret Draiman’s obsession and unrequited love to be that. Of course, everyone feels passion, but it might be worth remembering that passion can also be an extreme emotion, akin to jealousy and hatred. While you can’t just reason your way through everything, it still helps to watch yourself. To learn how to hold back, to be comfortable with delaying gratification.

“With enough practice, the passions can be exiled from the citadel of the self,” Ryan Holiday says. “No unhappiness can touch the well-intentioned man. Banish the passions, and you are proof against misfortune. Banish the passions, and you are independent of the world, the owner of an unshakable contentment.”

Easier said than done, certainly. But maybe it’s worth asking oneself. Set a purpose for things.

Then again, an obsessed mind can achieve great things. Investor Paul Graham says, “If I had to put the recipe for genius into one sentence, that might be it: to have a disinterested obsession with something that matters.”

That is, obsession can be great when it’s driven by a sense of purpose, rather than escapism. I mean, we have to be interested by things, right? If you are stuck in a toxic non-relationship cycle like Draiman, or pointlessly collecting bus tickets like Graham’s examples, then you’ll end up in all kinds of trouble.

If you are captivated by your work and perform to a high standard with a strong sense of purpose, then that’s a very different story. More power to you.

Like so many things, it’s a process, not a destination.