“Milk the pigeon” is a slang term from the 1800s, roughly translated to “to endeavor at impossibilities.” Heyne views this phrase symbolic for his blog and its readers, those that are stuck in a “crappy 9-5,” “major life path we’re forced to take,” or “motions in a life that has nothing inherently worthwhile about it.” And his advice for this lifestyle: CHANGE IT. With his frequent posts, he aims to inspire others and passionately seeks:
I hope as a community we can start a revolution of pigeon-milking, ass-kicking, boundary-surpassing tough sons of bitches who will truly change the way people view life and everything that comes with it. Here’s to saying piss off to the deferred life plan, and seizing every damn thing you’ve ever wanted from life.
Now according to the Alexa Blog Ranking, Milk the Pigeon’s traffic rank is 9,505,404 and unfortunately only has one site linking in. So, it would probably be safe to say that his site isn’t the most viewed, but you know what, I really like what he’s got to say. One of his posts that particularly got my attention was “My Excuse for Drunken Debaucherous Affairs: Emerging Adulthood in a Nutshell.” And as I’m sure you can tell, the post name itself got me hooked! He begins this post with a napkin-drawn diagram for his future, which shows the probable consequences of either moving back in with his parents, going to graduate school, getting a job, volunteering, or moving to China. But none of the traditional routes are particularly stimulating, and there Heyne begins his take on emerging adulthood or as he calls it, “I’m a Big Boy Now,” the transitory years between 18-25. In this post, he speaks of ambition, endless possibilities, and finding your purpose in life. But instead of sounding overly preachy or self-righteous, he relates to his readers through a very casual writing style—which includes a lot of swear words and bold emphases. Because after reading each post, I feel like I’ve had an “Ah-ha!” moment, and one not from my parents, but from a guy my age looking to make a difference.
Another of Heyne’s posts that really struck me was “Humanity’s Greatest Flaw: Quit Comparing Yourself to Others!” He begins this post with a quote by Chinese philosopher Lao-Tze, which delves into being oneself and not competing with others. Later he follows with a quote by author Nido Qubein that stems along those same lines. The inclusion of these quotes shows that although Heyne’s writing style is very informal, he is very worldly and knowledgeable. Further on in this post, he talks about how society is getting more and more skilled with every year and how as a result, there is this enormous pressure to succeed—to accomplish goals and get ahead of others or what he calls “societal sickness of comparison.” Like Heyne blogs, “most of us are stuck in a time-sensitive period where we are focused on ‘achievement’ and obtaining things that ‘prove’ we have succeeded in life” when we should really be doing what makes up happy. And after this little bit of advice, Heyne asks us to “Milk that. Chew on it. Ponder it,” which really made me do just that.
I plan on incorporating many of Heyne’s views into my own blog with similar posts relating to our social timelines and pressure to follow a major life pathway. But in contrast, mine will focus less on traveling and advice for avoiding this lifestyle and more on the emerging adulthood theory itself.
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