Its something more than a toy.

General Yo-Yo
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The toy on the string, a simplistic design.
The juvenile object of the past, the past time, the object of manipulation for the simple minded.
It brings joy, they all say, not to be taken seriously, but of course for any toy, it is nothing more is it not?
Neither young nor old must grow attached they say, strictly for fun and nothing more.
But…
What if this simple toy, was meant to be more than a toy? Perhaps it serves a greater purpose.
A greater gift bestowed upon its owner which brings it out of the darkness of death and cold, and into the light of living, breathing, moving.
For what if this object was not an object at all, but an extension.
Would it be an extension of ourselves? Perhaps what once was set apart, was now, a part.
The expression of longing, guilt, regret, sadness, sorrow, all conveyed within the soul, reaching out through the synthetic material that binds this separate soul, which may not be separate at all…
Yet happiness, joy, through the comfort, maybe not was it an object to bring thus feelings to our being, but part of us, part of us that brings into the light, what was there all along.
The inner working of the soul, the synergy of forces combined, growing our very essence into a expression of who we are, not to transform, but to beckon what is and will always be.
Through natural movements, no longer are we bound? Bound by the chains of the corporate world that sends us into the robotic realm? The neverending death of dreams, shattered by this swallowing abyss. Yet we find the connection, the substance of nature, flowing through our spirit, becoming one with the spirit of this object of manipulation, we find ourselves, in what we had not known to be ourselves, for what is ourselves could not be seen by ourselves alone…

Is this but a mere toy? Are we not to take it seriously. For the object of our passion, our drive, our spirit, is beckoning out those of whom we are, and those of whom we are meant to be. Surely within the materials of metals and plastic, through the earthly fibers that weave the painting of our soul, is more than a toy.
For it is the extension of ourselves, the creation of life, and the heartbeat of that of which makes us as one.

J.

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Just a toy for me. Or I guess something that drives it as an expensive hobby.

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This subject has been touched on before, in many times and in many ways. Revisiting it again from time to time is a good thing.

For some, the yoyo is just a toy. That’s oK. it used to be a weapon, but now it’s a toy. Well, I suppose if you wanted to you really could use it as a weapon again, but in general, it’s a toy.

Many things can be used for more than just their intended purposes. In the right hands, the yoyo can be an object of amazement, using this simple toy as an element of artistry.

For me, the yoyo is definitely more than a toy. Was was obtained to be an item to pass time and amuse myself has taken greater purpose. Choosing this as a hobby has had unexpected yet beneficial side effects. Having been diagnosed with depression YEARS ago. I won’t get into my personal life here, but let’s say there’s many factors that continue to contribute to why I’m depressed. Doing the typical talking to various doctors and then in turn being prescribed drugs that I’ve never taken(nor picked up), I chose the path of not bathing my brain in artificial chemicals just so I can “be happy”. Annoying phone calls from doctors telling me to pick up my meds, threatening legal action to force me to take my meds. Bluffs called, I have YET to take any medication. Well, there was one time where I was taking thorazine because I had hiccups for a solid week, but that was prescribed to help the hiccups stopped, which not only did it not work, but I had a bad reaction to it as well…

Having refused medication maybe wasn’t wise, but it’s not something I wanted to deal with. Meeting with me, you’d probably note I had a bit of negativity, which was the depression creeping through. I kept it under control for the most part. Now with the yoyo, I feel better. Yeah, I still have depression but I have a better method of keeping it in check, and it’s natural(well…) and probably costs me the same as drugs would have.

Similarly, I feel I’m using parts of my brain I haven’t used as much until recently. My creativity is coming back. I wasn’t able to harness it because the gear I used for my creativity is big, heavy, and takes up a lot of space(audio desk, DAW computers, keyboard/synth/sampler rig, drum rig, it takes a lot of space). Writing was another avenue, but it was hard to keep motivated on it. Enter the yoyo. I’ve re-engaged my creativity again and while the ideas aren’t exactly flowing, more ideas are coming more frequently. Not everything pans out, but stuff is written down and saved and who knows where it leads.

Business has been down. The crap from the banks and Wall Street in 2008 certainly didn’t help either. Not getting jobs was not helping me manage the depression. Now that the yoyo has come in, my drive is back. I aggressively went after CalStates in 2012 for sound, I got it. I went after BAC in 2012, I got it. I am willing to bet I’ll get Nationals! I gotta kinda keeep the aggression in check, as my industry can be very nasty, and I want to avoid that element.

A simple toy? Yes. Just a simple toy? Not even!

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No.

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Round and metal halves,
Although I like it very much,
Nothing but a toy.

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Nice, but that’s 5-8-5. :wink:

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I was unconvinced that very was 2 syllables so I ran with it. Even counting it out now I can make it sound right to myself both ways.

Even after beer,
Syllables I try to count,
But very poorly.

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Wow. That is deep. But its just fun to throw and collect.

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Lol. Haha

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Although, it sounds as thougb you have found something that works for you. Keep it up. Btw, you are a great writer, I can tell that by this post. I also have depression. I take medication but regardless itll get better. Keep your head up and keep throwing. If you think you can beat it then you can.

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Check your history.

Yes.

They used to sit up in trees and use it to hunt animals. Weapons don’t always mean “war”.

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Doesn’t seem very practical for hunting. If you’re in a tree, say 15 feet up, your string needs to be around 15 feet long just to reach anything directly under the tree. Let alone an animal that may be 10 or 15 ft. away from the tree’s base, where you’re talking a string closer to 25 feet.

The concept also isn’t any more advanced than just throwing a rock at an animal, so I don’t know why you’d go to the trouble to add a string and make it a yoyo. Just carry a few rocks. Also, if you could produce a functioning wooden or metal yoyo then you have the necessary skills to produce bows, arrows, and spears.

Close combat is about the only way I see it working as any sort of weapon, but I’d rather just have a heavy stick.

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I reckon if you had a very oversized full-metal offstring throw you could use it as some sort of projectile… :wink:

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In response to Studios reply, yeah yoyoing really got me out of a bout with depression about a bit over a year ago. Its amazing what this manipulation device can do.

I also recall back in 2009. Yoyoing really helped me calm down and ease the nerves I had upon finding out about the tumor on my brain that I was diagnosed with in June of 09.
It was one of the scariest moments of my life, and leading up to the surgery, yoyoing was a great help in calming the nerves. As well as a good pastime during my recovery period.

I owe allot to this extension of my spirit. Its incredible what it has done.

J.

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I never knew you had a tumor! One of my freinds has a tumor, right now, he doesn’t yoyo, but he is a great guy, I hope he lives through this tough time. :frowning:

Thanks for telling us!

Yoyoing is like an extension of myself, I use it everywhere, and I love it, I love using it when I am stressed. :slight_smile:

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If it weighed like 16 ounces or more and had a 30-foot rope on it, it would be much more practical as a war weapon or a hunting weapon. We shouldn’t assume the yoyo hasn’t undergone some massive transformations over the centuries. I mean, first came spears, then came darts, then came arrows, then came crossbows, then came rifles and bullets. Things evolve.

Even so, today’s modern metal yoyos can do a lot of damage, even on a relatively short string.

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It would be more of a flail than a yoyo.

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that said, you wouldn’t call a spear a rifle, would you? rock on string =/= yo-yo.

the whole “yo-yos are weapons” thing was most likely made up by duncan demonstrators of old in order to interest young boys.

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I’m not trying to start an internet argument but I just like to have the facts correct. This is from the yoyowiki:

“Many other sources including Panati’s Extraordinary Origins of yesterdays Things say that “yo-yo” was a Tagalog word supposedly meaning “come-come” or “return”.[3] It has been acknowledged the yo-yo was never used as a weapon in the Philippines.[4][5] Lucky Meisenheimer, author of “Lucky’s Collectors Guide to 20th Century Yo-Yos - History and Values”, characterizes this as popular but fabricated.[6] The allegation was nevertheless used in a Diet Mountain Dew ad from 2008 as part of the drink’s “Surprising Facts” ad campaign.[7]”

Now I know it’s a wiki and could be incorrect but I’ve been told and had discussions with very knowledgeable folks in the yo-yo world. The “weapon” thing was concocted by Don Duncan decades ago to add an air of mystery to the toy. Many Duncan demonstrators were Filipino so he ran with it being a Philippine weapon of old.

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A yoyo that weighed more than a pound thrown overhand at 30 or 40mph on a 30 ft. rope seems like it just about rip your arm out of its socket when it hit at the end. And then what do you do on a return if it were even possible? a 1 or 2 lb weight shooting back at you hard enough to reel in a 30 ft. rope would be just as much a weapon for the opposition as for you. Actually, it’d be even more effective since you’re holding the end of the rope.