"I hear a song, and it's like crack. I need to hear it over and over again."
The vast majority of what we hear goes in one ear and out the other; jingles from car dealership commercials on the radio, that terrible music that is heard during the television commercials for Indian Casinos. It's as if they aren't even trying. It's things like this that give music a bad name. I don't think noise like this should even be referred to as music. When I hear the word music, it invokes a wonderful image. When I hear noise that is utterly devoid of any quality, it breeds the thought, "Why am I wasting my time on this useless activity?"
For the short time on Earth granted to us by the inconceiveably large circumstances that produced our existance, (hear me out on this one my religious comrades. I wish I was brought up with strong religious values because I think religious people have an advantage in life) we search for meaning. Nobody likes wasting time. We hate waiting. A common saying of the day is don't waste my time.
There must be some reason why such a noble being as man spends much of his existance participating in musical endeavors. It does not produce physical results in the way that framing a roof does. Music isn't something that will help you advance in everyday affairs, which we all could use.
We don't all plan on being famous. There is a real arrogance in wishing to be in the spotlight of the worlds eye, certainly not a character trait that I posess. I do, however, wish to produce great music that all can enjoy. There is a fine balance between forcing your music down people's throats and setting your music on a dish for people to take a bite of.
And then I hear a great new song, a rare event, and I push all these negative thoughts away. Music is no longer a useless, arrogant, wasteful activity. It all makes sense. And you get that feeling, that awe. You smile, you turn it up. You become inspired, and the rest of the day you think about that song.
It's really just a trick of the mind. When you don't understand something, it makes you think more of it than it really is.
Why then do we need music in our lives? Simple answer really, the same reason we watch movies, or read books. To enrich our lives, and sometimes it just sounds cool.
We idolize musicians. We call them geniuses and a variety of other qualities. We don't really know how great these people are. Is it fair to give musicians this much credit? Aren't there more deserving people who are advancing our quality of life more that a musician can? No, I don't think so. If we want to worship musicians, then they deserve it. People don't worship easily, there must be good reason behind it.
We only have a short time on the Earth. We have a duty to help each other live better. If it were not for people who believed this, the world would quickly disintegrate. I can't imagine a better feeling then having the gratitude of a complete stranger. A material posession cannot produce the same feeling.
What's the point of any of this discourse? Every so often I get this nagging feeling that all the progress we make is meaningless. No matter what you do, you will be long forgotten. Nothing really matters. These thoughts can quickly interrupt your day, and it is then that I remember why I struggle. To have a good life. All we truly have is our years. It would be a pity to waste them.
We all want to live a good life. Music helps to accomplish this. It is for this reason that music deserves all the respect it has.
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