Reflection:
Music with Integrity and Wisdom
I woke up today and yesterday with an over-bearing feeling of a anxiety, I don’t know if it is because I am sleeping in a tent and at the moment it is extremely cluttered or if it has something to do with living on the road for such a long time. I live in a routine of showering, lounging around while I eat breakfast that consists of left-overs, then sitting in Starbucks while I try to express myself and provoke thought through listening music, watching politics and reading scriptures.
It is a Solitary life at the moment, one more month then I am reunited with old friends and of course my wonderful family. It’s important for me to keep myself my occupied with things that provoke my thought, things to feed my mind and soul. I try to get rides to the skatepark everyday I can but the last two days I haven’t had that privilege. So I am writing about it.
I watched a video while in Starbucks that really fed me today. If you are familiar with the name “ Ben Sollee”, “Andrew Bird”, Or “Josh Garrels”, then you are on the right track. They produce a quality of music that is scarce in today’s age.
The things Ben says in this TED really speaks to me as a follower of Jesus. Something happened to me on the journey I am on right now with Jesus, it has something do with biting of more than I can chew off. I have been over stretching myself and focusing too far, I am trying to live in the future fighting the reality of living in the present. Waking up, with a burden of every day ahead of me, not realizing that not focusing on the now. So when Ben says that piece about “The beautiful limitation of the bicycle” it jots my memory and helped me focus on the now. Now is more important than where I am not. It reminds me to live everyday with Jesus, and to keep a thankful mindset.
So back to my music talk, I really can appreciate the demeanor of the way this music presents it’s self. I am tired of listening to songs these days, and long to hear music that isn't based on compressing the vastness of music into a single idea and one “hook”. Repetition in music can be tasteful and used to amplify an idea but layers, melodies, and verses bring life into the song. Music is lacking dimension and sustenance these days. It is like a bag of potato chips, sure you can enjoy a chip but you will be hungry again in an hour. I require a meal, I want to hear a masterpiece.
When I hear a piece by Ben, it feeds something in me and encourages me to take life like he writes his music. Not many artists encourage me in deeper ways then just how I feel at the time of listening to them. Today watching this completely pulled me out of my previous state of mind.
Thanks for that Ben.
-Aaron.
