Music as a escape!
There are few things in life people enjoy. Life's pleasures are so limited that every chance given most would take just to experience the best life has to offer; not all human beings are willing to openly accept the guilty pleasures they find in things are considered deviant or improper in any society.
If society is in the need of something to keep under control such cravings, there are plenty of options out there to explore: restaurants became a big business because the most basic of all needs can be taken to the next level, and with this trend reality television shows took the lead and we can enjoy the pleasure of cooking and torture at the same time in a very socially acceptable way. Then, again, we found that enjoying too much this pleasure leads to obesity and health issues, so it is not gratuitous that with this trend gyms and personal fitness trainers jumped into the scene, because if you want to enjoy something there should be a little bit of pain involved in the whole process. This is the heritage of our ancestors, which we are reluctant to surrender even though more and more we are given the chances to do so, even at the cost of social segregation and punishment.
And for every other pleasure there are abundant places to satisfy them, whether their existence is acknowledged or not. However, there are few pleasures that can be easily satisfied like listening to music. All of us enjoy a good tune every know and then, even replaying it ad nauseam or until we find it doesn't please us anymore; however, in the pleasure of listening of music neurotic tendencies can be easily spotted: people will play the same song or music from the same band because it provides a soothing feeling of relaxation, or makes them feel in control of what they are hearing (rhythm is the perfect example of stereotypical movements expressed through the beat of a song), even rocking gently our heads as we listen to it provides relief in a chaotic world. Music is the best way to escape from reality and it explains why portable music players (such as iPod or Zune music players, amongst many other gadgets that can perform at the same level) are so popular, particularly among teenagers who we can see walking down the streets with their headphones on, completely detached from reality, to the point of exposing themselves to injuries or even death (many are so distracted that never check the traffic).
However, this kind of addiction to music is socially acceptable because it does not affect anyone and can be easily controlled. But I must confess that is not my case: I walk around with my iPod waiting for the right moment to wear the headphones and get disconnected from the noise and chaos of the city; I experience severe anxiety when the battery indicator shows a red battery almost empty, this implies getting back to reality and listen to people and their demands. There is not a single day I do not take with me my iPod, I even bought a second one (iPod Touch) just in case the first one (iPod Classic) dies unexpectedly, even friends and colleagues find it absurd because it keeps me away from them, but like I said before, addiction to music is an indicator of a neurotic disorder: honestly, I'd rather listen to my favorite songs all day long that to some of the most boring conversations sometimes coworkers and friends have (seriously, who wants to know you had indigestion or that your mortgage is almost paid off!).
Escaping through music is an art, is not as simple as plugging in your headphones and unplugging yourself from reality; it requires a patient and calculated plan, the creation of specific playlist that fit your mood or whatever activity you are involved in at the moment, it demands the perfect volume level, not too loud, not too soft, as it can send your mind off to outer-space leaving your body behind in the ER. In a more and more chaotic reality, full of noises and voices, music offers a little bit of comfort not only to your ears but to your inner-self, few can say they do not like listen to music, otherwise radio and TV stations playing music 24/7 would have never succeeded. Music is one of those guilty pleasures that can get you high without the use of chemicals or any other experience enhancers.
What was I doing while typing this post...? I was listening to Enya and Enigma, two of my favorite New Age musicians. When d you enjoy music the most? Think about it...
If society is in the need of something to keep under control such cravings, there are plenty of options out there to explore: restaurants became a big business because the most basic of all needs can be taken to the next level, and with this trend reality television shows took the lead and we can enjoy the pleasure of cooking and torture at the same time in a very socially acceptable way. Then, again, we found that enjoying too much this pleasure leads to obesity and health issues, so it is not gratuitous that with this trend gyms and personal fitness trainers jumped into the scene, because if you want to enjoy something there should be a little bit of pain involved in the whole process. This is the heritage of our ancestors, which we are reluctant to surrender even though more and more we are given the chances to do so, even at the cost of social segregation and punishment.
And for every other pleasure there are abundant places to satisfy them, whether their existence is acknowledged or not. However, there are few pleasures that can be easily satisfied like listening to music. All of us enjoy a good tune every know and then, even replaying it ad nauseam or until we find it doesn't please us anymore; however, in the pleasure of listening of music neurotic tendencies can be easily spotted: people will play the same song or music from the same band because it provides a soothing feeling of relaxation, or makes them feel in control of what they are hearing (rhythm is the perfect example of stereotypical movements expressed through the beat of a song), even rocking gently our heads as we listen to it provides relief in a chaotic world. Music is the best way to escape from reality and it explains why portable music players (such as iPod or Zune music players, amongst many other gadgets that can perform at the same level) are so popular, particularly among teenagers who we can see walking down the streets with their headphones on, completely detached from reality, to the point of exposing themselves to injuries or even death (many are so distracted that never check the traffic).
However, this kind of addiction to music is socially acceptable because it does not affect anyone and can be easily controlled. But I must confess that is not my case: I walk around with my iPod waiting for the right moment to wear the headphones and get disconnected from the noise and chaos of the city; I experience severe anxiety when the battery indicator shows a red battery almost empty, this implies getting back to reality and listen to people and their demands. There is not a single day I do not take with me my iPod, I even bought a second one (iPod Touch) just in case the first one (iPod Classic) dies unexpectedly, even friends and colleagues find it absurd because it keeps me away from them, but like I said before, addiction to music is an indicator of a neurotic disorder: honestly, I'd rather listen to my favorite songs all day long that to some of the most boring conversations sometimes coworkers and friends have (seriously, who wants to know you had indigestion or that your mortgage is almost paid off!).
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| Enya |
What was I doing while typing this post...? I was listening to Enya and Enigma, two of my favorite New Age musicians. When d you enjoy music the most? Think about it...
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| ENIGMA - Michael Cretu |
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