Book Commercials & Misanthropic Observations

On Music

Music is what feelings sound like. ~Author Unknown

This post will be anathema to friends like SX Benjamin Holsteen, who considers music to be oxygen.

I am prepared to admit what I am about to describe to be a fault. I must defer to the current millions worldwide and throughout history for whom music is what feelings sound like. I also have read studies that claim that singing together as a large or small group, being in a tight band, or participating in an open jam session creates what we call being in the “zone”. Hearts beat in unison, voices and breathing patterns merge into one joyful whole.

Others have a “soundtrack to their life” or at least a specific time period, and listening to this music brings them back in a flood of vivid and happy memories. We get lost in singing along to the music of our youth. I come closest to understanding this in the candy pop of the 80’s. I will happily sing along to one hit wonders like “In cars” or anything by Men at Work.

But, here is my confession- if I have anything to do that takes actual thinking, like web design, image editing, book keeping or comprehending what I am reading or hearing in conversation or audio book, I want that background noise off, please. And since I prefer to spend most of my time in one or more of these activities, Music is not a welcome addition to my daily life.

When Paul’s iPod broke, I gladly gave him mine, knowing that any audio book I wanted to listen to would easily fit on my Palm Centro, and I hadn’t even gone to the music section in over a year.

Often at work, around 5:30 PM, when everyone else has gone home, I will become self-aware enough to notice a certain agitation of my spirit. It takes me a second to come up mentally from the task at hand, and as I do, I am suddenly aware that someone has left the radio on. Switching it off has the same effect for me as a ½ hour nap.