For some reason, following 48-hours with just 7 combined hours of "sleep", I have told myself I still have the mental functioning to write this. Which of course is a lie... I don't. But I want to work at it anyway. Yes, as you read, you may begin to think, "wow, what a piece of half-ass, shitty, crap". Granted, you were warned.
There are also some invented words in this piece. Just in case you come across something you think I thought was real but really isn't. I can be creative sometimes, you know.
I am required to take a course about teaching internationally as a component to my preparation for South Africa in the spring. There are two sections to the course, one in St. Catherine's and one in Hamilton. The Hamilton section has a total of 3 students: PJ Christine (that's me!), JI Shelby (not me), and IS Pete (also not me). Mark Wickens instructs us and we essentially just eat international snacks and talk for 2-hours.
It's REALLY awesome!
Society, culture, questions/issues in (in)equality, education.... these are topics that I am REALLY interested in and excited about. And these are the topics we discuss during our class. The two hours I spend in room 10 on Wednesday evenings has restored my perception and faith in my education this year.
Last evening we talked about stories. Considering Hofstede's "Onion Concept", we talked about how individuals are comprised of many layers, some thicker others just thin, each which contains some important content to the whole of our being. Departing from an onion (actually, we thought the image looked more like a chalet...) and adopting a "story" theme, I can adapt the metaphor to take the shape of chapters.... People are living, breathing stories with many chapters.
The problem becomes, though, that as others perceive us, they tend to only know one story about us. When I go to work, my customers see one single story about me... I am a bartender serving their beer. When I go to school, my colleagues see one single story about me... I am a student. When I go to the mall people see one single story of me... I am a middle class, white, female.
One single story. None of us consists of one single story. No one person, city, or even country can be accurately understood or explained through reading or having a familiarity with an aspect of it's identity. An aspect.
Human beings and the geography we encompass are not made up of one single story. But so often we are fragmented in this way, based on sometimes small, sometimes big, but always just snippets of something that is happening to us at a single point in time. Stereotypes, fragmatized, often misinformed, snippets of our being. We watch the news and see images of war in Iran and we have a single story understanding of an entire nation. We look at a person, and based on the colour of their skin and the clothing they wear, we scribe a single story understanding of who that person is.
People are fascinating creatures. Capable of so much greatness, which some do achieve. But they... we... also contain so much short sightedness. Disturbingly, for every insightful, open-minded, thoughtful person, there is an equal (more?) number of individuals who are close-minded, unthoughtful, and ignorant.
I have a very hard time conceptualizing how that is even possible. How, in the year 2012 (TWELVE!) society continues to perpetuate an "us - them" mentality. And I do not claim to exceptionalize myself from the phenomenon... at times I can be right in there with the best of them. And I absolutely identify the problematicity all that prescribes. I think that individual attitudes are what they are.... It can be very difficult to change the minds of some people, for better OR for worse, however I do believe it is possible. It's when individual mindsets, content on knowing a single story about a person or location, combine to form a collective. A misinformed, ignorant, close-minded collective is a scary thing.
Yes, we are a pluralistic society IF we maintain a technical definition of pluralism which looks at the physical makeup and multitudinous variety of cultures of the people who live here. But I think the concept of pluralism is deeper than that.
We watched a TED Talks talk (triple t's) by a profoundly insightful woman named Chimamanda Adichie. A Nigerian woman, writer, and prolific speaker, she shares the experiences with single storyism she has encountered surrounding her African identity. Adichie's sentiments are very clear.... Knowing a single story closes one's growth of knowledge and attainment of true culturalization and global citizenship. To know several stories about a person or place can only lead to a certain paradise among us. A paradise because everyone just might be understood a little bit better. A paradise perhaps also because our differences, the unique things that come to define and distinguish us from others, would be a point of learning for those people we meet.
There is a line in the song "Ants Marching" by the Dave Matthews Band that goes like this:
"We look at each other wondering what the other is thinking. But we never say a thing, and these crimes between us grow deeper"
It isn't hard to be ignorant. You don't ask questions , you don't challenge yourself, you don't go out of your way to learn things, you are content with mediocrity, and are most comfortable with not having to work very hard. To me, that is an unfortunate state of living. Because what I think is that knowing things, challenging yourself, asking questions, talking to people, striving for excellence, and working hard provides such a rich, engaging, and fulfilling existence.
And hearing the multiple stories which have been written so far and fill the pages of our lives already is one brilliant starting point. In doing so we validate the existence of so many groups of people on Earth, breaking down the barriers of stereotypes which persist and continue to "inform" the discussions so many have around global communities. Knowledge is power and, I also believe, a gift. Knowing things gives us a significant amount of power.... leverage for understanding life. Knowledge cultures us. Knowledge empowers us. And for this reason, we must use knowledge very wisely... share what we know with others to teach them, too, and provide a counter thought to some who might demonstrate more narrow thinking.
I think the first step in the direction of knowing multiple stories is to start listening to those willing to share.
Thursday, January 19, 2012
Thursday, January 5, 2012
Mus(ic)ings
Things that are annoying: Composing a beautiful blog about beautiful music, taking a really long time to do it (when you SHOULD have been school work productive), AND THEN FREAKING DELETING IT SOMEHOW JUST BEFORE YOU WANT TO PUBLISH IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Not that it’s what happened to me last night… or anything. L’ugh.
You already know this…. I have a profound obsession with musical things.
Profound.
And every once in a while a song or piece of music comes my way which I haven’t heard before. New music EXCITES me!
And every once in a while from the first once in a while (so I think that means it’s a less than frequent occurrence), I learn of a piece of music that I become completely obsessed with. Like, listen to it on repeat for days or weeks on end, never tiring of it whatsoever. Like when I discovered “Adiemus” by Karl Jenkins. Or friggin' “Pumped up Kicks” by Foster the People this summer. Or “Claire de Lune” by Claude Debussy. Or, not even kidding, the stupid theme song for The Tudors.
It just finds me somehow! I have this idea that people do not go LOOKING for these enlightenment's… that wouldn’t be very enlightening, would it! The music comes to you… Somehow the stars just … Align!... and you are never ever the same.
Although this typically annoys anyone who lives with me, drives with me, or does anything involving music with me, I LOVE IT! I love to listen to it in different locations, because no matter what ANYONE says the music DOES sound different in different locations. I have to test what it sounds like on my bedroom stereo, the downstairs stereo, through my headphones, in my car, and just really freaking loud. I NEED to hear it to its fullest capacity.
I don’t know how I become so completely consumed by some songs. But I do. Totally enthralled, completely absorbed, ultimately owned by the music. I LOVE how specific musical sounds can be so much to one person but nothing to another. And THAT’S because I believe in this: Music is a subjective, personal, individual experience. Even when you’re listening to it in the biggest amphitheater surrounded by thousands of people, it’s an individual experience. The lyrics are interpreted differently, certain sounds received inversely from one person to the next. It’s marvelous how that works.
Anyway, since life transformed from 2011 to 2012, I have had the pleasure of experiencing several of these musical “enlightenment's”. These “how the HELL did I EVER live before knowing this music” epiphanies. I woke up on January 1st after a fun night with fun people (one of the best New Year’s Eve’s I’ve had in several years, actually) and flipped from Classical 96.3 (what I listen to at night <3 ) to the Edge. This was the first song I heard that day and the first song of my whole year. I have been listening to it NON-STOP ever since!.....
This song has such a different, creative, beautiful sound. I am so taken in by the xylophone and Mr. Singer’s voice (which sounds strangely Sting’esque, especially in the chorus). I can’t get enough of it!
Tuesday night I was doing a fine job procrastinating. Just pure, blatant avoidance of the voluminous mountain of school work I have staring me in the face at the moment. I decided I needed study music, so I hopped on YouTube to satisfy my hunger. Well that’s NEVER a good idea if you’re me and want to be productive with real things, because what SHOULD be a less than 2 minute task UNKNOWINGLY turns itself into a 2hr concert! But it’s so, so, so wonderful. Again, just not if you have a shit-ton of work to do.
I’ve met few good people since starting Brock in September. A lot of flakes and transparent people (OOPS! Did I type that out loud??), but a few good, intelligent, have something to offer people, too. One of those is Bart.
Ok, first of all, Mr. Most is going to be famous one day. He’s a DJ. A good DJ. Check this out for the PROOF! ….. So it stands to reason that a person who works in the music industry might know one or two good songs, right? Understatement.
I have to admit that I have not really (read: at all) given trance music a legitimate chance. I just haven’t. But I was open to Bart’s ideas, considering how passionate he is about this music… at least, I didn’t suspect he’d steer me wrong. True? TRUE. So, I’ve had the below song on my repeat mix since Tuesday. I.Cannot.Get.Enough.Of.It.!. (note: since saying this was trance, I have been informed it is, in fact, NOT trance. But it's great!)
And then I thought, hmmm. Muse! I have a thing for Matthew Bellamy. In the sense that he is guitar God! As I was scrolling through the Muse songs I could listen to, I came upon a word in one of the video titles which enticed me. "Symphonic". Sooooooooooo, I love classical music. And I love orchestral pieces. And I began to understand how epic Muse’s music would sound in a symphonic presentation. The problem I thought of, though, was that often when rock/alternative music is made into “orchestral” format, it sounds really fucking stupid. Some dope on a keyboard pushing buttons that “sound” like orchestra instruments, but not really at all because they’re fake and on a stupid keyboard. But I thought I’d click on this link. Just to find out.
OK! SO! SO FRIGGIN’ GOOD, RIGHT????!!!!! Muse’s sound is so ridiculously BIG in the first place, and this cover matches that and SURPASSES it in grandiosity! Oh my gawd, I’m in love!
Each of these three songs are so contrastingly different from one another, yet they still have something in common. In all their diversity, they harmonize in me, somehow, speaking to some fragment of my identity in unison. It’s wonderful. So, so wonderful.
You already know this…. I have a profound obsession with musical things.
Profound.
And every once in a while a song or piece of music comes my way which I haven’t heard before. New music EXCITES me!
And every once in a while from the first once in a while (so I think that means it’s a less than frequent occurrence), I learn of a piece of music that I become completely obsessed with. Like, listen to it on repeat for days or weeks on end, never tiring of it whatsoever. Like when I discovered “Adiemus” by Karl Jenkins. Or friggin' “Pumped up Kicks” by Foster the People this summer. Or “Claire de Lune” by Claude Debussy. Or, not even kidding, the stupid theme song for The Tudors.
It just finds me somehow! I have this idea that people do not go LOOKING for these enlightenment's… that wouldn’t be very enlightening, would it! The music comes to you… Somehow the stars just … Align!... and you are never ever the same.
Although this typically annoys anyone who lives with me, drives with me, or does anything involving music with me, I LOVE IT! I love to listen to it in different locations, because no matter what ANYONE says the music DOES sound different in different locations. I have to test what it sounds like on my bedroom stereo, the downstairs stereo, through my headphones, in my car, and just really freaking loud. I NEED to hear it to its fullest capacity.
I don’t know how I become so completely consumed by some songs. But I do. Totally enthralled, completely absorbed, ultimately owned by the music. I LOVE how specific musical sounds can be so much to one person but nothing to another. And THAT’S because I believe in this: Music is a subjective, personal, individual experience. Even when you’re listening to it in the biggest amphitheater surrounded by thousands of people, it’s an individual experience. The lyrics are interpreted differently, certain sounds received inversely from one person to the next. It’s marvelous how that works.
Anyway, since life transformed from 2011 to 2012, I have had the pleasure of experiencing several of these musical “enlightenment's”. These “how the HELL did I EVER live before knowing this music” epiphanies. I woke up on January 1st after a fun night with fun people (one of the best New Year’s Eve’s I’ve had in several years, actually) and flipped from Classical 96.3 (what I listen to at night <3 ) to the Edge. This was the first song I heard that day and the first song of my whole year. I have been listening to it NON-STOP ever since!.....
This song has such a different, creative, beautiful sound. I am so taken in by the xylophone and Mr. Singer’s voice (which sounds strangely Sting’esque, especially in the chorus). I can’t get enough of it!
Tuesday night I was doing a fine job procrastinating. Just pure, blatant avoidance of the voluminous mountain of school work I have staring me in the face at the moment. I decided I needed study music, so I hopped on YouTube to satisfy my hunger. Well that’s NEVER a good idea if you’re me and want to be productive with real things, because what SHOULD be a less than 2 minute task UNKNOWINGLY turns itself into a 2hr concert! But it’s so, so, so wonderful. Again, just not if you have a shit-ton of work to do.
I’ve met few good people since starting Brock in September. A lot of flakes and transparent people (OOPS! Did I type that out loud??), but a few good, intelligent, have something to offer people, too. One of those is Bart.
Ok, first of all, Mr. Most is going to be famous one day. He’s a DJ. A good DJ. Check this out for the PROOF! ….. So it stands to reason that a person who works in the music industry might know one or two good songs, right? Understatement.
I have to admit that I have not really (read: at all) given trance music a legitimate chance. I just haven’t. But I was open to Bart’s ideas, considering how passionate he is about this music… at least, I didn’t suspect he’d steer me wrong. True? TRUE. So, I’ve had the below song on my repeat mix since Tuesday. I.Cannot.Get.Enough.Of.It.!. (note: since saying this was trance, I have been informed it is, in fact, NOT trance. But it's great!)
And then I thought, hmmm. Muse! I have a thing for Matthew Bellamy. In the sense that he is guitar God! As I was scrolling through the Muse songs I could listen to, I came upon a word in one of the video titles which enticed me. "Symphonic". Sooooooooooo, I love classical music. And I love orchestral pieces. And I began to understand how epic Muse’s music would sound in a symphonic presentation. The problem I thought of, though, was that often when rock/alternative music is made into “orchestral” format, it sounds really fucking stupid. Some dope on a keyboard pushing buttons that “sound” like orchestra instruments, but not really at all because they’re fake and on a stupid keyboard. But I thought I’d click on this link. Just to find out.
OK! SO! SO FRIGGIN’ GOOD, RIGHT????!!!!! Muse’s sound is so ridiculously BIG in the first place, and this cover matches that and SURPASSES it in grandiosity! Oh my gawd, I’m in love!
Each of these three songs are so contrastingly different from one another, yet they still have something in common. In all their diversity, they harmonize in me, somehow, speaking to some fragment of my identity in unison. It’s wonderful. So, so wonderful.
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