3.31.2010

discoveries of a slug traveling on an owl's wings

Someone in this building was playing really loud music ( 4 am on a Wednesday) and I could hear it since the air-conditioning vaults make that happen. Sometimes, I find myself hearing opera while I am brushing my teeth. And sometimes, someone is crying. On some other floor. That is all cool. But not today.

Their music disturbed me not for its presence but for its quality. I called it 'dumb music' and then went a brief monologue of internalization (due to the ''dumb music'' accusation that I found uncomfortable).

Because, really- no music is dumb.  Everything else in nature has its own audio laws and patterns. Music is the sole crown of human audio invention, besides language but language is mandatory part of life. So, no matter how retarded we find a particular music genre, rhythms and mathematical poetry of frequencies; it is someone’s artificial world coming to life. It has been put together. Music does not have any physical address of existence before its inception. After inception, it is cds and records. Have you not wondered sometimes, where does music come from? Does it float around and you capture it? So all the millions of songs yet to be written and sang, do humans carry them in their fist-sized heart and soft cerebral matter? But that is perhaps not a question I will find an immediate answer to.

So, if we leave the compositions of musical algebras behind- have we come to understand how music forms in our mind.. ..........Inspiration?

Is inspiration the happiest goal of creativity and reason behind the Farnese Heracles (5th Century BE) in Museo Archeologico, Naples; or Laocoon (c.150-50 BC) in Museo Pio Clementino, Vatican; or Aphrodite of Melos (“Venus de Milo”) (c.100 BE) in Louvre; or The Rape of the Sabine (1581-3) in Piazza della Signora?

Well, we might not be looking for research materials on how does the whole concept of inspiration work scientifically. Though understanding where inspiration find roots in neuroscience will be an interesting TED talk that I could watch over dinner, for sure.


So elusive inspiration that resulted in everything we find enjoyable in a cultured or just aware way- should be respected. I shouldn't call music dumb just because my ears are adjusted to hear something else or likes some other frequency?


Ok, lets get back to life now. Loud neighbor today made me realize something important. Be kind with your words, if not thoughts. Pay attention to your thoughts. Who knows, it might just help you see the world better, unexpectedly sometime.

1 comment:

Unknown said...

Yes, be kind with your words. It could get you punched, shot, stabbed, cursed, bitched and even worse, served with snot and spit laden dish you will so religiously wolf down....