The Power of Music

Out of all the songs on the album, I found that I enjoyed DJ Shadow's: Building Steam with a Grain of Salt. I personally felt that it evoked a strong emotional response from me. I don't listen to instrumental music often, but this piece spoke to me despite the lack of lyrics. I listened to the music with my eyes closed so that I could have a better understanding of what the song was trying to portray. I think that instrumental music doesn't have a targeted goal for an emotion, but rather allows the listener to form their own interpretations. In other words, unlike songs with lyrics, instrumental music doesn't dictate or try to prove what is being said but rather connects the listener with an emotion.

Though the song seems to run on repetition with the same beat and instruments, I found that the imagery that was conjured up was continuous. Listening to the word segments, I thought that the song had a spiritual aspect to it. I like how the word segments integrate with the music to create this image of tenacity, inner-strength, and hope. I imagine that someone would be walking along the street replaying the flaws of their life in their mind and learning to overcome that to be a better person. The beat, lyrics and instruments create a powerful and inspiring thought process. There are very few songs that are able to evoke strong emotions without the aid of lyrics. What DJ Shadow's done is he allows the listener to peek through the window of an idea and let them discovers for themselves what is within.

The Path of Enlightenment

After watching Phil Connors' ordeal of living each day in repetition, it became apparent how a once narcissistic man turned more "giving". I enjoyed the movie because it implied that with time human nature can be changed given certain circumstances. If one were to gain the experience of living a life over and over again, sure enough one would want to do things differently than from before. In Phil Connors' case, reliving one day over again allowed him to take risks without any consequences. I liked how the movie transitioned from him living each repeated day without any care to him living each day with a purpose. I believe that he became enlightened once he realized that although he would create certain scenarios to get what he wanted (in the beginning it was to sleep with Rita) he would never reach his desired result. Eventually he became tired of having to repeat each day and therefore refused to deal with it by trying to kill himself.

In my personal experience, I've gone through struggles of stepping on the path toward enlightenment. Like Phil, I used to be the type of person who would take things for granted. I wouldn't say that I'm narcissistic, but I do focus on myself a lot and my personal goals instead of the bigger picture. Phil's transition resonates with me because he stopped thinking about his own needs and began to care for others by noticing their needs. In essence, he began to place others before himself. That is what I believe turned him from being self-centered to becoming a humanist. I thought that Rita's character had a huge impact on him because she is the polar opposite of what he was. I believe that because Rita is so positive, her character began to influence Phil's outlook on life. When he starts acting as a good samaritan, it's as if he begins to emotionally grow.

This is the same case for many movies that deal with a character who once was selfish that turns good over time. I believe Phil's enlightenment came in the form of him turning "good". It was a step by step process in the movie, and I believe that it correlates to how one becomes enlightened in real life. I've had to cross over many barriers and  fight against my limitations, but once I did I was able to mature as a person. I found that there is so much more to life than just living it. I have limitless options on how to further improve myself and make each day more meaningful. I think that Phil became a good samaritan because the good things he did for others had more meaning to him than what he could do for himself. He learned this because he had time to figure it out. In essence, enlightenment is a learning process that can only be achieved with an open mind, experience, and time.

Breaking Free

I come from a family that has a strict religious background. As a child, I enjoyed going to church and attending Sunday school. Looking back on it now, I've come to the realization that I only enjoyed going because I perceived it as a family activity. Never once did I think there was an ultimate motive as to why my parents wanted us to go to church. At that time, I don't think I truly understood what being religious meant. What stood out to me the most was how methodical religious procedures were. My family is Catholic and there is a specific routine that is done during mass that never varies; it's constantly repetitive. After discussing Plato's Cave in class the other day, I began to correlate his analogy with how I felt as a kid going to church.
 I'm not implying that religion enslaves people. In fact there are several types of religion that enlighten, motivate and emotionally heal people. However, I viewed myself enslaved by my emotions when it came to church. I didn't fully understand what it mean to be Catholic nor was I perturbed by it. The reason behind it was because I, like the prisoners shackled in Plato's cave, didn't really seem to mind what was going on around me because going to church was a habit. In essence, it was more like a "shadow". Going to church was a part of my family's routine and therefore I wanted to follow that.

It wasn't until I got older that my mind became more liberal. There are certain practices, beliefs, and limitations that the religion my family practices has. Most of which I don't agree with. I've seen families break apart because there was something done within that family that is taboo against religion. I've known people who lose themselves in their religion that sometimes they lose touch with others. When I tell people that I'm not religious, they think that I don't believe in God. It isn't that I have lost my faith, but more in the fact that I've become enlightened as to where my faith should go. Instead of going to church because of habit, I would choose to go in order to seek answers. One of my favorite quotes is by Nietzsche which states: "I cannot believe in a God who wants to be praised all the time". Whenever I think of this quote, I reflect back to when I was a child singing hymns and reading biblical passages. I do recall wondering if God knew how much we praised him and if it all truly did matter. I always thought that he would be accepting no matter what our flaws were. I still believe that, but after my experiences of coming across people who were strictly religious and easily condemn others, it makes me wonder if they think God is more accepting of people then they are. I reiterate, it isn't religion that enslaves people, but it may be the overwhelming emotion, expectations, and passion that do.