Be Adventurous With Your Ears

The last blog brought to light the idea that some goals need not be merely single events but instead are can be lifetime goals. Keeping this in mind my next goal is also a lifetime goal, with the aim of discovering what truly makes one happy. The potential of music in the world has been recognized extensively, but perhaps one of my favorite quotes about music comes from Aldous Huxley when he said, "after silence, that which come closest to expressing the inexpressible is music."  This quote does a good job of expressing the profound effect that music seems to have on humanity. 

The effect music has on people is not completely universal, and thus we see the need for different genres in music. I, for example, can't stand to listen to country. Whether its the (often times) depressing lyrics or just the style of the music, country is just one genre I have trouble enjoying. This is perfectly ok and is part of the reason that music is so wonderful. Even though I don't like county, there is a huge amount of different music out there and it has been easy for me to find artist after artist who is able to evoke the emotions to which Huxley alludes.

The life goal in this post is similar to the last. Over the course of one's life I think it is important to give different styles of music a fair chance. Similarly to trying new foods, trying new music is not always going to be successful. This is an important point to note so that during the course of achieving this goal one does not get too frustrated when they come across music that they do not enjoy. The very wording of Huxley's quote shows the necessity of music in order to reach this certain type of satisfaction. By being able to "express the inexpressible," music fills a niche that would never be able to be filled otherwise.