I have been working at this house installing a deck with someone for the last 6 days. There are some other guys who are there doing the roof and daily they have the radio playing some older, “classic” rock. I used to listen to a lot of the stuff they have been listening to on the radio. It’s been a long time since I have heard some of those songs. As I was listening yesterday and today. I just felt a heaviness come over me at some point. I just kept hearing song after song that sounded so angry and depressing. There was an attitude of wanting to strike out against everything. I remember that when I used to listen to some of this stuff that my demeanor would change. The mood I felt often determined the kind of music to which I would listen. On the other hand many times the music also determined my mood. I have heard the argument back and forth for many years about how music does or doesn’t affect people. I know that music never makes someone go out and kill someone else or do anything bad. Each person is responsible for their own decisions and actions. No one makes you go out and do something like that. I do know however that what people feed into their mind will affect them. So it doesn’t really supprise me that some people who listen to this type of muscic often have a bad outlook on things. There is more than just meets the eye or ear in this case. Words have power to them. They can be used to build people up or to destroy them. The old saying, “Sticks and stones can break my bones but words can never hurt me”, is a lie. Ask any kid who gets made fun of at school or elsewhere. They will tell you a different story. What deepens the affect that these word have is the music. That is because they were meant to go together. It’s like watching a thriller movie. When they want you to think something big is going to happen the music gets more intense. Sometimes it is just to fool us and make us think the bad guy will jump out and get the hero. Other times it actually happens. I remember watching “Jaws” when I was a kid and that movies scared me. Everytime you heard that deep heavy music you thought someone was going to be eaten. Our hearts would begin to pound faster and faster, and we got even more interested in what was happening. Can’t you just feel yourself wanting to jump out of your seat just thinking about it. We wanted to tell the people on the screen, ”GET OUT OF THE WATER BEFORE YOU GET EATEN. HURRY UP GET OUT HE’S COMING. FASTER. OH NO THEY FELL BACK IN THE WATER. WHEW THEY JUST MADE IT.” Man what a relief. That is what words and the music that goes with them can do to us. In the same respect that heavy dark music like death metal and hard core rap or other music can take us down there are many types of words and music that can lift us up. How many of you remember the theme song from ROCKY III, Eye of the Tiger. I used to have that record. Yeh, you read that right. I said record. I know that a statement like that will date me a little bit but thats okay. I was just a kid when the movie came out. I used to listen to that album over and over when I was lifting weighs because it got me hyped up and ready to lift. It also an inspirational song, which is why they used it. I like to listen to a lot of contemporary Christian music and worship albums now days. They keep me focused on the positive things in life and on the one who gave me everything I have and that would be God. If I am down I can listen to this and it lifts up my heart and my emotions. I feel different. It reminds me of better things that have been and are still to be. I have a varied taste in this type of music. There are many different types of Christian aritists. Some are light and others have a very guitar driven beat that is more rock and roll style. It is just that the message is about God instead of raging against society and being angry about everything. Now I’m not saying all rock and roll is evil or anything I just think it is very important that we realize the message that is coming at us or our kids before we continually pump this stuff into our minds.
Thanks for joing me.
Gary Kauffman
Tags: Christianity, family, life, music, religion, religious, thoughts
