Dare to Dream

Because I have nothing better to do, while on the bus, I listen to a random assortment of music from my Itouch. The travel time from home to wherever it is I go, is usually somewhat lengthy and the Itouch acts as a bit of a distraction for me. Just the other day, I started thinking about the particular lyrics of one song, and tried to, in some sense, apply it, or understand why it is we even listen to music as human beings.

In general, I assume many of us listen to music for shear entertainment value, some because it provides some type of emotional effect. I started thinking of even why music is created, or produced (hence, I blog), and similar to the very reasons I write, a musician may sing for entertainment, as a release, to share views and so on.

As this dawned on me, I started diving into a song that was currently playing. And I found that it transcended the simple purpose of entertainment, and that it carried some meaning. I found it inspirational, somewhat touching. And I'm sure that is exactly what John Lennon intended.

This is the legendary John Lennon's "Imagine." For those of you that are unfamiliar with John Lennon, he used to be a member of the Beatles, but also produced his own music, like above. I urge you all to listen to the song above, and I believe it really has some significant merit. And for those of you that did not know, shortly after Lennon produced this song, he was shot and killed.

You may ask, or wonder, why is this guy writing this post? Or you may wonder, why is this song so special when their are probably many more songs carrying a similar tone. And you are probably absolutely right, their are plenty of other songs like this. However my point is, it echoes (in my humble opinion) the right message. It's also a song written in the early 70's. In fact it is based on an even earlier short poem.

When Lennon wrote the song, he knew that finding peace, or freedom is not a new cause. Instead, he is only trying to continue advocating it. With this song he's only asking us to 'imagine'. Imagine a world where we are without today's norms, or perhaps even a utopia. It really strikes me, as he hits many notes, asking us to imagine a world without possessions, superficiality, and even hatred.

Overall you can't really argue or go against this message, and if you do, I would love to hear why. What really strikes me however, is the chorus. I only keyed in on these particular lyrics, words, when I jokingly sent the lines to a friend via text to throw them off. Instead I began thinking deeply.

Imagine all the people

Living life in peace

You may say I'm a dreamer

But I'm not the only one

I hope some day you'll join us

And the world will be as one

The first two lines are quite self-explanatory, some may even say its fantastical. But think about it for a second, a world where we are all living life in peace, a happy world, free of bombardment of trauma or stress; it would be remarkable wouldn't it? It would be absolutely unbelievable, to live to see such a day. And many would agree and discount this thought. 

This is where the the next line comes in. "You may say I'm a dreamer." This is Lennon, speaking to you, speaking to me. He believes in it. He thinks that their is the potential for such a world, and call me crazy, but I want to- and will believe it too. This potential for a peaceful world, a world where people can co-exist, accept each other, embrace each other and really appreciate the world as it exists. 

Thing is, if I am, if Lennon is, or if you are being called nothing but a dreamer for thinking like this, it will never happen. When Lennon says "I'm not the only one", he's showing us, that we can all believe in this, take part in such a drastic idea as well. He's inviting us to believe in a peaceful and embracing world. And this is seen through the next lines as well. Until people start believing in such words, and until people act upon their yearning for a safe and yes, happy world/life, then we all have to think like this. Only then will the world live as one. 

I really love this Lennon song. It's inspiring to me, and I hope it is for you too. These thoughts are echoed in music today too. Today we see that we do have issues and problems, that we, as a human populous must overcome. I've seen this in many other songs, such as Lupe Fiasco's "Words I Never Said". (You can click on the link to listen to the song) Fiasco is another remarkable individual who I believe is trying to convey a similar message. In his song, he only highlights the seeming animosity we live in today. I don't want to dive too far into his words or the song in general, however I do think they are important, and that you should give it a listen. Do you see where I'm going? I hope so. Comment if you do, on my Facebook wall, in this very post, anywhere! "If you don't become an actor, you'll never be a factor."

Another song I really appreciate and feel falls in line here is Changes by Tupac. These songs in style and genre are very different from Lennon, but I feel that the beauty of the message of peace is shining even more due to this. These differences, within mere music, striving for the same thing, peace, can embody us as humans itself. We are all different, we all want the same thing, so lets do it, right? Lets see some changes! A similar song, Runnin, by Tupac and Biggie, composed by, I'm not sure who, looks at this delicate issue as well. I want you to pay attention to the last few words in the song (along with the chorus), but more particularly, the consequences we all can potentially face. How do we treat each other?

One final song I want to bring up is the following:

This song is called "Dear God" by The Roots. It again highlights the natural and unnatural issues we face today. Why am I showing these songs as well? Well, I'm hoping that everyone sees, that this is far from a perfect world. It is imperfect, and I believe it is unacceptable for it to deteriorate. The Roots want to "do away with these anomalies" and we should too. All these artists, all these musicians, want to find a way to reach peace. They all want to reach out to us as well, and get us thinking about acting in such a manner. 

Music in general may not all be about this one single thing, however every artist, whether they write, sing, paint, crunch numbers, we all are trying to do something. Some songs may be about hardships, love, or whatever. They all strive for resolution though. They all want to help in some way. They want to achieve some type of, well, peace of mind.

So I ask you all, what is it we look for? What do we want for ourselves? What about our parents, our brothers, sisters etc. We would want the well being of these people, our friends. And the stranger across the street also has parents, siblings, friends that he or she may want to look out for. My point here? We should all look out for each other. 

Looking at the very idea of unity, of solidarity. Countries strive for this, all of humanity should as well, as one big nation. Because really, we are all humans, we all have similarities, and we are also all different in some ways. That is the beauty of each individual. We should appreciate and magnify these strengths. I know it's really easy to say, but we really should all strive to be one, just like John Lennon said. And it won't happen if just a few people believe this, but everyone should.

 I've probably said and bitten off more than I can chew. The idea that we are living with imperfections, should be unacceptable. To accept these imperfections here, would simply be arrogant, because as long as their is suffering, not everyone is happy. 

I hope these words in some way, have motivated you to strive for greatness, in a way that strengthens and helps others. I believe that this can happen, and that small kind, everyday actions can work miracles. A simple smile can work wonders. I will continue to dream of this, and hope for such a world and day to come, where people are not afraid to be who they are, feel what they feel, and we can embrace each others difference. Don't be afraid, don't let negativity prevent you. Every single voice counts and a simple thing such as believing and acting, can tip scales. Every, single, one, matters. 

 I dare everyone to know this; I dare everyone to dream this. 

Then again, you may call me a dreamer...but I can assure you, I'm not the only one.

I hope some day you'll join us; and the world will be as one. 

It's Greener on the Outside of the Box

So today I woke up anticipating a probable boring day; when I logged onto my laptop, I was sent quiet an interesting video by an awesome and inquisitive person. I initially groaned as I noticed that the video was like 18 minutes long; to me that is long. I mean it was some British guy I have never heard of…but then I just watched and…it was fantastic.

Here is the video.  I recommend and request that you watch the video before reading the rest of my jargon. 

See at first glance, I was a little intrigued about what this may have been about, whether it was an attack, motivation, defence, I didn’t know. As I kept watching, it seemed to fall closer and closer to some of my own philosophical views.

I have every intention of becoming a teacher, an English teacher more specifically. And I’d first like to say, that the video was not an attack on education. In fact, it only advocates it further. This should be obvious to everyone because education really is the building blocks for anything and everything. In order to gain knowledge and do anything, you need to be educated in some way, shape or form. 

This can be seen through the Robinson’s portrayal of how education has evolved. Now it’s not just about the degree, it is about a lot more. And in a sense, this is a little tedious. All of a sudden, this certificate is the dictator of what we do and how we are perceived. Not only this, but a false hierarchy has been created.

Not only through education but parental and exterior factors has this hierarchy been created. In general, people have become more orientated towards exercising the left side of their brains. The perception of the maths and sciences have trumped the arts and languages. 

These areas of study in general are deeply associated with specific systematic procedures and rules. In a sense, school and education has enforced these rules as well. 

For instance, how many times have you been told ‘do not colour outside of the lines’. But why not? Why not indulge in the areas where things can be ambiguous? Where you should be disinterested and skeptical? By subjecting ourselves to rules and only the absolute science that we have already proven, how else to we learn and expand our minds and potentially open doors we never thought we could open. 

The arts, English, things without rules. These help us search outside of the box and not solely focus on the answer. They look at the process, they allow us to be silly, they allow us to make mistakes and learn from them. It’s not all about the calculated norm and the rules drawn out for us. Why be boring, why follow the mundane? By confining yourself to only rules is only another way to conforming.

Let’s look at school spirit for a second. Many would question, why bother? Is it even important? I can’t go to a “insert event here”, because I have homework. Homework is important, and it should definitely be done. But it’s most probably a left brained exercise. A school rally or spirit event should allow for people to step beyond those rules for a second. Experience something new and be willing to unleash a new type of though. Be ready to indulge and engage in a more whimsical way, to be more, creative. 

It’s not only the math and the sciences and the rules and the norms that bring us where we are, or allow us to progress. It’s that fresh mind, that allows to think outside the box and breaks the norms. It’s because we have so much more potential to do and think, but these rules are preventing us. We are only restraining ourselves by telling ourselves what we have to do, and how we have to do it. 

By doing this, we are narrowing ourselves to a set of instructions and nothing else. All of a sudden, this system has become the means to do whatever that task may be, and only this system works for it. I disagree with this, and this is why I love English. It allows for conflicting possibilities. It allows these possibilities to also be valid. Even in math or sciences, although the answer may be 5, there is still a variety of ways to come to that conclusion. Possibilities exist.

In the video above, I’m a big fan of Robinson’s story of the little boys in the play. As children, before we have this notion of right and wrong, or fear of mistakes, we are willing to give things a go. Even if they are right or wrong, we are willing to make an attempt at things, draw all willy-nilly and be able to learn from our mistakes. It’s this potential for ‘digression’ that allows for creativity. Digression is not bad, the GPS was created due to digression. Math is important, but so is creativity, even more so. I mean, I’m sure it took a creative person to create a system of numbers and algorithms. 

All forms of education are important. All of them. This is why every single area of study should be treated with care. Students, children, anyone should be encouraged to pursue whatever it is they like, enjoy and most inevitably are good at. Academics are diverse, just as the world is and this is why the study of possibility, creativity, through language, arts etc. 

Today however it is all about the answer. What has happened to motor skills? The process? Creativity should be allowed to roam freely, and it should not be intimidated or intimidating. Part of this battle may be caused by parents, and part of the rules set for us. However the majority of the battle must be taken upon the subject itself, us. We need to work to our fullest and not discount anything; to be willing to go above and beyond, and not just stay within.  

I remember, not long ago, I asked a student, and a very talented one at that, to write me an editorial paper. I told this student to ‘Have fun with it, go crazy. Do anything you want!’ At that moment, I was crazy, and over the weeks, we went through how to cast away the rules, and really go crazy with it. Today, this student has further learned to step outside of the box and not be intimidated to think of something new and fresh.

Additionally, I often tell people that I am crazy; and sometimes people themselves call me crazy, but not in a bad way. I use this word crazy, because it signifies differences. It shows that their is no fear to be different, which is what all individuals are. It also shows that we are willing to think outside the box, far-fetched and outlandish thoughts. Now they may be far-fetched and outlandish, but a lot of genius ideas are derivatives from these types of thoughts. 

The point I’m trying to make is quite simple. I usually do not like to be so straight forward or direct with my thesis, or message, but I will here. We are capable of more. We can do more. The answer is great, but the journey, the road, the process is empowering. To be able to walk down processes and coming to your own destination, is nothing short of fantastic. So do not be afraid to step outside the box, do not be afraid to be yourself, whimsical or new. Be willing to question and ponder, look at all angles. I push you to think beyond the rules, and push yourself to your instincts, and not just the cold hard facts. We are all capable of so much more, so let yourself function at full throttle. Next time you think of a rule or restriction, dispel it to see what good you can achieve. Allow yourself to go beyond the limits. Don’t conform. Do what you wish, whether it be math, science, art, English etc. We shouldn’t squander ourselves due to our different and enormous skill-sets, we should only harness the tremendous capabilities we have. And what I mainly want to say is…don’t be afraid about being creative. It’s what will make you a superstar.