Hardcore Harmony: Cultivating the Seed of Self

[Having turned in my final portfolio for Writ 121, I would like to share another of my essays that were submitted for final grade. Again, this does not appear in its original format, due to limitations imposed by the Blogger interface, and ommisions necessary to deter possible plaguerism.]


How many of us are able to say that our favorite songs when we were children are still our favorite songs today? How many of us are even able to remember the names of those songs? They seemed so relevant and full of meaning back then. Why, then, have these songs lost their appeal and become little more than kitsch memory? The answer hides dormant within each of us like a seed waiting for the warmth of spring to reveal its true form. Music is a living breathing form of expression, that when honestly allowed to flourish in its own river of self exploration, will reflect the summation of who we are in various stages of our lives. Like a gardener planting a bulb and nurturing it to bloom, we cultivate a seed within ourselves, coaxing it to grow, and the music we listen to throughout our lives mirrors this development of self.

When we are young we are like seeds that have been formed but have not yet been planted. We have not found that place to call our own and drop roots and we have yet to truly begin the struggle that is adulthood. We view the world around us with an attitude born out of the highs and lows that accompany the chemically-charged naivety that is pubescence and our taste in music reflects these views. Linda Lebelle, Director of Focus Adolescent Services counsels this time of life “can bring about frustration and confusion that leads to anger and a pattern of reactive behavior” [source ommited]. That being said, there was a time in my life that I believed being “hardcore” was the pinnacle of a fulfilling existence and the music I was listening to at that time validated this philosophy. One band that best represented this was Rage Against the Machine.

The topics they spoke of echoed many of my own beliefs that society was broken and trust was a betrayal in the making. Lead vocalist Zack De La Rocha summed it up nicely in a self descriptive lyric in Bombtrack when he referred to: “The thoughts of a militant mind, hard-line, hard-line after hard-line.” As a young man I had a strong feeling of discontentment bordering on martyrdom. It was my perception that no one understood me. It was this type of attitude that attracted me to the edginess of hardcore bands like Rage Against the Machine. This music spoke to me and it was with certainty that I could tell you I would be listening to it for years to come, for as drama critic and founder of American Spectator George Jean Nathan puts it, “No man can think clearly when his fists are clenched” [source ommitted].

Gradually though, people begin to change and their taste in music changes with them. We get jobs, fall in love, start families and experience more of what life has to offer us. Our perception of life begins to change and along with our angst-driven issues of awkward non-conformity, the “hardcore” in us begins to die. In my own life it wasn’t so much that the music I was listening too was any less energetic, but that the polarity of that music had shifted. I was becoming happier than I had ever been and this was manifesting itself through the music I was listening to. As I transitioned from my late teens into my early twenties I met the woman who I would one day marry. Spending time with her had a healing effect on me. Her earthy nature helped me to gain control over my fiery temper and appreciate life in ways I had not understood. Rather than listening to the heavy metal driven anthems of Rage Against the Machine urging me to “Settle For Nothing” or that I should “Wake Up”, I had already awoken, but more akin to a seedling wriggling out of the seed casing that had protected me, yet held me prisoner as well. I was experiencing a shift from the dark damp soil of my past to an illuminated focus on aspects of my future that had been struggling to see the light of day. It was at this time that I became particularly interested in 311 “Music.” In many ways 311 could be considered “hardcore” but their message is one of friendship, love and unity, building rather than destroying and in these, they represented an evolution of self consciousness in me.

The onion that represents our lives is continually gaining new layers. Sometimes the alterations we undergo are so subtle that it takes something like music to show us the outward reflection of our current mode of inner expression. Gone was the need to filter everything through the “hardcore” window and embraced was a new desire to become part of the flow. 311 explained this feeling best when they said:
Everything I eat is from the Earth right?
I am what I eat straight up Earth right?
Nothing but a walking sack of earth
Nice to meet you how you do? (And sums it up brilliantly telling us):
I’m going back to the Earth I’m not going to waste life being hateful [source ommitted]
Like the young man in the song, I found myself wanting to feel the connection to the natural world that we all innately possess. The music I listened to changed not because I wanted it to, but because it had to. It was after this process that I had become quite dispassionate when listening to Rage Against the Machine and other “hardcore” bands. It wasn’t just the subject matter of the lyrics that became distasteful but the angry violent ear brutalizing chords that formed the music itself. It no longer represented what I was about.

A decade and some odd years removed from that young seed striving to drop roots and sprout new growth, I am now a father and a husband. The music I listen to is so different that it truly does resemble the comparison between an acorn and an oak tree. I spend more time in the company of mellow electronica music such as Air or the Boards of Canada and Orbital. I still qualify statements by adding descriptive value, using the term “hardcore” but that word has taken on a whole new meaning for me. This is best defined through a statement made by Flea, a member of the Red Hot Chili Peppers in an old issue of Rolling Stone. In it he said: ‘The most important thing to me now is to be a kind person, I don’t think there is anything more hardcore than being loving” [source ommitted]. Never have words rang more true in my soul. Each day I try to put this profound thought into action and the music I listen to does little to discourage it.

-DRJ

Spiritual Patchwork

Recently, I found myself involved in a discussion regarding religion. In a way I have been avoiding talking about it here, if anything, because of the massive amount of exposure I have had to it within my short lifetime. Well, that is not to say it, but one in particular, that oh so devouring, take no prisoners mechanism we know and love: Christianity.

Anyways, years removed from all that, I have gained a perspective on the subject, and it came up within the context of that other conversation, and I thought I should continue my thoughts here. Please note that I do not disagree with Christianity, but I do not agree with it either. In summary:

Modern scholars and theologians have sought to prove the Christians' faith as being based in fact, and every time they think they have made progress, it becomes like water in their hands.
When faced with the reality that (yes this is an old horse being beaten mercilessly) the Bible itself has been translated into hundreds of different languages, and re-written, re-interpreted well over 2000 times, it is difficult to quantify the actual validity of any of its claims versus the author(s) temptation to fantastically embellish stories told of their revered Lord and God. It should also be noted that the current Holy Bible is missing several books that the church felt were not appropriate to their views, as well as numerous ancient scrolls that were chosen for omission because they disprove some key teachings of the faith.

In reference to the individual:

I find it perplexing, confusing even how someone so learned, would limit themselves to a singular expression of spirituality. While I do not discredit any religion, I also do not condone an intelligent person to adhere to just one and consider that enough. As intelligent beings, don't we owe it to ourselves to explore the similarities and differences between all religions, gathering the best of all and forming a personal belief system, and individual moral compass born of the fires of our own hearts and minds, having fueled them to the utmost?

If someone says that they are a spiritual person, I adore and respect them all the more deeply. When someone says they are "Christian", thereby effectively boxing themselves into that narrow school of thought, I tend to deny that, not only because I don't want to think of them as being such, but also because any who respects spirituality seems to be rather brilliant by default, and brilliant people do not often "box themselves in."

NBA: Dollars or Sense?

Recently an article appeared in the Lansing State Journal. It was an editorial column by local sports writer Todd Schulz. In it, he outlines a plan by the NBA, to impose an age limit, or rather minimum, on player recruitment. The National basketball Association is debating whether or not to enforce a rule that would not allow players under the age of 20 to participate in the league. Despite the NBA's reasoning that it would prevent young players from making bad decisions, and stock the league with more experienced rookies, thereby improving the quality of the league, Schulz disagreed. His stance on it was that we live in America, and as such we should have the freedom to choose to do as we please.

As I considered both sides of this argument, I gradually came to the conclusion that both sides were wrong. I will first begin with the NBA, and their role in all this. Do not be fooled for one minute that the NBA has the best interest of young hopefuls at the fore front of their agenda, what they care about is revenue, they are a business. The most telling aspect of their position is when they refer to "a league filled with more experienced rookies is a higher quality league." If the NBA had any noble motives behind their reasoning for this minimum age requirement, it would be regarding the players and their well being. Perhaps they should stop for just a minute and consider what an amazing, life altering opportunity it is that they are offering these young men, many of whom are coming from extremely difficult life situations, and the the real reason to have these guys finish their educations is for them to better themselves through academia, and receive a whole world of cultural enrichment that one cannot get on a rural Iowa farm or a proj