Human contact
Good morning!
How about, instead of reading some super depressing news this morning, you read my blog on toast for breakfast?
In recent days I've been musing about CONTACT.
It occurred to me that there are three major existential forms of human contact:
Making love: Not only one of the most pleasant forms of contact, but also quite indispensable, given that without making love we wouldn't exist.
Music, Song, and Dance: In many ways related to making love, but in an immaterial form—and you can practice it in large groups without risking terrible infections and itchy groins.
War: Certainly the most depressing form of contact between human beings, although these days one of the more popular ones, and more lucrative for those who partake in the business of it.
Could more people be suffering from the consequences of war today than there are people who enjoy the consequences of making love or music?
Of course, there are many other forms of one-on-one contact, which I omit for the sake of simplicity and to protect your eyesight.
Remaining on this train of thought, I was also thinking of the social function of human contact and interaction.
As I already mentioned, making love is pretty obvious, whereas war and music are a little bit more complex and exclusive to human beings.
Given that being a musician can sometimes be more vocational than it is lucrative, I've come to think that musicians resemble priests, healers, and nurses in many ways. You continue to practice music even when it's not remunerated. With less ferveur and motivation, certainly, but continue you must - for some inexplicable reason.
That's what sparked my thoughts about contact.
It dawned on me that musicians are the connecting links to joyful and meditative human communion.
It's no surprise that throughout the history of mankind, all types of religions and cults used music in order to elevate and unite. Even in sports, chants and drumming are used to create union and trance.
In war, soldiers drum and chant before they throw themselves into the meat grinder.
(For those of you who start ululating that I should "support the troops," I strongly suggest we indeed start supporting the troops by NOT sending them to their certain death or mutilation, or at the very least, lifelong PTSD.)
Because of all this, it is indispensable that musicians continue to make music to bring people together and to create a positive form of contact, so people hungry for human interaction don't throw themselves onto the battlefield.
And to you, dear music lovers, please continue to support musicians by going to live music shows. And BRING YOUR FRIENDS!
Your social function may be to convince that friend of yours who is too scared, too lazy, or has too much PTSD to go out to listen to live music. You may be the saving grace for that friend who is too isolated and lonely to even try.
Those of you who work in music promotion or events, make sure events are affordable and that musicians are paid enough to continue working on their craft and improving their work without losing said ferveur.
In conclusion, I invite you to listen to my song "Music Makers" from my record Sleeping Dragon, which is a song I wrote to the beautiful poem by Arthur O'Shaughnessy, "We Are the Music Makers,".
Or even better:
Order my vinyl on this website to support me directly if you are so inclined.
Love always,
Sabina
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