The power of music compels you
ROLLY G. REYES
Today is Sunday and biblical thoughts of this day (being a day of rest) suggest that I should realign the topics that I want to touch in my article. My start up is about the universal language that we understand: Music.
I believe that we Filipinos, including myself, are blessed to be born with music inside us. It is a force within us the moment we open our eyes and glimpse the first ray of sunlight. It becomes our limbs as we crawl, walk and hop to reachable places as we add inches and pounds. Initiated by lullabies, notes and lyrics are our constant companions as we claim our rightful space every step we take.
Yes, music is an expression of feelings that cannot be put into words. It blends with our workplace, human relations and any form of intellectual or cultural activity. It can even reach seemingly unexplorable dimensions as we enjoy hearing every piece of the harmonious blend of voices and instruments.
Some say that music is the peculiar movement of sound to reach the soul for the education of its virtue. I would even go as far as believing a claim saying that the strength of every democracy is measured by its commitment to the arts.
Why this topic today? One reason probably is the increasing sound pollutants that we encounter daily in this noisy world – hearing rants, arguments, debates; watching conflicts with sonic background of bomb blasts, artillery exchanges; and even perceiving the scary sound of approaching waves of storm surges and tectonic grumblings under our feet.
Thus, let us not forget music and its curative powers. It can help maintain a healthy equilibrium of the way we look at things and the way we look at ourselves.
Please take a look of what these people have said about music:
“Music is a moral law. It gives soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination…” – Plato
“Music was my refuge. I could crawl into the space between the notes and curl my back to loneliness.” – Maya Angelou
“Music expresses that which cannot be said and on which it is impossible to be silent.” – Victor Hugo
“A film is – or should be – more like music than like fiction. It should be a progression of moods and feelings. The theme, what’s behind the emotion, the meaning, all that comes later.” – Stanley Kubrick
“The man that hath no music in himself, Nor is not moved with concord of sweet sounds, is fit for treasons, stratagems and spoils.” – William Shakespeare
“For me, everything definitely comes from music.” – Mike Myers.
“My heart, which is so full to overflowing, has often been solaced and refreshed by music when sick and weary.” – Martin Luther
“Music doesn’t lie. If there is something to be changed in this world, then it can only happen through music.” – Jimi Hendrix
“Music can change the world because it can change people.” – Bono.
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On “Tambay” issue:
Police operatives started dispersing or arresting “tambays” (loiterers) in Metro Manila streets last week. Social media was flooded with sneers, doubts, and even condemnation of this drive to get rid of the street loiterers.
Are we missing something here? Isn’t it normal for peace-loving city residents to wish that the authorities protect us from possible dangers that our pedestrians may encounter any time of the day? Are we not happy that our sons and daughters can move anywhere without being molested by drunkards as a result of street drinking sessions? How many times have we heard of physical assaults like rape, injuries, and theft perpetrated by thugs in the wee hours of the morning?
It is sad to note that “righteous” politicians and “freedom-loving” netizens were quick to point out that the “tambay drive” is a form of human right violation and curtailment of freedom of assembly and these conditions are unacceptable in a democratic country like ours.
Is it really the new normal to be blind and deaf to the human rights of the victims? Do we ask the police to just watch and react after a crime is committed and wait at their precincts and wait for the report after the damage is done?
To critics: To further air your concern against the drive, please post a signage in your fence that reads:
“To protect your rights, you may use our perimeter to drink, gamble or hold videoke sessions even half-naked anytime you want. Tell the arresting policemen that the owners of this property has given you permission to assemble here and that we will be supporting the legal battles that may arise after apprehension.”
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News: 48 couples exchange “I Do’s” in General Trias, Cavite in mass wedding – another possible business opportunity for lawyers specializing in annulments.
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On fake news:
I think that issue is not necessarily truth, but belief. We tend to believe fake news when it suits our preconditioned mind. Truth is really defined by an array of attempts to distort it. It is sad that we always fall victims to those attempts.
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Dynamic changes in the nature of broadcast news have recently taken place. Before, news video used to be filtered through the editors of major news organizations. Because of social media and the preponderance of personal cameras of smartphones, news events today are often covered by a multiple citizen-journalists and disseminated, in advance of the mainstream media, through the web. Where the major news media used to support law enforcement’s version of events, the public now may be presented with conflicting versions of events.
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Good work, good deeds and good faith to all.
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