Dedicating myself to the journey...

I was working at the hotel last night, and though I am very, very grateful for the cessation of Christmas music, I was not impressed with a song that came over the lobby speakers. At the first note, I recognized it as the amazing voice of Martina McBride, and immediately knew to shield my ears. The girl may be able to sing, but she can't for the life of her pick a good songwriter, at least not since My Baby Loves Me from way back when. But like watching a car wreck, I attuned my senses. Trying to make out the words and figure out what she was talking about, I was faced with the bridge, a sappy, banal trifecta:

Nothing makes sense when you're not here
As if my whole world disappears
Without you what's the point of anything?

Stick a soldier, a baby, and an old couple in the video, and she's got a hit.

As I was listening to this song, I was reading about a psychological study in which a group of subjects were gathered around a tape recorder and asked to take notes on what the recorded voice was saying. They were told that they were being tested on how well the brain makes out faint sounds, so the recording was barely audible. The real experiment, though, concerned itself with how people make meaning from their environment. The words spoken on the recording were actually just random nonsense, yet the subjects' notes each reflected their own intelligible version, pointing out the human pull to create meaning, even from nothing. This also points out why this song's lyrics irked me so badly.

People wonder why there is so much suicide, divorce, substance abuse, etc. In my mind, the main reason is that people try to make meaning from the other people in their lives. When you say something like, Without you what's the point of anything? you are essentially attributing your entire existence to another being, and in so doing, putting enormous expectations on that person's shoulders, basically dooming them to never live up to your requirements for love, as it is impossible for one to gain meaning or purpose from another. In turn, you too doom yourself to not living up to your own expectations of a fulfilled life. Because one day that child you dedicated your life to will move on, that spouse will change, or that friend will pass on. And you will be left alone to face yourself, and you will have no one to hold responsible for your purpose but your own soul. This is why I hate the Hallmark idea of dedicating yourself completely to another. Sure, it sounds beautiful set to music but it is a dangerous trap when set to life.


Messing with motion. I hate this fan, but figured it'd be a good subject to help me practice with different settings.