Silent Lucidity

It's 4:09a.m. and of course I'm still awake. I've spent the last hour listening to music and watching youtube videos of Travis Barker, Mike Portnoy and Neil Peart. It seems like once a week I end up wasting hours watching videos of talented musicians absolutely melting my face with their awesomeness. I get sucked in and just think about how insane it would be to have the ability to play music like they do. I mean honestly, just listen to this! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eBQfHJA2Lng&feature=related  My life would pretty much be complete if I could play that.

If you've ever played the game "Would you rather?", there's a good chance you have ran into this question: would you rather live the rest of your life blind, or would you rather live the rest of your life deaf? Nearly everyone I know answers with deaf before giving much thought to the question. I must admit, being deaf wouldn't make life nearly as hard as being blind would. Even so, I always answer with blind. I would much rather be blind than deaf.

Blind people don't interpret life like most people. They can't see beautiful landscapes, or the wild life around them. Blind people can't see the sky above us, the moon, or the stars. No, blind people can't see any of these things. Instead, they experience the ground beneath their feet; they feel the warmth of the sun on their skin. They smell the flowers and trees. Most importantly they hear the animals. They hear the rivers. They hear.

The ability to hear is one of God's greatest gifts to man. With it we can distinguish thousands of people from each other. We are able to discern between someone who is happy or sad. We can tell sarcasm from seriousness. Fear from courage. A lie from truth. Our ability to hear can protect us from dangers hidden from our eyes and our hands. It can unlock emotions trapped inside us. It can make us dance.

It was by words the worlds were and are created. It is by words that Satan is commanded. It is by words the dead are raised. It is by words that what is bound on earth is bound in Heaven. It is by words that we praise our God. It is also by words that we curse Him. Words. Nothing more than simple sounds. Words hold much more power than we give credit.

The ability to hear is one of God's greatest gifts, but the gift of music is even greater. Music is so important that all of creation was given its gift. From the beautiful songs of the Canary, to the lovely chirping of Crickets, music is found all throughout nature. In fact, it could be argued the Earth itself is making music. Did you know that all planets give off sound? Well they do, and the sounds they make are haunting, yet beautiful. (Check out the sound of Jupiter: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e3cCC6vQ3R4)

Through music we praise God. Through music we invite the spirit. The opposite is true as well. Music has the ability to put inside us feelings of peace and love, hatred and violence. It can invoke feelings in ways that no other medium can. The power music holds over us goes mostly unnoticed, yet it holds such a large place in our life. Imagine Star Wars without John Williams orchestra playing. Imagine Inception without the overbearing brass and quirky elevator music. Would they be worth watching? I personally don't think so. Music can take something boring and make it interesting. It can take something ugly and make it beautiful. It can take the plain and transform it into anything it desires.

I have so much more to say on this subject, but I got sidetracked watching youtube videos of guitarists. It's now 5:22a.m. and I should probably head to bed. I don't have any particular reason I need to be in bed, but it seems like the proper thing to do at this time of day.