Muzak Nation

It has become increasingly obvious to me that the musical tastes of the culture in which I am immersed have dramatically affected, or at the very least are an accurate representation of, the model of our national psyche. With greater and greater frequency we are becoming used to "hearing" sounds without actually consciously registering them. Background music has become a way of life, indeed even a metaphor for our daily activities. The fact is that there are very few who truly listen to music simply for the sake of listening to music. Two hundred years ago there was a barrier between the drudgery of daily life and the fantastic enterprise that was the music industry: now, no such barrier exists - any and all music can be transferred and transmogrified until it is unrecognizable.

Consider this: when was the last time that you ceased all activity and merely listened to a song? It is rare that this happens, for we are consumed with efficiency, and stopping all activity when we could be doing something seems ludicrous. Certainly there are levels of activity, but I have found that I tend to listen to music while doing both more and less - writing a paper, falling asleep, reading, exercising, driving, etc. These varied levels of activity still denote the presence of something which consciously or subconsciously occupies some part of our mind, thereby diluting the musical experience.

The point that I'm trying to make is that it is incredibly important that we do not adopt a philosophy of partial involvement. This manner of world-view will make even the most involving tasks apathy-inducing and dull, as there is always some corner of our mind that we reserve for . . . something else.

Listening to music.

Remember:
Sensation and intellect are meaningless without one another. Strive to keep them in balance, a pleasant duality, not a warring schism.