Why not go for the good stuff?

Music, that is. Why not listen to the very best? Why not listen to music that challenges you, that is innovative, that crosses genres, and that took more than a Sunday morn' to completely finish?

I used to listen to some music that I now find very weak. The more interesting music I listened to and the more I learned about it, the less often I returned to my old habits. They just didn't interest me anymore. Some people might call what I listen to avant-garde, which means "pushing of the boundaries of what is accepted as the norm or the status quo". I just call it "good".

I understand that not everyone listens to music in the same way that I do. Not everyone tries to analyze the lyrics, or figure out how to play the song technically. I know that I am different than some in that regard. But what I don't understand is why people settle for less? Would you eat a generic brand of pizza that costs $5 if a gourmet pizza with better ingredients and more variety also costs $5? I don't think so. How about coffee? Imagine choosing a bitter, stale cup of coffee that costs $4 over a freshly brewed latté for the same price. The same goes for other forms of entertainment. You wouldn't buy a DVD that has nothing on it except the movie if there was a special edition with an extra disc of features at the same price. The only place that my analogy falls short (in my favor) is that, unlike a good and bad cup of coffee, good and bad music actually DOES cost the same! Unlike the comparison of a disgustingly freezer-burned pizza and one with gourmet ingredients, music that either emasculates or massages your ears costs the same!

SO...

My point is...why do people settle for less? I have a theory.

I think people either just don't care (I've actually met people who, when asked what kind of music they like, have told me they don't really listen to any music!) or there is something personal that they connect with in the music which means the other stuff doesn't matter. I have the same experience with music I like, but I find myself so distracted and bored with 1-dimensional music that even if I connect with the words, for example, I am not able to get to that special place.

2008 Election

Well, I don't want to turn this into a political blog, but since this is supposed to be a blog about my life, I think politics qualify as something that's part of my life! Anyway, this will be a brief post but I want to say what I think about the presidential election results...especially as someone who lives in a very liberal state.

I am mostly a republican and, therefore, disappointed with Obama becoming elected. It worries me that there will be a liberal-dominant presence in every part of the government now, with no one there to oppose Obama on policies he wants to pass.

Some might ask, "How can you call yourself open-minded, but still be a republican?" A valid question, yet not a very open-minded one in of itself! Almost unbelievably so (read, "sarcasm"), it IS possible to be open-minded but not allow every standard you have to be changed. As a Christian, and as someone with a fairly conservative upbringing, I understand that I am influenced by my surroundings. However, even after venturing out away from those beginnings, I have come back to them because they simply make the most sense to me. I know many Christians who voted for Obama and, while I do "get it" that Obama has some good policies, I cannot get past his luke-warm position (at the very least) on some moral issues in the world today. In short, I can't vote for someone who I disagree with fervently on issues that I believe matter to God, just because I like his plans for taxes or education or economics. When this world come to an end, the monetary system, our education system, and everything we hold dear will be gone....nothing will matter except if we cared about the things God cares about.

So, that is the short version....I don't plan on blogging about politics again (I can't guarantee that about God though!). All that being said, I will not put a childish bumper sticker on my car that says "He's not my president" nor will I protest by marching down Fairhaven with anti-Obama signs. He is our country's leader now and everyone should be praying and trusting no matter who he is.