So, I caught myself pondering earlier, and the subject being faithfulness. or rather, perceived faithfulness. We're taught all our lives that certain things are true and faithful. Hot dogs contain no actual meat. America leads the free world. Alaska is cold. The Sahara is big. Tariffs only half-protect domestic production but hurt the overall economy in the long run. These are all things we are expected to believe, and for the most part, are generally true.
But, what about truths we're taught that turn out not to be true? What about things we've been taught are lies that end up closer to true than we'd like to believe? I'm not talking about beliefs that can be re-defined based on personal experience. (It's well-established rumor that Catholic school makes for angry dissidents etc. Maynard?) But I'm talking about big things, that society as a whole would shudder at. For instance, what if evolution is false? I know that Christians everywhere disagree with evolution and that it is an incredibly contentious arena where religion is concerned, but society as a whole has learned to disregard them (religious peoples) and move on. Literature accepts it as fact. Science accepts it as fact. Politics accepts it, unless it can be fomented into an argument that will extend their influence or term period. What if, in say, 15 years, evolution is proven beyond a shadow of a doubt, with reason, rational thinking, and logic, to be utterly false. How would society move on? How could everyone cope? We couldn't. What happens when the lie is so big it could stop the world from spinning...duh duh duh.
I'm not trying to pick on evolution but for an obvious and easy example. It just makes me wonder what we all believe, regardless of creed and color, that is a lie. What history may look back on, and say "How were they so deceived? What simpletons." What if everything we know is a lie? cliche argument yes, and while being a conspiracy nut is fun, it's hardly productive (discourages long term relationships, for the record). I'm not trying to make a point, just wondering aloud in binary, what's a lie? what's truth? what if the homeless are the real winners? what if...? hmmmm.
Thursday, August 6, 2009
Monday, August 3, 2009
A Random Conversation
So, I had a random conversation with this guy the other day. In fact, it was not just random, it was quite intentional. The guy happened to be Tobymac. I am not a huge Tobymac fan, as I prefer metal/metalcore/post-core/screamo/etc. I have seen him several times in concert, and despite being completely not in my genre, he puts on a very good show.
I ran into him (or rather, his entourage) in Nashville as I got stuck behind them boarding a plane for Dallas. (all the cool kids go to Texas, didn't ya know?) I asked them what band they were with, because they took forever to check in, and they said 'Tobymac.' I was like, oh. how about that. At least I recognize the name/artist.
Then a thought hatched itself in my mind. I could hunt him down and ask him about his thoughts on my opinions on the Christian music scene. Oh yah. Score. I had no illusions about one-upping him or putting him in his place as arguably one of the most popular and recognizable Christian music celebrities. I just wanted to hear what he thought.
I managed to catch him in the terminal at Dallas. I introduced myself and asked if I could ask him just one question. "It's my perception that Christian music copies mainstream secular music, and that there is little creativity in this sub-industry. As someone who is in the thick of this, do you think that this is accurate, and what do you think about it. Alternatively, do you think anything can be done?"
His answer genuinely surprised me. His answer was basically that that is a really cheap pot shot at Christian artists. He pointed out that secular mainstream copies itself so many times over, that it is small wonder that the Christian sub-industry does the same. It's easy to look at Christians and blame them as copycats (which I have done for years), but no one blames secular artists who do the same. The whole conversation didn't last more than 5-10 minutes as we were figuring out which gates we needed to head to, but he was very straightforward, very genuine, very down to earth, and very real. I was very impressed. Someone in his position could totally have lit into me and eviscerated me on multiple levels (a non-musician metalhead proclaiming originality and creativity?) but he didn't. He took it in stride, and I was impressed. I realize he probably gets this kind of crap often, but his demeanor was admirable.
As I was processing his answer, I realized he's absolutely right. I myself maintain that Christian music is merely a genre, or a marketing strategy employed to sucker nice gullible people out of their money under the guise of religious betterment, so why couldn't I appreciate the simple truth of what he said before? I rag on pop and hip hop regardless of whether it's Xian or secular because I don't like the genres, and despise country out and out because...it's freakin' country. bleh. So, why was I surprised by his answer? I'm not sure, but it's food for thought. And the final thought is: Celebrate and enjoy art because it's good art, not because you perceive that it aligns with your opinions.
I ran into him (or rather, his entourage) in Nashville as I got stuck behind them boarding a plane for Dallas. (all the cool kids go to Texas, didn't ya know?) I asked them what band they were with, because they took forever to check in, and they said 'Tobymac.' I was like, oh. how about that. At least I recognize the name/artist.
Then a thought hatched itself in my mind. I could hunt him down and ask him about his thoughts on my opinions on the Christian music scene. Oh yah. Score. I had no illusions about one-upping him or putting him in his place as arguably one of the most popular and recognizable Christian music celebrities. I just wanted to hear what he thought.
I managed to catch him in the terminal at Dallas. I introduced myself and asked if I could ask him just one question. "It's my perception that Christian music copies mainstream secular music, and that there is little creativity in this sub-industry. As someone who is in the thick of this, do you think that this is accurate, and what do you think about it. Alternatively, do you think anything can be done?"
His answer genuinely surprised me. His answer was basically that that is a really cheap pot shot at Christian artists. He pointed out that secular mainstream copies itself so many times over, that it is small wonder that the Christian sub-industry does the same. It's easy to look at Christians and blame them as copycats (which I have done for years), but no one blames secular artists who do the same. The whole conversation didn't last more than 5-10 minutes as we were figuring out which gates we needed to head to, but he was very straightforward, very genuine, very down to earth, and very real. I was very impressed. Someone in his position could totally have lit into me and eviscerated me on multiple levels (a non-musician metalhead proclaiming originality and creativity?) but he didn't. He took it in stride, and I was impressed. I realize he probably gets this kind of crap often, but his demeanor was admirable.
As I was processing his answer, I realized he's absolutely right. I myself maintain that Christian music is merely a genre, or a marketing strategy employed to sucker nice gullible people out of their money under the guise of religious betterment, so why couldn't I appreciate the simple truth of what he said before? I rag on pop and hip hop regardless of whether it's Xian or secular because I don't like the genres, and despise country out and out because...it's freakin' country. bleh. So, why was I surprised by his answer? I'm not sure, but it's food for thought. And the final thought is: Celebrate and enjoy art because it's good art, not because you perceive that it aligns with your opinions.
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