Let the Music Play.

When the new millenium was ushered in and there was much rejoicing and celebrating, I hoped we were heading into a more enlightened age where technological, scientific, and civilized advances went hand in hand. However, I felt rather depressed at the same time because I knew deep down in my heart that the "civilized " bit was something of a vain hope. My depression hit a new low in 2001 with the Twin Towers atrocity, and the sight of people in Pakistan and elsewhere dancing in the streets and celebrating at the death of all those people repulsed me more than I can say. Going by what has happened since the dawning of this new age of enlightenment, we seem to be heading into a new Dark Age of general ignorance where people increasingly seem to apply very little reason, logic or objectivity to their thinking - becoming captive to "faiths" (in my vocabulary faith = ignorant unreason), and this seems to be all that is needed to trigger and justify mass murder. We have a leader across the Atlantic who has faith in a god who seemingly gives him permission to invade another country which did not in any way pose a threat to us, while the real black- hats were re-grouping in Afghanistan and the badlands of Pakistan. They are now happily taking over villages, terrorising the women, throwing out anything good and cutting off the heads of people who step the slightest bit out of line. Meanwhile in Africa, the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse are happily going about their business bringing war, torture, disease, destitution, destruction, famine and just about every other evil imaginable to its bewildered inhabitants. All our efforts to heal this tortured continent seem futile against the overwhelming enormity of the task and abject lack of quality of much of the African leadership. I could easily go on ad-infinitum, but I won't because there is only so much my depression levels can take before I start getting angry. I don't want to get you too depressed either - thats if you are still reading this. Anyway, I am feeling physically very relaxed at the moment having been to the gym this evening. At least the little bubble of the planet in which I experience my existance is full of peace and calm at the moment. I suppose if everybody in the world did one small thing to expand their own bubble of calm, we might be somewhere towards the solution. Bob Dylan is playing out of his Blonde on Blonde album as I write. The music is calming to the soul, well mine at least! I love music. The beauty of music is that its effects are immediate. Its not like taking a headache pill and and waiting half an hour for the pain to go away. The shivers come immediately down the spine, the tears start flowing spontaineously, the joy bursts forth and my soul is marinaded in the sheer beauty of the melodies and cadencies soaking through to my being. Maybe what we need to solve the problems of the world is for everyone to sit down together and tune in to some good music. I speak as a fool of course! I'm so happy, I almost feel like making another cup of tea! In fact I think I will.