Music As an AntiDote; Music as a Lesson; Music as Something More.

Music as an antidote, why? Simply because all of us have a certain amount of poison that is tucked deep within us and most of us are not able to voice out what that poison is. Let’s face it; a good number of us aren’t wordsmiths and we weren’t given a manual at birth explaining how to get rid of those poisons. In these cases, that is where music comes in using its melody serenading us with its sounds, or some people would say, the sound of life…

"Music expresses that which cannot be said and on which it is impossible to be silent. -Victor Hugo

Can you think back to the last time you used music as a tool to vent out the feelings that you’re feeling which can’t be explained? It could range from being happy, excited, sad, angry, or depressed. How frequent do you use music as a tool?

I have used and am still using music as a tool to vent out the feelings that I went through and the feelings that I am currently going through. It helps when the type of music you listen too expresses the feelings that you are currently going through. For example, when you’re angry, you listen to music with genres like ‘Rock/metal’, when your love struck, you listen to the CD titled ‘Loves Greatest Hits’. I can’t speak for everyone, but I can surely speak for myself, this is exactly how I feel. Furthermore, whenever I am depressed or feeling sad, music never seems to fail to cheer me up and sometimes even inspire me to do more in life.

“Where words fail, music speaks.”- Hans Christian Andersen quotes

Not only that, music plays a role in the way we express ourselves in public. It shows others the type of society we are in, our culture and most of all our individuality. With so many genres to pick from, we tend to pick the genres that show our characteristics and personality, and also the genres that understand us the most. For example, in the early 1970s, the skinhead culture was closely associated with music genres such as soul, ska, and early reggae. They used music to express their thoughts and feelings through the clothes they wear and they lifestyle that they led. With that being said, the genres that I have chosen are Rock and Metal. I may not wear rocker pants and have mascara on (like the band KISS), but those genres allows me to express my individuality and it understands the thoughts and feelings that I am going through.

“Every man's work, whether it be literature or music or pictures or anything else, is always a portrait of himself, and the more he tries to conceal himself the more clearly will his character appear in spite of him.” -Samuel Butler quotes

Considering that music has played such a big part of my life, I wouldn’t know where I stood without music. When I study, I listen to music; when I sleep, I listen to music; when I am in the car, I listen to music.

When a pair of earphones is plugged into my ears, and the music starts playing, it feels as though I am in my own world, somewhere I belong. Music influences me to push my limits when I am at my limit, picks me up and dust me off when I am down or have given up, gets angry/happy whenever I am angry/happy.

So in the end, music has taught me a number of things. The lyrical aspects of music has given me countless of advises on how to handle life’s unexpected events that comes knocking at your door. Most lyrics are written based on life experiences that other people have been through. So this gives me a small window to put myself in their shoes and understand what went wrong and hopefully it doesn’t happen to me.

Meanwhile, it also teaches me that the melody of any song can change from a low to a high point anytime throughout the song which illustrates life a lot. For example, at one point in life, you can experience the happiest point in life, and the next point in life, you may just hit your head at the curb and go through the worst hell of your life. With this in mind, music thought me that appreciation of what you have in life is very important because you never know when the last time you’re going to have it in your grasp.

Finally it teaches me to never give up on what you love. For example, only a handful of musicians made it into the hall of fame and that’s because they never gave up; they never backed down from their passion. I entered psychology because I am intrigued by the way people think and why people do what they do, therefore no matter how hard or narrow the road might be, I should never give up or back down from what I love.

"Without music, life would be a mistake." -Friedrich Nietzsche

P.S, Music may be among my passions but it doesn't define me, music is just a tool that allows me to get close and understand the people around me. J

These are just some pictures of noteworthy bands/singers which I would like to share with you all