My New Religion
Simplicity is the new complexity.
In the mid-1700’s, simpler classical music replaced more complex baroque music. (For nerds, counterpoint was downplayed in classical music while The result was an incredible age in which the likes of Haydn, Mozart, and others flourished. This transition also occurred in philosophy and other forms of art which I am not as familiar with.
I say this because my life is on the verge of going into a tailspin. For now, I’ve stopped it. How? Re-filling my Rubbermaid water bottle. Physically, the lifestyle change I had undergone was slipping away from my hands. But then I realized I wasn’t drinking enough water. Pulled myself from the brink. Water solves everything. It fills you up. Cleanses you physically and mentally at no cost.
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Temporarily, music tastes have changed. While Opeth, Dream Theater, and Tool will forever be the three groups closest to my taste, I’ve found myself listening to more popular artists, e.g., Coldplay, John Mayer, Daft Punk (maybe not as popular as the first two; the song “Robot Rock” is a winner - you are not human if you are not caught up in the main line), etc. Some of you are clapping hearing the names of those artists; some of you are vomitting. I can’t win everyone over :-) They’re simpler than the artists I usually listen to, but as a poster of Barack Obama with a backdrop of trees with yellow, red, and orange leaves says, “Change: Even trees are gettin’ in on some of that action.”
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Last night, the lights went out in our apartment. Back to simpler times. Zack, Manoj, and I lit up his raspberry-scented candle and engaged in some acoustic guitar/melody/harmony jamming to odd topics such as, well, the lights being out, and the rapist that entered a neighboring building (not a funny topic, but an easy one to make an improv track to ). We then serenaded our downstairs neighbors. Zack and Manoj called it a ‘kumbayaa’ moment. True.
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I have a strong feeling my mind will go back to ’simpler’ thoughts in a few weeks. Right now, it’s completely zoned in on one thing: passing my PhD qualifying exam. I have a one-track mind regarding the upcoming event, but there are many dimensions to that. What do I want to present? How do I want to present it? Is there enough background information in my slides?
Granted, I have a hell of a life if the most complicating factor is whether to include one or two slides about GlaxoSmithKline’s previous Herpes Simplex Virus 2 vaccine trials to prevent gential herpes.
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There’s also the simplicity of behavior.
In my wallet, I carry around a note I typed to myself one day a couple of years back and printed out. It says:
“1. Drink more water.”
“2. Drop your shoulders.”
“3. Do your work.”
I’ve never been able to achieve the ideals behind what I wrote, but I will not stop trying.
The first one has been partially explained.
The second one is easy to explain. Even while I’m typing, my shoulders are bunched and the moment I realize that and drop them to a relaxed position, I feel pain! I shouldn’t feel pain in my shoulder area unless I’ve been lifting heavy weights. ‘Drop your shoulders’ is both literal and figurative. Figuratively, it means relax and take a deep breath. Look up; all the way up, notice the ceiling, the sky, or whatever is above you, and take notice of your environment. If you do number 3 (your work), you will have the power to change your surroundings. You will define your surroundings and your associates; not be defined by them.
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I remember a scene from ‘Scrubs’ where Turk is upset that The Todd is ahead of him in the attending’s surgery rankings. The attending tells Turk that The Todd, though unbeliveably vain and misogynist, is always focused on ‘the moment’ (cut to scene where The Todd is amazed by the concept of a simple surgical tool like a pair of scissors) as opposed to what’s ahead or what lies in the future. The point was exaggerated but clear.
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That’s all for now. To those celebrating Valentine’s Day; have a good one…I will :-) To those going to anti-Valentine’s Day parties, do your best to curse this Hallmark holiday to no end. No matter, enjoy yourselves and to those that have been there for me throughout the past couple of months, thank you.
Much love…
