Dec 11, 2020 | OPINION | By Finn Mott | Illustration by Xixi Qin
As we head into the holidays, there is no better time to talk about the phenomenon of music. Music is the soundtrack that intertwines our lives with the past, present, and future. Music has a way of touching individuals just as much, if not more than, the whole of society. Certain combinations of lyrics and instruments give us a special moment to stop, listen, and feel.
There is something inexplicable about playing your favorite song so that you can hear nothing from the outside world. It centers you, your mind, and your heart into one singular experience. Picture taking a walk to anywhere you want to go — and suddenly, the beat fills your ears and you start to feel a little rise in your step. Slowly, the lyrics make your heart rise and fall like the tide of a peaceful ocean and your mind leaves your body behind to soar in the clouds. Pretty soon it does not feel like you’re walking anymore. The music in your ears is taking you beyond reality, beyond the moment, beyond the shoes you are tied to. There is nothing standing in your way from feeling weightless and flying high above all of your responsibilities.
But then it is over, and you are back in your slip-on Vans taking your routine walk. Even though this one-of-a-kind feeling only takes place for a second, it can have such an enormous impact on our identities and our souls.
It is important for us as humans, and many of us college students in the midst of a national pandemic, to have this second to ourselves where we can fly higher than any rain cloud. It may just be a song to you or a repeating beat, but music has the chance to be so much more. It can be a muse, an excuse to feel, a time to cry, laugh, dance, or sing. Music allows us to be free in the truest sense of the word.
So, you are probably asking where this kid is going with this. Well, as you know Christmas is coming and that means … Christmas music is here! Even if you find it silly or pointless, it really does not matter because it is still music. And if you are looking for a way to stay in the moment and have a couple of seconds to slow down and be free, then enjoy this season of Christmas music. You better hurry, though, because there are only a few more weeks for you to experience the true power it has in full. Get out there, embrace the silly, love your family, and let yourself be free because we all deserve a little break.