A lot of things have been running through my head over the past week. Angry things. Sad things. Contradictory things. At the end of each day, I tried to distill them into one semi-coherent thought. The results are below.
Wednesday, November 9: I can’t believe there is so much anger and hate in the world. What personality traits do we value?
Thursday, November 10: I want to be a better person.
Friday, November 11: Maybe the system is broken, and the only way to fix it is to smash it to pieces.
Saturday, November 12: Social media creates unhealthy opinion-bubbles. There should be a Facebook plugin that automatically drops items into your newsfeed that are completely opposed to your own opinions.
Sunday, November 13: More family. More friends.
Today: I remember being a kid and realizing that during World War I people didn’t call it World War I. They didn’t know that there was another one on the way. Even people in 1938 didn’t know there was another one coming. How could they not see it?
What makes this a beautiful song:
1. The piano is a hypnotic 8-beat pendulum that only resolves on beats three and four.
2. The drums give the impression of a stumbling, tired parade. (The way the percussion was recorded is awesome, and can be heard in this interview.)
3. The crew compartment’s breaking up. With every repetition, the impact of this lyric gets stronger. Some days it breaks my heart. Some days it sounds optimistic.
Recommended listening activity:
Looking your own anxiety straight in the eye until it turns into hope.