my relationship with music
my childhood best friend's older brother introduced me to a lot of music from a young age. mainly hip hop - he turned us into huge kanye fans. we played rockband nearly daily, blasted the dovahkiin soundtrack from skyrim, and had dark fantasy on repeat.
since then, I always loved listening to music. I would play something in the shower, on the way to school, while building my robots [1], and sometimes to fall asleep. I even used to listen to music while studying!
it wasn't until I started a meditation practice that I realized how dependent I was on music. it felt weird to do things with no noise! it clicked in my head - music was just too easily accessible and commoditized. I wasn't even getting the same kick I was compared to when I was a kid.
we used to have to work to get our music. you had to find an mp3 file, connect your iPod to your computer, and transfer the files. only then would you get the sweet juices of your labour. take it a step further - the previous generations only had access to music at shows and live events.
but now? it's on demand. anything I'd ever want to listen to is a click away. you can stimulate your mind at will. I'm not saying that this is a bad thing - it's pretty awesome. though, it gets really bad when you need it to do anything. music at the gym, in the shower, in your car, or playing ball with your friends.
I've significantly cut down on the amount of music that I listen to [2]. I now enjoy being alone with my thoughts much more, and find the music that I do listen to much more stimulating. not treating music like a commodity has done wonders for my life. I get actual time in my day to think!
I challenge anyone reading to not listen to music the next time you do something where you typically would listen to music. try it the next time you hit the gym. your pump will be better.
[1] I had the life of pablo & yeezus on repeat when I built robots. probably increased my productivity & motivation at least 2x
[2] the only thing I consistently listen to now is the new batman theme song 'can't fight city halloween' late at night.