The return of change . . .

Ah, he tentatively returns to the blogosphere where things have been going on without him for months. That's ok, I consider this blog to be somewhat on the fringe o' the sphere. I wonder what this blogging is all about really. It can be an aggregate of links, a forum for trial-running thoughts, a way to purge the demons, or a platform for simply being clever. Hmmm . . . I do think there are times when I play the organizationalist and put my focus on one issue, towards one purpose. This is what was so enlightening about graduate school and the PhD. The focus was so obvious, specifically, get this thing done, do the work, etc. This focus provided a pretty good crucible for many wonderful things that happened. That's what is so great about independent research with support and time, no distractions. Of course, once outside of academia (the cave), everything gets big and distracting again, as it has been for the last few years. I think the academy is easier than real life (if I was a stock broker or a chef I might say the same thing about the board room or the kitchen).

Fall has arrived this week, all of a sudden the leaves are dropping, the temperatures, too. The colors are scrumtrilliescent and I want to bring about some new change this October, some more focus. Some more doing. I am all about making art.

I was having an interesting discussion with one of my students the other day concerning whether the school should be preparing students for A JOB or for A LIFE. I think we both agreed on the latter. He expressed his concern for his own field, audio engineering, an area which was awash in bodies. Too many recording engineers and not enough recording work. Why do we keep churning out composers? Is this really a viable JOB. Well, no it isn't.

Considering the present situation in the economics industry, I don't think we can support all the wealth and personal energy that is necessary to put up the GUARANTEE of a changeless world in which I get this degree and this job with this salary and these expectations will issue forth. (Behold his mighty hand!) No, that is over, nada, quit, fine.

We need to overturn the system, we need to come to a new flexibility with who we think we are and what we believe we need to be doing. We are not defined by what we ARE, but by what we are BECOMING. I change therefore I am?

So, just a few issues that are important to me that I am concerned with at this time:

1. We need to end poverty NOW. We must provide a life support system for every human being. This must be an organized, group effort. We will have to rethink who we are as humans in order to do this. This is a revolutionary action. We will need to reform capitalism and return security to our planet. This will require a redistribution of resources. They are our resources.
   
2. We need to return a true dynamic range to our music. Music is simply too loud and, rather than being dynamic, is numbing. We must recapture the ritual of music and it ability to take us to another level of thought and enlightenment. Square wave distortion in the name of louder and louder music is a real problem. Personal is not intimate. Music is not a drug.
3. We need more experimentation in artistic work, expecially at the undergraduate level. Honestly, the level of sameness and mediocrity is getting a bit annoying. I have no argument here yet, I just think we are putting ourselves into so many boxes.
4. Media is distracting. We need to put an end to the distractions that are rendering us incapable of creative thought. By media, I mean those that deliver information in ever increasing small bits. As the bits get smaller (16 to 8 to 4 to 2), we know there is less resolution, less information. We in the media saturated world are slowly becoming more and more confused as we loose resolution. We have to provide information to fill in the blanks and this is how rumors get started. Cue the conspiracy.
5. We are distracted, unable to handle the instricate details, preferring bolder and bolder strokes.
   
6. We need to end the strangle hold of Christianity and the other mono-theistic religions on our governments and social structures. I thought competition was good?
7. I need to perform more and put out a couple of CDs.

Ok, so that's a start. Things will start changing around here. I guess they never stopped . . . never began either. Put your foot in the river, Siddhartha.

jg