Okay, I went deep with my last post so I'm going deeper.
Claudia mentioned in her comment that how you define "good music" might help bridge the gap between the two outlooks on life that I debated on Tuesday.
Let's start with "great music". To me, that's all about passion, energy, connection, endorphins, and being in sync with your heart's desire. "Good music" is a step down - all the same things but not as intense. "Bad music" sounds bad, feels bad and is bad. By it's very nature, it often demands to be turned off. So to me, no music is better than bad music.
Hopefully, "doing your duty" goes hand in hand with listening to great music (thereby squashing the whole "never mind your happiness" part of Drucker's quote).
My friend AJ, who is a life coach, philosopher and writer, replied to my post via email. I think he sums it up well in the below quote:
"In my view, the "art" of balance is to recognize that doing your "duty" is not in competition with your passion/love for music. Doing you "duty" does not need to be hard, or work, or a struggle. If doing your "duty" is rooted in joy and passion for others (rather than obligation to others) then it is a source of energy and vitality. By making good music a means for establishing and strengthening your connection with your children, friends and community - you can be doing your duty while embracing music. If your love for music weakens your ties with the same people, then the balance is lost." (Thanks for the insight, AJ.)
Bottom line for me: a responsible life filled with great - or at least good - music is a very happy life indeed. And if your playlist just isn't doing it for you anymore, it may be time to discover new music, rediscover old faves, shuffle the songs and get the good tunes rolling again.
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3 comments:
That AJ is very smart.
I've been thinking about your first philosophy post for a couple days now and have been contemplating weighing in. My first reaction was to thoughts of my favorite philosophical quotes from beer and sneaker commercials.
"Go for all the gusto you can..." (I think an old Schlitz ad?)
"Just Do It" (Simple, long-lasting, has worked for me for a time)
My favorite "Life is short - Play Hard."
As a finance guy, I've liked most of what I've read of Drucker, but didn't like this quote. Maybe it was out of context, but he seems to put happiness at odds with duty. That doesn't need to be the case.
Also, the thought of always going for the "good" or "great" in life, maximizing "fun" isn't mutually exclusive of doing your duty or being responsible. Can you really have fun if it may mean neglecting another important part of your life like your family? Probably not.
Therefore, go fo it, because Life really is short and we need to play/listen/have fun/and do our duty HARD.
Good comments, Jeff. I agree with you.
Your quotes and final line remind me of the simple quote/motto/slogan I've heard and have had in the back of my head the last few years:
"Work hard, play hard."
Or better yet: "Work hard, play harder." :-)
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