Pleasure
The Beatles, "Happiness is a Warm Gun," Rock, 1968
Community Service
Toby Keith, "Courtesy of the Red, White, and Blue," Country, 2002
I believe the aim that was easiest to find music for was pleasure. This because the actions that go with pleaser, (sex, love, drugs…) are more prevalent is contemporary music today. In today’s society everyone wants gratification; whether it is through the products that claim to make life better or a warm body next to you. While pleasure songs were more apparent, community service surprisingly was not all that hard to find music for either. I think it was important to pay attention to the fact that what is considered community service is broad. It can be something life altering (raising money for Haiti victims) or just helping individual community members or friends with more mundane tasks. What matters is that you are not focusing of yourself, that you are using the tools around you to help others.
In the West pleasure seems to be a taboo topic in general conversation; we can have songs and commercials about it, know everyone wants to achieve it, but you can be looked down upon for pursuing. While, in Hinduism, it is not looked at as a sin, you are thought to go through many lives before exiting the pleasure aim. It is interesting that American society members typically focus on themselves, what they want in life, but do not like to admit that. I believe that it is just a way of life; while I think everyone should help others as much as possible, that it is also okay to want to seek pleasure for yourself, many believe that they only have one chance at life. If you think that why wouldn’t you live life to the fullest? Current music expresses that extremely well. It sells because everyone wants a full life, essentially getting what you want. The main difference from the way pleasure is depicted in current music and the Hinduism aim is that modern pop takes pleasure to the extreme. The Hindu aim wants you to seek pleasure but be mindful while doing do, to follow the law, and eventually mature out of pleasure. The Hindu community service aim makes helping others your duty, your focus in life. Songs about being a soldier, dedicating your life to protecting others fits the aim perfectly, while some of songs I found were more about rising together when needed, after a crisis in the country, or being there whenever needed for a friend is about small periods of community service in someone’s life.
You make a good point about how people in Western culture people focus on themselves and what they want and how in Hinduism it is ones Duty to help others.
ReplyDeleteI agree that it is important to realize that community service isn't just donating money to a hurrican relief fund, or helping to build houses for the needy but helping out friends and family in need as well.
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