 Today I started my car and the radio came on. It just happened to be the beginning of a song called Mad World by Gary Jules. I first heard this song in the movie Donnie Darko, but I have never really paid attention to the lyrics, although I found the song quite depressing. For some reason today I paid attention. While I believe most music isn’t so much about what is put in, but more about what the listener gets out of it. A song's meaning might be very different depending on the person, and that’s ok, it’s a personal thing.
I felt this song has a very strong message, and it’s probably a similar message many people get. The Gary Jules version is a cover of the Tears For Fears original, however I find the Tears For Fears version doesn’t have the same impact as the newer version. I feel like this song explains perfectly what I try to put into my own writing. For example: All around me are familiar faces Worn out places, worn out faces Bright and early for their daily races Going nowhere, going nowhere Their tears are filling up their glasses No expression, no expression Hide my head, I want to drown my sorrow No tomorrow, no tomorrow To me this verse describes the typical life of those stuck in the “rat race”. “All around me are familiar faces, worn out places, worn out faces”, seeing the same crowd every day, worn out, depressed, doing the same thing every day, and “going nowhere”. Not following their heart, but doing what the think the must do. Or even what the have to do to get by, even though it’s not what they want to be doing. The next part really got to me, “no expression”. How many times have you sat on public transport during peak hour and looked around? Really looked at the faces around you? So many people look like blank zombies, where’s their happiness gone and how can I help them? Here are two short films below that I find very inspirational:
I feel like this verse also touches on the loss of connection between humans. We see many people every day, but we aren’t connected anymore. Usually because we are looking at our phones. When did we become so afraid of strangers? Of course you have to be careful, but the majority of people are good and you will find that out when you connect. Smile at a stranger, you never know what that might mean to them, or how it will change their day. The next verse is probably the most saddest part of the song for me: Children waiting for the day, they feel good Happy birthday, happy birthday Made to feel the way that every child should Sit and listen, sit and listen Went to school and I was very nervous No one knew me, no one knew me Hello teacher, tell me what's my lesson Look right through me, look right through me I put the first two lines in bold because this really kicks you in the guts. And I think this applies to adults more than it does to kids. As an adult we believe that happiness will come at some point in the future, usually from something we are trying to “get”. This training starts young. Children know how to be happy, they know how to follow their passions and live in the present. Unfortunately we adults beat this out of them (not literally). They learn that happiness comes from things, you will be happy when you get “this and that” on your birthday, or at some future point. But right now you must be serious and get your work done. There is a time to be serious and work, but where's the balance gone? Kids want to be creative, they learn from expressing themselves in their own individual way. While many schools are starting to recognise this, they are still placed into boxes and expected to all be the same. And when you’re different, you are bullied at school, or the “weirdo” as an adult. So why can't we find happiness in the present? We are always looking towards the future, but life isn't there, it's here. "There" doesn't exist yet. And unfortunately it's often the latest "thing" we can buy that we think will bring us happiness. Quite often buying the latest "in thing" will bring some amount of happiness, but it won’t last. So we move on to the next phone, or TV, or whatever is “in” at that moment. Minimalism is a great movement to get in to. However I personally wouldn’t take it as far as some people do, ending up with one lonely chair in a bare room. I like my home to be cosy and filled with enough, but not too much furniture. I found it very empowering to go through all of my stuff over time (probably about a year), and sell or donate everything that I either didn’t need, serve a practical purpose, or didn’t love. It was a slow process because I found it hard to give up some items, even though they didn’t serve a purpose for me, I guess I was scared that one day I might “need” this item. But I got braver and I haven’t missed anything I have gotten rid of. I now carefully think about purchases before I make them and decide if I really need the item, or if I will love this item and not get sick of it after a few weeks. One thing I have notice (apart from saving money), is that I now buy better quality things, or secondhand things that will last and bring joy to me over the long term. Instead of cheap rubbish that breaks after a month, or is so mass produced that it has no originality. Quality, not quantity as they say! There’s something beautiful about secondhand furniture. It has a history and quality that you don't get from new furniture. Now I’ve gotten a little of track here, so lastly I will cover the chorus of the song: And I find it kinda funny, I find it kinda sad The dreams in which I'm dying are the best I've ever had I find it hard to tell you, I find it hard to take When people run in circles it's a very very Mad world, mad world I found the verses spoke to me more than the chorus. But the chorus tells me that to some people, dying is more exciting than living in this mad world. A world where we run in circles. In other words getting nowhere. But not nowhere in a physical sense. Nowhere in a spiritual sense. We ignore our spiritual side, and whether we like it or not we are physical, mental and spiritual beings. We must nurture all of these parts to live in harmony with ourselves and others. At the moment, at least in the Western world, we pay the most attention to the physical and the mental sides. We need to learn how to listen to our hearts more and follow our intuition and passions; which could actually be working in an office. But it could also be singing, or art, or writing, or a doctor, or a scientist; I could go on. Whatever it is, at the very least try. You might fail, but at least you tried. “It's better to regret what you have done than what you haven't.” ~ Paul Arden. You don’t need to go crazy and quit your job to follow your heart. It could be something as simple as doing what brings you joy in your spare time instead of watching TV or browsing Facebook. Doing what society tells you to do may make you rich, but will it make you happy? "Everyone you meet always ask if you have a career, are married or own a house as if life was some kind of grocery list. But no one ever asks you if you are happy" ~ Heath Ledger.
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 There's a lot of conflicting information about organic and non-organic fresh produce. Some people believe that organic is healthier, while others don't believe there's any difference. Some people claim that organic fruit and vegetables are higher in nutrients as well as being free from chemicals, yet others will say both contain the same amount of nutrients. While most people will agree that organic fresh produce is free from harmful chemicals (which is why many people choose organic), being higher in nutrients is a little more complicated. Some studies indicate that organic fresh produce is higher in nutrients because other methods use chemicals which depletes the soil of important vitamins and minerals. As a result the fruits and vegetables grown in this soil are lacking in nutrients. There are also claims that the produce absorbs some of the chemicals used in the soil which can't be washed off. Whether this is correct or not, there are other reasons organic fresh produce can contain more nutrients. Often buying organic means buying locally grown seasonal food. When you buy organic fresh produce it is usually from local farms. This mean less travel time, and often it is fresher as it has been harvested that day, or at least within the past few days. Fresher mean more nutrients. Supermarket fruits and vegetables have been sourced from various places, local, interstate and international. This means they can be quite old. The minute fresh produce is harvested it starts degrading and nutrients deplete. By the time it gets to the supermarket it has lost a massive amount of goodness. To add to that, supermarkets will store their fresh produce at cold temperatures for extended periods of time which will deplete the nutrients even more. It could be weeks between the time of harvest and when you purchase the product. This time is essential to the freshness of your produce. To add to this there are rumours that supermarkets spray their fresh produce with chemicals to make them last longer. Have you ever wondered why supermarket fruits and vegetables will keep for much longer than locally sourced produce? Many people would like to buy organic, but affording it is another thing; it is more expensive. However the next best step would be to find a good local farmers market and buy seasonal produce which has recently been harvested, organic or not. This will ensure the highest possible nutrient content and you will be supporting your local farmers. I find buying a mixture of organic and non-organic produce is the best way to go. You can choose to purchase organic varieties of produce which typically have higher amounts of pesticides when grown in conventional form. This usually includes anything which grows from a flower. Usually fruits and vegetable with thicker skins absorb less chemicals such as pineapples and avocados. Tomatoes, grapes and berries often contain high amounts of pesticides, so buying these as organic where possible is a good idea. Lastly, a good fruit and vegetable wash can help to wash off the pesticides when you can't buy organic produce. I love Envirocare Enviroclean Fruit and Veg Wash.  |