This is my first blog post for IB Philosophy! Exciting!
The latest homework assignment was to listen to a song, any song, five times in a row. To follow it up, we had to write a reflection on how our mind and body changed from the beginning of the first time to the last note of the fifth time. Here it goes:
I chose a song that I liked but hadn't ever sat down and really listened to carefully. In the trailer for Zero Dark Thirty, there is a version of Metallica's "Nothing Else Matters" sang by a choir called
Scala & Kolacny Brothers. When I saw the trailer is was so eerie and took me a minute to realize
what song it was. So for some reason I chose this song to listen to five times straight in my room for this assignment.
To be completely honest, the first time through I almost fell asleep about four times (picking a really slow song when I almost fell asleep in Spanish class a few hours earlier probably wasn't the greatest idea), so I decided to sit up for the last four times. At first, I tried to get all philosophical and attempted to find a deep meaning in the song's lyrics. However, I couldn't stop my mind from wandering to topics like "I have IB Anthro to do" to "I hope it doesn't pour during soccer practice later" to "what should I eat after this?" to "Wow, I didn't realize how long this song was." For the first ten minutes, I was really into the assignment. I really tried to take in and appreciate the music and it was a song that I admired which was good. But after that ten minutes or so I was getting a little impatient. Actually, a lot impatient. Not listening to it a fifth time definitely crossed my mind a few times (I didn't cut it short though so no worries Mr. Summers). I am someone who needs music when I do things- run, homework, go online- but doing nothing except listen to the same long, slow song over and over and over and over and wait for it.... over again almost drove me insane.
The main lesson learned from this assignment, your mind will wander if the only thing you're doing is sitting in your bed listening to the same song five times in a row.
Fair enough Sydney, but try (if there is a next time) to give yourself to the process and focus upon the song each time. Instead of counting the number of times you have repeated it, try to listen as if you are listening for the first time. Recognize that in that moment, it's all you are doing and the past and future literally do not exist.
ReplyDeleteVery interesting post because I also felt very sleepy while I was listening my song. It seems like listening to the same song a bunch of times in a row may have sort of a memorizing or hypnotic effect because all of your senses are focused on the same constant stimuli. Or, maybe we are both just tired and sleepy people (equally possible).
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