Hope and Inspiration

Questions about music and expression

This post was first published on Substack on June 27, 2023.

I sometimes wonder if music plays the role of placating the listener.

Does it serve to stimulate those who would otherwise rise up, in need of an outlet to express their suffering?

My emotions are calmed when I listen to music that mourns the state of things, that cries out that things shouldn’t be this way.

When I sit down to write, I wonder if that’s what blogs do, too.

Writing plays a role in forming thoughts in the mind of the reader, passing along ideas.

I listen to what my contemporaries express, and I want to add my thoughts to the mix, and I wonder what the point is.

If I write with the purpose of expressing my own ideas, why share them on a platform at all?

If I write with the purpose of changing things, what do I expect my audience to take away and do with what I say?

These questions lead me back to the problem of delusional expectations. I want for the world to be different than how it is, but with everything I learn, my hope dwindles.

If hope is a discipline, how can I feed it?

If my passion inspires others, what do I say?