Category: Music

Music: A Connection to Ourselves

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Ananya Rajkumar (she/her/hers), Low Entropy Volunteer Writer

 

I’ve always thought that our lives are simply a collection of memories. Whether these memories are good or bad, they help shape our identities, adding unique pieces into the mosaic of who we are. Although there are many things that connect the points in our lives and different versions of ourselves, I would argue that music is one of the most powerful. 

 

Music has this magical ability to connect you to something bigger and provide a sense of belonging. I learnt Indian classical singing, also known as Carnatic music, growing up. I can reminisce about my old teacher, an older Tamil lady who had a mixture of red and gray streaks in her black hair. She had immigrated to Canada to live with her son, and though she could have considered retirement at her age, she still taught lessons. In the spare bedroom of her house, a seven-year-old me would sit on the fraying carpets in a criss-cross position that made my feet numb and sing songs. The feeling I would get when singing was indescribable. I felt more connected to my language, my culture, my people and my religion. Many years later, when I was 16, still sitting on those same carpets, that feeling of connectivity and belonging never wavered. Even now, as a 20-year-old, every time I hear those familiar melodies, I am transported back to that room, sitting on that carpet. And when all the emotions rush back, they illuminate the parts of myself I may have forgotten were still there. 

 

Although this experience is unique to myself, music has always had this uncanny ability to connect people in other ways, like bonding generations together. Large parts of our identity are tied to the generation we grew up in, and it’s truly wondrous that music can be the thread of similar experiences that binds us with millions of others. For example, people who grew up in the sixties had the Beatles, the seventies was the age of classic rock and everytime an eighties pop song comes on the radio, my parents and their friends will sing it at the top of their lungs. In my opinion, the way simply loving and listening to music is able to create these bonds is very special and important. This is because most of us tend to view ourselves in entirely individualistic ways, failing to realize that parts of who we are involve our connections to our loved ones, community and respective cultures. 

 

On another note, over the course of our lives we develop into many different versions of ourselves, some older, some wiser, and some with entirely different personalities. Imagine driving in the car, laying in bed, walking down the street or being in a crowded bar when a certain song comes on. Suddenly you’re no longer there. Instead, in between one blink and the next, you find yourself transported to another time. Maybe a younger version of yourself, one who wore low-rise jeans, bell bottoms or spandex. And it’s not only the memories and nostalgia of your past self that assaults you, but somehow you experience the same feelings you had when you listened to that song back then. It’s almost like time travel, as if you were transported into the body of a past you. I had mentioned how music allows us to be a part of something bigger, but music also connects us to our past selves, bridging together (pun intended) the different points of our lives. Certain songs preserve the people we once were, and in some ways still are, between each lyric.

 

In the present, music surrounds my everyday life in the form of my ever-growing Spotify playlists. I will listen to anything from lo-fi to punk, and I honestly believe I can’t do anything without listening to some form of music. It’s incredible to think that the songs I listen to now will be intertwined with the person I am today in university. Maybe some years in the future, when I hear those songs again, I’ll be transported back to this moment and feel like my younger self. However, though I am excited for the future, I am going to make sure to take the time to enjoy the music in my present life. 

 

I would like to leave you with this. After reading this article, take some time to go through your old music. Whether it’s past Spotify playlists, iPods, CDs or vinyl, take some time to self-reflect and appreciate the person you were when you were listening to them. Also, take a moment to listen to some of your current favorites and appreciate the person you are today, as well as the person you eventually will become.

 

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My name is Ananya Rajkumar, I am a third-year life science student at McMaster University. Some of my hobbies include reading, drinking overpriced coffee and creating anything from works of writing to new recipes. I am passionate about advocating for mental health and hopefully by sharing my journey and thoughts through blog writing, I can help create a change. 

Healing Through Music

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Eri Ikezawa (she/her/hers), Low Entropy Volunteer Writer

 

Ever since its inception, media has always had an influence on its consumers. As such, it has been greatly uplifting to see a transition in positive media portrayals of marginalized communities or the use of different outlets to raise awareness of global crises. 

 

As for me, I have found music to be one of the biggest media influences in my life; no matter how far back I go, in many of my memories there is always a faint but nostalgic sound or song in the background, giving the recollection its own individual hue. 

 

Music has a way of filling the silence when it becomes too overbearing, a way of distracting people when they need an outlet for escapism. Or, it can help one tune in when they can’t find the words or emotions on their own. It can compound the sentimentality in the scene of a movie or emphasize the whimsicality of a commercial. 

 

I have found all of these to be true and as such, it seems fit that I recall each significant time in my life through the musical genres that I predominantly listened to at the time. While there is an abundance of songs that might’ve elicited powerful emotional reactions within me and stoked the fire of my memories even if they deviated from the norm of a particular “era”. I designated each one as such since the majority of my musical preferences could be categorized under that genre. 

 

It all started in Japan before my family and I immigrated. I remember singing into “microphones”—cardboard tubes from saran wrap—and dancing to Japanese music with my mom. Though the words are long forgotten, perhaps never known to begin with, the joy that imbued those moments with my mother will always remain with me. 

 

And then once we were in Canada, my earliest childhood memories here are of my dad singing along to English ballads. Those memories, to me, are completely irreplaceable and will forever be some of the fondest I’ll hold. I will forever cherish the unadulterated warmth permeating the recollection, the simple bliss that came with pure adoration from a parental figure during a confusing and strange time of my life. 

 

The next musical era of my life was my obsession with pop bands. As contradictory as this may sound, many associate the genre with superficial bops and beats although my discovery of pop music is incredibly meaningful to me as it was the breakthrough realization for my love of singing. I will always appreciate how my dad always unquestioningly bought me the plethora of CDs I wanted so I had something to sing along to, a panacea during preadolescent uncertainty.    

 

It was during adolescence that I became a little more of a lyrical aficionado, wanting to sing along to music that reverberated the arduous emotions and experiences of that time. Though I would only later be diagnosed with chronic depression and anxiety, it was during my teenage years that I would feel most strongly trapped by incessant thoughts of inferiority, self-doubt and worthlessness. 

 

Singing along to music that echoed these themes helped me feel less isolated, less alien and grounded me with the knowledge that other people struggled with similar sentiments. Even now, having learned better coping mechanisms and productive habits, I still reminisce on those songs with bittersweetness; eternal gratitude for the salvation these songs provided me, mingled with sorrow that anyone has these experiences to begin with. 

 

There was also a period following high school that my burned CDs, iPod, and phone would include a large number of Japanese songs—a high irregularity compared to my preadolescent and adolescent years. I remember this time well—the moment where I was determined to re-learn and take pride in the first language that I’d abandoned all those years ago, desperate to fit in with my peers, a black sheep painting its wool white. 

 

Due to my love for listening to music and singing, I found it easy to pick up new vocabulary and practice pronunciation since I could amalgamate old loves with new interests—ironically, coming full circle as I started off and ended with Japanese music.  

 

I don’t really rely on these self-created musical eras to categorize certain periods in my life anymore, but I still find in some ways that my musical preferences are a better indicator of where I was in my life at the time than my actual age. By remembering the music that I was most interested in at the time, I can easily recall an outpouring abundance of relevant memories associated with it. 

 

At the end of the day, the aforementioned eras of my history with music are memorable to me because of the subsequent results and have less to do with the genre itself. Every significant role music played in my life, songs in the figurative autobiographical film of my life, have always been good. Whether it was songs attached to memories of warm parental love or songs that unearthed a lifelong love for singing, it has always been good. 

 

Even when the defining moment itself wasn’t perfect, such as feeling lost in a new country or finding it difficult to find my footing with my elementary school peers or struggling with mental health, music has always found a way to lessen the load. 

 

Throughout time, music has—and always will—mean different things for different people. For some people, it is background noise and for others it is a necessary staple. For me, it is the bookmark between each important stage in my life. 

 

But what remains forever consistent is the role it takes in comforting, connecting and reaching people—it heals people. Whether it’s easy listening music for BBQs or electric drops infamous of rave music, there is something for everyone.

 

And, in my opinion, in a world where people sometimes get lost in each other’s differences, it is beautiful that we have created something that will bring us all together. 

 

—

 

My name is Eri Ikezawa and I have an extended minor in psychology and a major in linguistics. I’m still on the path to quelling questions about myself and the direction I want to head in, but in the meantime, I have always wanted to find a way to help others and contribute to a community dedicated to personal development and self-love.

Salvaging a Nervous Wreck

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Kanak Khatri, Low Entropy Volunteer Writer

 

I remember having wrecked nerves, sweats and a feeling almost equivalent to a heart attack, all because there was a class presentation and I had to speak in front of the class. In addition, at the time of this incident I was 25, not a teenager, and not in my awkward years. A fully grown adult who still had stage fright. Can anybody relate? Well, I did for almost 26 years of my life. I over-thought things so much that I focused more on what could go wrong than what the actual task was. However, I have overcome that when I never thought I could. I am sure everyone can.

 

It is natural to have performance anxiety and nervousness before an exam or a presentation. That’s what helps us put in more effort and get better results. However, if this anxiety is not within the limits of what is normal and it affects our performance, that is something we need to work on. And when I realised this was a problem for me and I needed to make changes, that’s when things started changing for me. Three things that helped me overcome my stage fright were exposure, being prepared and not shying away from uncomfortable encounters. Now, let me share how I overcame my stage fright.

 

Exposure: The initial step is to expose yourself to what gives you stage fright. For me, it was a fear of speaking in front of a crowd. I started by practicing in front of a friend who I was comfortable with initially, and then I started speaking in group discussions. I then moved to group presentations, and from there, individual presentations. One significant thing to remember is we can not overcome our fears if we keep shying away from them. The only way forward is to face what makes us uncomfortable.

 

Being Prepared: Preparing well for an exam or a song or a presentation is very much required. This will give you a sense of confidence. We also need to prepare ourselves to calm ourselves. Practicing meditation can help calm our nerves. Breathing exercises before a performance can also help loosen up nervous energy. If laughing relaxes you, do that. Make a whole routine of what works for you.

 

Getting Out of Your Comfort Zone: There has been more than one thing in my life that has given me performance anxiety. First it was public speaking, and now it is being interviewed. And that one thing is going to keep changing, depending on what stage of life I am in. However, knowing that I have overcome and learned to manage my anxieties in the past gives me confidence that I can take on the next challenge as well. Otherwise, imagine living a stagnant life where everything scares you and you can’t move on to the next phase of life. It’s part of our life lesson and journey to overcome and embrace changes. 

 

One more thing that gave me a perspective on overcoming my stage fright was realizing how other people around me felt in the same situations as me. They were equally, if not more anxious than I was, and it made me feel that I was not abnormal and not alone. The only difference I was fine feeling anxious and gave my hundred percent, and your confidence too just lies that differnce away.

 

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Leave your thoughts for Kanak in the comments below — better yet, start up a dialogue with the Low Entropy community in person at a Conscious Connections meeting or online at our community site. You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter and YouTube to stay up-to-date with Low Entropy news!

A Silent Meal

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Julia Magsombol (she/her/hers), Low Entropy Volunteer Writer

 

Not a day goes by without noise in this world. We hear our irritating and repetitive alarm first thing in the morning. We talk to many people when we go to school or work. We speak to a lot of people in a day. Even when you eliminate literal noise, our minds are always occupied with deep thought as well. We think about the projects that are due in school or at work. Most of us think about the debts we need to pay in the future or the bills we need to pay by the month’s end. Some of us even think about the past and the things we regret, and some worry about the future and how it will treat us. We are always occupied with noise, whether that’s a noise around us or inside our own minds. I realize that none of us are ever free from the world’s noise and I wonder if you think about this as well.

 

I am thinking about this idea even as I am sitting down right now in my quiet room while typing these sentences. Ten minutes ago, my mind was noisy as always. I was thinking about projects that are due and perhaps someone I have longed for a very long time. My mind is never quiet, it is always noisy. But since my mind is calmer now, I assess the things that have happened today even though my day has not consisted of much. I woke up in the afternoon because I’m an insomniac. I always end up falling asleep between 6 am and 7 am and so I woke up at 3 pm today; I ate and did some chores around the house. I did some work, and I ate again. Nothing special, really. But I realized that I ate a meal with my father.

 

I guess that’s something different from my day-to-day basis because it’s been a long time since we’ve eaten a meal together. I always eat by myself, and I never care if I eat alone as long as my meal is tasty. 

 

I won’t call that occurrence special but instead, rather strange. My father has always been away from home because he’s always working. I don’t blame him for that, and in fact, I’m very proud of him. He needs to feed his family and meet the monthly expenses starting from the mortgage, taxes, vehicles, insurance and much more. And so eating a meal with him is strange because there’s only a 20% chance of this occurring. But aside from that small chance, I was able to eat with him today.

 

I felt embarrassed when I ate with him earlier. I had always been close with him when I was a little kid because he was jobless then, so he took care of me all the time instead of my mother. But in this situation, I felt embarrassed and this awkward feeling just kept boiling up. The silence had been going on for ten minutes and I could not stand another second of it so I asked him about his work and if it was busy. He only answered with a sentence. The silence went on again. Minutes passed by, and when I was almost done, he asked me if I wanted more rice, and that he would reheat it. I was already full, but for some reason, I couldn’t refuse, so I said yes and smiled. He took the now heated rice from the microwave and added it to my plate. At this moment, I felt like my heart would explode, and I didn’t know if I should cry or smile or laugh. I simply didn’t know what emotions or reactions I should portray, so I decided to be silent. I never said anything and neither did he. Instead, we both continued to eat without speaking. 

 

The silence went on and on, but I felt something, and what I felt was his love and warmth. As uncomfortable as it sounds, I did feel his love with his actions in silence. I guess people are all different and they show their love in the ways that they can. I would have never noticed the things he did if there was noise. If there was, I would have known in my mind that it was just a boring meal that I shared with my father. An ordinary occurrence that I would almost forget as time passed.

 

I guess that’s what silence does; it allows us to notice little and special things we miss in our everyday, mundane lives. The value of silence is limitless, and I would have preferred that over any useless noise I hear daily.

 

After we ate, he took my plate with his and washed them. I never said anything. It was all silent, and I appreciated every second of it. 

 

—

 

Julia Magsombol is currently a journalism student from Edmonton, Canada, who desires to bring hope to people through her writing. When not writing or reading, you can catch her sewing clothes, painting nature and drinking instant coffee.

The Power of Music

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MacKenzie Chalmers (she/her/hers), Low Entropy Volunteer Writer

 

The power of art often creates debate in society. What does a piece of art mean? Can it have more than one interpretation? Does it mean anything at all? Art is a simple term that people often use to describe visual designs such as drawing or painting. However, the term art expands to other media as well. Less traditional forms of art can also include photography, writing or music. Growing up in school, visual arts and music were often separated and considered two very different things. However, anything that allows an individual to use their creative mind is art. Music is a form of artistic media that dominates the entertainment industry and in current society, we are often introduced to new artists who provide us with new options for entertainment.

 

I feel that we often think of music as a whole element rather than the individual pieces that it consists of. Often when we say we dislike a song, it may be due to one of these segments rather than the entirety of the work. We may dislike the harmony, beat, the lyrics or the overall sound. We may dislike the artist or the music video. One element can ruin the entire piece. We can become overpowered with the experience and not focus on the elements individually. I have been guilty of not listening to music due to the artist singing. My musical tastes vary due to my love of lyrics. I have several artists on playlists that I only like one or two songs from, or perhaps a variety of their songs, but not them as they are publicly portrayed.  

 

Lyrics are an expression of thoughts and feelings. Whether those emotions are negative or positive, song writing provides an outlet for individuals to express their feelings safely. Lyrics are a non-violent way to express emotion about a situation or experience. Without thinking, we can react to intense situations in ways that are not an accurate representation of our nature and behaviours. We may not know how to verbally state our feelings about certain situations that we face in our own lives but writing them down allows us to stop and think things over. It calms us down, allowing us to think over the situation and gain a different outlook.

 

Lyrics can provide a level of comfort by altering our moods. When we are experiencing intense emotions – negative or positive – we can find comfort in that perfect song with the perfect set of lyrics. Other artists can feel that way too. Numerous artists that we listen to do not write their own songs. Some artists perform songs written by other people. Some artists write songs for other artists to perform. There have been many times that I have listened to a song from my favourite band, only to realize that another artist I liked has writing credits on that song. Regardless of the individual, when we read or hear the perfect lyrics, we find comfort in knowing that someone else feels the same way. We could be experiencing heartache from a relationship with a partner, family member or friend. We could be grieving the loss of someone we know or the loss of an opportunity. We could be experiencing happiness from a new job, new relationship or new experiences. We associate lyrics with a set of memories. Every time I listen to an individual song, I am reminded of memories I associate those lyrics with. 

 

Overall, writing lyrics in music is not different from any other artistic expression. Authors, photographers, painters and musicians all create and write from personal experience. We all buy novels, photographs, paintings or songs due to the connection we feel with the piece of art. 

More music may have the potential to grow in notoriety if people would stop and listen to the lyrics. The lyrics within music will always be there to help anyone who needs a sense of shared thoughts or expressions. 

 

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MacKenzie is a digital media enthusiast with interests in various aspects of media. She takes part in novel hunting, photo and video creating, and creative writing.

Silence is Golden

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Mona Ahtesham (she/her/hers), Low Entropy Volunteer Writer

 

Noise pollution is all around us, and nearly impossible to evade. We are surrounded by the buzz of big city traffic, listen to music while we travel and constantly overhear conversations around us. Whether we are alone or surrounded by people, in the modern world we live in, silence is hard to come by. Even our homes, the places where we seek refuge from the chaos of the world, are continuously filled with the sounds of everyday life. Because silence is so rare, we often forget why it is important at all. In fact, silence is very significant because it allows us to tap into a part of our minds we often neglect: the part that is occupied by a form of noise pollution we are not entirely aware of.

 

This form of noise pollution doesn’t come from our external environment. Instead, it comes in the form of our internal state of mind. It is the noise that is produced by the constant stream of thoughts that buzz around in our minds. Our mental to-do lists, plans and running dialogue take over our headspace and become so loud, they eventually become the only thoughts we can hear. These intrusive thoughts add to the constant noise around us at a level we don’t even fully register. 

 

True silence cannot be achieved until we can escape all forms of noise pollution, internal and external. Although finding a quiet external environment is relatively easy, quieting our minds can often be a difficult task, and requires a bit of conscious effort. You may be wondering why it is important to do so at all. In fact, finding periods in your day where you can experience complete silence comes with many benefits and rewards, some of which include:

 

  • Heightened senses: By turning off the distracting sounds of everyday life, you turn on your ability to sense the experiences that are often overshadowed. Stopping to smell the roses, so to speak. Experiencing the faint buzz of a housefly or the hum of your refrigerator. These seemingly cliché moments are surprisingly therapeutic and part of the human experience we often miss. Or perhaps you can practice your mind-body connection and enhance your sense of proprioception. Certain exercises that target these also come with many physical health benefits!

 

  • Internal reflection: When you find a moment to quiet your mind, you are able to forget about the accumulating tasks in your life that are causing you stress, and instead focus on yourself. You can register your level of mental wellbeing without the loom of your fears and anxieties hanging over you. You can meditate, evaluate how you are feeling and make a list of the things you are grateful for. Or you simply do nothing, and use this as an opportunity to enjoy the rare, yet calm feeling of not being bombarded with millions of things to do. 

 

  • An opportunity to see the bigger picture: Another downside to the constant running dialogue playing in our heads is that it forces us to see the world within a very short time frame. We mostly consider the short-term — the projects we have to finish tomorrow, or the chores we have to tackle by the end of the week. Very rarely do we consider the fact that our lives, and thus our accomplishments and triumphs, take place over the span of years, or even decades. Quieting our minds allows us to remember this fact, and realize whatever storm we are faced with today will likely pass. This is not to make light of our problems, but merely to prompt us to consider the big picture, reevaluate our priorities and ensure our goals have a place in the overall wellbeing and happiness of our lives.

 

These benefits demonstrate the value of silence. With them in mind, I encourage you to find a moment of complete and utter silence in your day in order to experience them for yourself, as well as discover some others! A quiet environment can be found in nature or your home. Finding a quiet headspace, however, may prove to be more difficult. A quiet mind is not a physical location you can merely drive to. Doing so may take some trial and error in figuring out what works best for you. Here are some strategies that may help you achieve that mental silence:

 

  • Free write: Grab a piece of paper and pencil, set a timer for 10 minutes and write whatever comes to mind. This could be an elaborate short story, or your name over and over again. Whatever comes into your mind, write it down! The goal is to have nothing left in your mind by the end of those 10 minutes. Use this as your opportunity to dump any intrusive thoughts that are preventing you from quieting your mind.

 

  • Exercise: Yoga is the obvious go-to for achieving a silent state of mind. But cool-down stretches after a run or a quick bout of HIIT is also usually accompanied with surprisingly empty thoughts and a calm head. 

 

  • Allow your thoughts to wander: It may seem counterproductive to give your thoughts free rein while trying to turn them off. But, as with the free-writing technique, doing so allows you to find an outlet for those thoughts, rather than allowing them to take up residence in the back of your mind. So don’t be too hard on yourself if attempts to silence your thoughts end up producing even louder thoughts!

 

There are many strategies that can be used to quiet your mind, and they are often very individualized and personal. But the benefits that can be experienced make the efforts to do so worth it. I hope you can find an opportunity in your day to achieve a state of internal and external silence, and witness for yourself the significant value of silence.  

 

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Mona Ahtesham is an undergraduate student at the University of British Columbia studying speech sciences. In her free time, she loves exploring nature and spends as much time as possible outdoors!

Karaoke, Humiliation and Just Going for it

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Rivalia Naidoo (she/her/hers), Low Entropy Volunteer Writer

 

Confession time: I’ve never actually been to karaoke. Snowboarding, poetry reading and dancing, I’ve all done. But there’s something about karaoke where I’d rather fall face-first into the snow rather than sing (and sing very badly I might add) in front of people. 

 

However, I feel like this is common practice. After all, who would want to willingly humiliate themselves? Wanting to safeguard ourselves from embarrassment and negative experiences is in our DNA. It’s meant to protect us and make sure we don’t make fools of ourselves. And singing an off-key rendition of Celine Dion’s “My Heart Will Go On” would definitely fit into that category. 

 

Well, maybe. Or maybe not. 

 

But why does it matter anyway?

 

As I’ve gotten older, I’ve struggled to balance the opinion I have of myself against the opinions of others. It’s sometimes even influenced the decisions I make and the opportunities I seek out. What will my peers think of me? What will my family think of my career? What will my high school teachers think of what I’ve accomplished so far? Okay, so maybe that last one is my own anxiety coming through, but I think many of us can relate to the fear of what others might think and the hold it can sometimes have on us. 

 

Karaoke falls into the same bucket. It’s an especially vulnerable activity, because you’re putting yourself out there for all to see and judge (regardless of whether you think you sing like Adele or not). It’s also part of the reason that I’ve never done it.  

 

But I’ve come to realize that prioritizing the opinions of others at the expense of what I want to do has made me miss out on some pretty great things. Avoiding embarrassment may be evolutionarily beneficial, but it doesn’t make for the most fun of times. 

 

So, here comes the crux: how do we make our wants loud enough that we can actually achieve them? The answer is not straightforward. For some, it may involve taking baby steps. Want to sing but you’re hesitant to belt it out in front of a crowd? Maybe start by letting yourself sing as loudly as you can in your bedroom despite thinking you’re really bad at it. For others, the solution may be to book that karaoke room post haste.

 

I think the point is, that no matter how you get there, you have to give yourself permission to try. Whether it’s karaoke, starting a new hobby or something bigger, like pursuing a different career, it starts with just going for it. It’s about deciding to put your wants above your fears, and letting the pressure of public opinion and your own hesitancies, founded or not, take the back seat. 

 

But, I know, easier said than done. 

 

I still say no to experiences I think would be interesting or enjoyable because I’m too afraid to put myself out there. It’s a skill I’ve yet to master, but I don’t think anyone really can. But, hopefully, like any muscle, it will get easier with time and practice.

 

For me, I’m still trying out the smaller things. 

 

Going to a social event despite being scared I’ll embarrass myself in front of strangers.

 

Trying out a new hobby even though I’m pretty sure I have no skills in it.

 

Saying yes to new experiences even when I’m scared of the outcome.

 

I still do chicken out occasionally, but sometimes I persevere. And you know what? It turns out just fine. I’ve learned that you don’t have to be an expert or have the greatest skill to try something, you just have to have a curiosity and willingness to fail. Deciding to go for it despite my fears has allowed me to learn more about myself, meet new people and experience some incredible things. But none of that would’ve been possible if I hadn’t had the willingness to fail or embarrass myself in some way. Oh, I’ve certainly had my fair share of embarrassing moments (falling off a snow lift comes to mind). But, I’ve survived, and with all the more memories and experiences for it.

 

I think that’s the key part — even if we humiliate ourselves or fail at something, it’s okay. Putting ourselves out there won’t kill us. It may leave an embarrassing scar, but we’ll be just fine. The alternative is staying in our tightly-knit cave of comfort, without ever really growing, experiencing new things or, well, living.

 

So, next time you’re invited out for karaoke or asked to suggest something fun to do on a Friday night, why not just go for it? 

 

—

 

Hi, I’m Rivalia! I’m a scientist, amateur yogi and book fanatic. I’ve always loved how words have the ability to comfort and connect us, no matter how we feel or where we are. I hope my words here can bring a little bit of inspiration and compassion into your day. 

 

A Warrior’s Song

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Neema Ejercito (she/her/hers), Low Entropy Volunteer Writer

 

SO many songs have made me cry, but if I were to choose just one, it would have to be Twila Paris’ “The Warrior is a Child.” Philippine pop legend Gary Valenciano is the one who popularized this song for me, and probably the entire country. Every time I hear it, I swear, if my heart is not at least swelled up in inspiration, I am left in buckets of tears and snot, despicably ugly-crying. I may be exhausted and wasted by the end of it, but there have been times when I’ve played it over and over when I’m particularly down. It’s as if I wanted to empty all the sadness away through the song.

 

I’m tempted to write every line of its lyrics here, but due to word limit, I must choose the lines that I would like to talk about. The song begins with the protagonist’s current state: “Lately I’ve been winning battles left and right/But even winners can get wounded in the fight.”1 When I’m feeling particularly spent, just hearing this first line is enough for the waterworks to begin. I recount how much I’ve been giving and think how that’s supposed to be a good thing, but why do I feel so dang tired? And because I feel empty, I don’t feel like a winner at all.

 

The waterworks turn into a flood as the second stanza comes on: “They don’t know that I come running home when I fall down/They don’t know who picks me up when no one is around.” Dang it, I’m starting to tear up. And I listened to this song a couple of times yesterday in preparation to write this article tear-free, too. These lines hit me particularly hard at one point because I still question my spirituality at times. Do I believe in a Supreme Being, and how do I address Her? What is my relationship with Her like? These lines remind me that I do believe in Her, though I’ve grown up addressing Her as Him. But I remember the times I’ve visualized being held in Her arms, just as my mom shared with me when she would feel down and need comfort.

 

“[D]eep inside this [armour]/The warrior is a child.” Oh my oh my oh my. These two lines. I think these are my favourite of them all. Especially the second time the chorus is sung and there’s a swell in the stanza’s first two lines I mentioned earlier. Ayayay, if I had been holding back any tears prior to this part, the dam would have broken right here.

 

I love love love the distinction between the armour and the warrior here. Oftentimes, because we’ve been hurt, we believe that turning into the armour is what protects us. We forget ourselves in what we’re putting on. We aren’t what we put on. We are simply using the armour to protect ourselves. In feeling like we have to become the armour, we’ve really turned ourselves into heartless objects. Sure, we may lie to ourselves in believing that this is for our own good, that we won’t get hurt, but we lose what being a warrior truly is. We keep fighting because of the hurt, but also because we love. And to do so means being open, being vulnerable.

 

Which brings me to the last lines I want to end my blog with: “But they don’t see the enemies/That lay me at His feet.” I’ve thought about the many different enemies I’ve had in my life, and often I find it easy to see someone else as my enemy. It’s human nature to blame someone or something else anyway. But many times, I think what pains me the most is when I realize I’m my own worst enemy. Time and time again I’ve had to remind myself how awesome I am to others while I treat myself worse than crap. And I have to remember: if I truly want to be able to help others, I really have to think the best of myself.

 

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Neema Ejercito is a professional writer, director and creative writing mentor. Her 3D edutainment series for beginning readers, AlphaBesties, is showing in YouTube Japan and Prairie Kids. When she’s not writing or mentoring, she manages her household with her very supportive husband and three children.

 

1 Paris, T. (n.d.). Gary Valenciano – Warrior Is a Child Lyrics | AZLyrics.com. AZLyrics.com. Retrieved April 15, 2022, from https://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/garyvalenciano/warriorisachild.html

Musically Gifted

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Grace Cheng (she/her/hers), Low Entropy Volunteer Writer

Learning music is one of the most beautiful things anyone can do. Music is beneficial for human health.  The practice of learning a musical instrument offers countless benefits for people in terms of multifaceted development. Performing music has a positive impact on the human brain. Playing music keeps the human mind active, and the creativity and concentration required sharpens it

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The study of music touches on all aspects of learning. These are the psychomotor, cognitive and affective components. The psychomotor element of music education emphasizes the development of mechanical skills in playing instruments. The cognitive portion focuses on the acquisition of musical knowledge. The affective component emphasizes the appreciation of music. Music also stimulates language development and develops collaborative skills. Furthermore, it enhances logical thinking, hand-eye coordination and listening capabilities.  

 

Skills Learned from Music

 

  1. Language and Reasoning Skills 

 

Children who receive early musical training will develop areas of their brains related to language and reasoning. Music develops the left side of the brain, which can affect how information is imprinted on young minds. As children learn their instruments, they gradually become accustomed to the nuances of a variety of sounds. In this way, their ears are trained to recognize the subtleties of speech and language.

 

  1. Muscle Development and Coordination

 

When children play instruments, they can use their entire body to maintain rhythm. Musical instruments can also develop motor skills that involve coordinating different parts of the body simultaneously. You can develop excellent hand-eye coordination while playing musical instruments.

 

  1. Problem Solving

 

Music is not always a simple subject. There may be difficulty in reading the score, executing a complex technical section or determining motivation. You will discover that there are ample opportunities to come up with creative and unique solutions to musical challenges.  

 

  1. Creativity

 

You can express yourself creatively by playing music. Your approach to and interpretation of music is unique to you. It can help shape your identity as a creative individual. It is this creativity that will shine through in other areas of your life as well. 

 

  1. Social Skills

 

When you play music in a group, you must learn to work together toward a common goal, manifesting tolerance, patience and encouragement with your peers. Music can help you develop social connections with other people.   

 

  1. Spatial Intelligence

 

Studying music can provide students with the opportunity to develop spatial intelligence, which will enable them to form mental pictures and perceive the world accurately. It has been demonstrated that pitch and rhythm have a significant impact on spatial reasoning skills.

 

  1. Emotional development

 

Individuals often develop their emotional maturity while developing empathy for other cultures through learning music. They also tend to have a higher sense of self-esteem and a more effective ability to cope with anxiety. Feeling the emotional power of music and engaging in the practice of expression enables one to better recognize the emotions inside oneself.

 

  1. Discipline

 

Learning an instrument can teach us important lessons about discipline. You will have to set aside time for practice and rise to the challenge of being disciplined to master the playing of an instrument.

 

  1. Thinking On the Spot

        

Music requires you to make numerous split-second decisions over and over. This requires you to think quickly on your feet. Over time, you will become extremely adept at detecting small mistakes and surprises in the music, while adapting to unexpected outcomes.

 

  1. Coping and Stress Management

 

Practicing music offers you an outlet that you can turn to when dealing with stress or other challenging situations. The act of playing music is also very therapeutic. The ability to cope through music is a valuable tool that can assist in balancing out life’s many difficulties.

 

Are you interested in learning music? Cross-curricular and lifelong skills await you as music’s valuable benefits.

 

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Grace has an accounting and finance background. She enjoys reading, writing, listening to music, watching movies and playing sports.

A Crescendo

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Cristina Cresecenzo she/her, Low Entropy Volunteer Writer

 

We have come to know rhythm as the beautiful synchronized sound that takes form in music and plays through our ears to bring about a plethora of emotions. However, what if we tried to convert a rhythm into the form of our daily lives? I have meditated on the idea and come to the conclusion that since life itself is not perfectly balanced we will have to create a whole new rhythm for ourselves. Luckily, music of modern days has strayed away from conventional formats by testing out new instruments, beats and sounds, even going so far as to sample something we use everyday like a light switch to create something completely unique. 

 

Therefore, I have no doubt we can invent our own melody to glide us forward and make each day a little easier. Before I finally focused my thoughts, I personally believed that I had no rhythm in my routine and instead I was just floating around aimlessly but I know now that this is not true. I heavily rely on the music playing in my headphones to temper my thoughts and help me with my decisions. It might sound silly yet every song I have heard has been written from the experience of someone else. The artist and I may not be exactly the same but there are always lyrics I can connect with. There have been instances in which I am listening to a song for the first time and the words feel as if it was meant specifically for me to hear; in those two to five minute intervals I know I am not alone.

 

I trust these voices to be my joy, anger, sadness, and comfort because they have chosen to spill the secrets of their hearts to the entire world to hear and I am one who believes we can learn from one another. I am not saying we should follow every piece of advice music gives us, what I am saying is that music is there as  an inspiration for you to examine your surroundings and think about the things you want to do next for yourself. This may sound overly sentimental but our lives are symphonies only we can conduct and if we were to copy the notes of others all we would hear is a constant echo and there would be no real progression towards our final crescendo. On that note, it makes me think of my last name, “Crescenzo” which in Italian stems from the word crescendo to mean to thrive and prosper. Thus, I can’t help but feel that the name I have bore since birth is challenging me to do just that. So, like a crescendo, the loudest point within a musical piece, the rhythm of my heart has to make the same loud impact in tandem with the things I choose to do in this lifetime. 

 

Nevertheless, I have stayed firm in my conviction to do things my way just like the songwriters of today who do things differently than the musicians of past eras. I know the flow of my rhythm is anything but synchronized and yet I wouldn’t want it any other way and I don’t think anyone else should strive for their steps to be perfectly in sync because that would only make for a boring tune. 

 

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Cristina Cresecenzo (she/her) an aspiring writer who strives towards having her writing spread awareness to a range of topics but most importantly disabilities and mental health and she hopes Low Entropy is the first step to that journey.

Music: The Connection that Makes Us

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Bethany Howell (she/her/hers), Low Entropy Volunteer Writer  

I remember being four years old, in the back seat of my father’s old red Volkswagen. I  would dance along to the songs he played, raising my arms as high as I could for the chorus  “Hands up, baby hands up” while he laughed and sang along. There are few things my father and  I shared, making our joint music taste all the more special to the both of us. As the years wore on  and we became more distant, we could always bond over Duran Duran, Billy Joel, and David  Bowie. My father and I are seldom close; but music, and the memories that came along with it,  brought us together.  

 At age eleven, I began discovering music outside of the realm of my father’s tastes. I  discovered modern rock, then alternative, then indie music. Artists such as Fall Out Boy, Glass  Animals, and Vampire Weekend replaced the familiar sounds of 80s pop with which I had grown  up. My father would always try to keep up, creating playlists with a mix of our favourite songs, 

but I preferred listening on my own. With the new age of modern music came the disintegration  of the only thing that he and I had.  

 I believe it was age eighteen when I finally began looking back at what I once knew.  ‘Retro’ music was making a comeback and I was surprised to find myself already knowing the  melodies and words to the songs being ‘discovered’ by my peers. Today I consider myself lucky  to know all the lyrics to the ballads and karaoke classics. After all, it is pretty fun to shock my  friends with my knowledge of classics obscured by time.  

I fell in love with music before I knew what love was. All of my most cherished moments  came with a soundtrack. Throughout my childhood, my love of music permeated into every piece  of who I was and what I did. If I wasn’t singing made-up songs and playing make-shift  instruments, I was listening to the music that surrounded me. Some would say that our political  viewpoints or the people we idolize makes us who we are; others may say that the books we read  or the people we love are more influential. I disagree. I believe it is the music we listen to, the  lyrics we sing to ourselves while cleaning up and the tunes we aren’t afraid to butcher with our  terrible singing voices. I am who I am thanks to not only my current favourite melodies, but also  the songs I still somehow recall from almost two decades ago in that old Volkswagen.  

My love of music still drives me today. Though I have attempted writing songs like I used  to when I was a child, I find that they never live up to expectations. Lyrics and chord  progressions are not my calling. I decided a few years back to, instead, focus on the rhythm and  meter of poetry. This has brought me quite far, with multiple poems published and a few on the  way. I know that not everyone would agree, but I believe poetry to be at the heart of music. Yes,  the two have many differences, yet both are based on the same drive – the creation of something 

beautiful. We all just want to create something that gets stuck in your head and moves you,  whether that be literally or figuratively.  

I love music for the same reasons I love poetry, film and all other artistic creations – the  connection it brings us. Music brings us all closer together through sharing the same favourite  songs or hating the same Top 40s artist. Music can be an agent of change and an agent of  connection. In my own life, it is the connection of music that brought my father and I together  and sparked my love for art that still inspires me today. I don’t believe that my work will ever  make as great of an impact as John Lennon’s poignant classic “Imagine” or have the lasting  legacy of Queen’s anthem “We Will Rock You”, but I do hope to make a small difference, even if  it is only in my own life. I write for myself and in hopes that others may relate to the words I  spill onto the page.  

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My name is Bethany Howell and I am a third-year university student majoring in psychology and  minoring in family and child studies. I have a passion for writing and mental health, and my  ultimate goal since age 13 has been to make a difference in the world through helping others,  which is how I ended up here at Low Entropy!