Inspiration

This is an entirely random note but thoughts going through my head and I figured that I’d put them out here.

After the Mozart museum, I felt so entirely moved—raw talent and not only in one way— he wrote, played, he was truly “genial.” To have talent that ensures you popularity… but not just popularity but honest fame, notoriety, and respect for hundreds of years, it’s unfathomable. My mind starts reeling. Imagine that in your life, you’ve known someone with incredible talent—no matter how impressed you are with them, would you for a second stop to think that in 200+ years, people will still respect, memorize and analyize their talents? Can you imagine how someone who grew up with Mozart felt in his presence though? Did they assume he’d be incredible, travel around playing and not only playing, but creating and then not only for his contemporaries but for all time?

Those thoughts were strarting to drain from my mind when I put on one of my favorite bands’ music today. Not really one of my favorites, I guess, but in a way. One of my favorite bands is Something Corporate, which doesn’t exist but the lead singer is now in Jack’s Mannequin. As I was listening to the words of a song the lead singer, Andy, wrote about his struggle with cancer, I just got chills. Most likely, in 20 years, no one will know Jack’s Mannequin or Andy McMahon, but still what incredible talent. To be able to write chords, lyrics, and put it together and create a finished work that has an impact on the life of someone that you will never meet, that you know nothing about, have, perhaps, nothing in common with—it’s so powerful. There is no single word that I could use that would do justice to what I want to say about it.

And maybe you’re reading this thinking, Sure, but isn’t that what song writing is about? Shouldn’t any halfway decent artist be able to put words to a melody that is infleuntial and strikes deep within a majority of people? Maybe. But does it usually actually have that outcome? What power…. what raw talent.

This may sound like a tribute to Mozart and Andrew McMahon… but that’s not in any way what it’s meant to be. I guess what it is would be a call to myself, to you, to whomever, to find that inspiration in ourselves, to find that talent in ourselves and to cherish it… or nourish it. Whether the talent is musical, philosophical, linguistic, or interpersonal or whatever it might be—it’s there, don’t forget that. At the same time, I think it’s a reminder to recognize that which we see in others, the glimpse into genius, into something real that we may overlook or react jealously to…. Maybe none of us will go down in history books, but at the very least, we will go down in the memories and in the hearts of those we are blessed to meet, and we should be willing… no, we should be ecstatic to be given the opportunity to present ourselves in the best light possible, and to do so, we need to reconigze what that is exactly.

So… that’s my rambling. I know it’s not quite what you expect to come across when you visit my travel blog… but it’s what is in my heart/head right now, so I’m sharing through the venue that I have at my fingertips.

Love you all.