Way back when, when I first studied anthropology; I read about these things called cultural universals. It was an interesting set of ideas that Murdock, Strauss, and others defined. They saw these as an element, pattern, trait, or institution that is common to all human cultures worldwide. An interesting concept that provoked a lot of discussion in graduate school. The ones that these guys came up with include a whole bunch of language, social, myth and ritual concepts. The one I always thought as so important is music. Well perhaps after sex. But consider what we take for granted with music. It frames the human existance, gives us sets of meaning or lack thereof. Provides balance or imbalance. It lures us to reality or makes us fade out to idealism. We often talk about those artists that influence us at various stages of our lives. But I think our desire around this universal evolves and perhaps that’s an important concept along with the whole universal idea. The concepts themselves evolve and become to mean something different as we paddle the lives we own. You can see how the whole musical thing evolves in your own life. Remember some song that was important for some reason way back when. Have you heard it recently and had it suddenly dawn on you it shook your world? But now, your world is different so the music that shakes it is different.
I often think we don’t give enough to these universals and their importance. Whether we believe in them or not, the idea that they may evolve to become more important based on how our culture evolves is rather provocative. Lets face it, that there is nothing so constant as change.
So who shapes your world and who cracks the walls down so you can reach some other horizon? I like Eddie Vedder and the songs for Into the Wild myself. They bother me, irritate me, make me question. I like U2′s Joshua Tree album. It takes me back to a desert scape. I like Born to Run by Springsteen and finally I like Pink Floyd Dark Side of the Moon.
But just because you like a thing does not mean you can easily listen to it. Some of the music I like bothers me at a basic level. The music of Joan Baez still does. Harry Chapin makes me feel sad sometimes. His was a life snuffed out too early.
