Measuring life’s decisions by the numbers
Kid Rock’s concert tickets are $20. Apples are $0.25 cents cheaper at the other grocery store. I spent $3.48 for a gallon of gas instead of $3.69 elsewhere.
We measure life’s decisions by the numbers.
When it comes to spending and saving money, numbers guide us: X amount of money is earned; I can afford to spend Y amount in my budget.
But there is another color to numbers, one that isn’t as obvious, that is important: the impact on our local community:
- Spending $20 at a big box store vs. spending $20 at your local grocery store.
- Spending $10 on the major label artist’s album vs. buying your local musician’s release from their merch table.
- Spending $30 to attend a concert at the stadium concert vs. $30 at the volunteer run music venue…
The importance of spending at our local, small businesses has been talked about a lot over the last decade. (See: 3/50 Project)
But what hasn’t been measured is how good it feels to support that local business, that warm feeling inside your heart, not just your stomach, when you buy coffee from an independent café vs. the chain.
We can’t measure that, how good it feels, with a simple number.
But we can sure feel it.
When England fell to the plague in 1665, people had no idea what was spreading the disease. The authorities needed to do something, so they ordered the immediate killing of cats and dogs.
Sadly, this had the opposite effect: the rat population soared (and rats were spreading the plague from infect fleas). (Dolnick 25)
Sometimes when we have no idea what to do when facing conflict, it feels better to do something than nothing. Killing the cats and dogs is easier than creating something new. (Business sales are down, so I’m going to have massive layoffs; my concert was poor attended, so I’m going to stop performing for a while.)
Unfortunately, killing the cats and dogs can be worse than doing nothing at all.
Searching for the Philosopher’s Stone in the Modern Age
Isaac Newton was one of the most impressive scientists to walk on earth. (The dude invented calculus!)
But Isaac Newton also believed in some of the most ridiculous, mythical ideas, too. (He was equally obsessed with alchemy, searching for the philosopher’s stone.)
Isaac Newton’s fellow scientists of his day, ones in the Royal Society, shared the same disconnects: While they discovered modern breakthroughs that would change the way we understood mathematics and science, they would also adhere to their old beliefs in mermaids, or mad theories like the sweat from a hanged man’s hand having healing powers…
Discovering a new breakthrough doesn’t mean one abandons a false myth…
We are not immune to this in our modern age.
It’s not that we still believe in mermaids or alchemy; but a new philosopher’s stone: We believe that the simple act of posting a video on Youtube or Facebook or Twitter will instantly reach stardom. (Going viral can happen to anyone!)
Or that the key to getting a new job is signing up for LinkedIn and spamming every acquaintance’s email account.
We believe that music still needs to be made in expensive studios on $100,000 recording budgets. We equally might believe we can “do it all ourselves” and achieve greatness on a budget of zero because of the Internet…
Truth or reality often get lost somewhere in the middle. The philosopher’s stone we seek is usually not real. A Youtube video doesn’t simply go viral without other factors. Sure, $100,000 budgets for recording aren’t necessary, but I doubt many people can achieve greatness on $100 and only using Garageband and a cheap microphone.
Yes, our songs or art have the potential to reach an audience, but that doesn’t mean it’s any easier today than 20 years ago, even if posting to the Internet is as easy as a click away. It still needs to reach people…
There is one philosopher’s stone that is real: That is the wonderful feeling you get when you have created something, whether it’s heard by thousands of people or only your own ears.
My musical friend (and engineer) Mark Sobczak said the two best feelings he’s had are falling in love with his wife, and finishing a song.
Artistic expression is as close as we will ever get to turning ordinary substances into silver and gold.
The Genius Scientist Is Usually Wrong
A master, a genius, fails more than succeeds.
If anything a genius is one who is more OK with being wrong in the streets of discovery than the normal woman or man playing it safe on the sidewalk.
We often hesitate to write or create for fear of being exposed, to be wrong, to be stuck on dead end…
However, a scientist applauded for a great discovery is not criticized for the pervious failures and false starts that led up to epiphany or success; it’s an accepted part of the scientific journey.
As should it be for the artist, writer or musician. We will have more false starts than successes…the point is to continue working, searching, exploring.
Celebrate the failures as proof that we are still creating.
My Aunt Sophie’s advice: “Trust you will find someone who will love your dreams as much as you!”
One of the best pieces of advice I received was from my mom’s Aunt Sophie. Aunt Sophie told me how she met her husband, our Uncle Ralph, while he was playing upright bass at a jazz club in Detroit.
“Was it difficult being married a musician, Aunt Sophie?” I asked.
“Sure, it was hard when Ralph came home from work, and then had to rush to a gig and was gone till 2 AM. But what was easy was loving someone for their dream, which is a part of who they are!”
She always reminded me that I would find someone who loved me for my dream of music, and just hearing that reminder to be hopeful got me through some lonely times during my twenty-something years in a small town aways from my family.
Today’s my first wedding anniversary. I feel extremely lucky to have found Natalie, a person who has wonderful, creative dreams of her own!
I think of my Aunt Sophie’s advice on days like yesterday, days where I arrive home at 2 AM from a long gig in Lansing, where I come home to find my wife sleeping in bed with all the lights on and a book in her face, still waiting for me to get home. (And our dog Lois there, claiming my spot in bed!)
Her advice was simple and powerful: Trust you will find someone who will love your goals, for your goals make you, you!
PS: Have you heard my new love song, released today?
My surprise performance of Love Birds for Nat at our wedding!
