What it means to love

I know that Death Cab for Cutie is a very popular band and that it is rather cliche to say that I Will Follow You Into the Dark is one of my favorite songs, but whether or not it's cliche, it's true. To me, it is one of the best songs there is, and I don't ever tire of listening to it.

When trying to figure out why that is, I realized that this song embodies a basic human desire: to be loved so much that someone would be willing to die with us, believing that nothing was awaiting them. "If there's no one beside you when your soul embarks, I'll follow you into the dark," he sings over and over again, saying that if we have to go into oblivion, why not go together?

We all want to be loved, and we do not want to feel alone. I think what we are all searching for in our daily lives is some connection to something meaningful and permanent. There is a lack of permanence in our existence, people are always leaving or dying, but if we could find that one person who would connect so fully with us that we could go together into the next unknown, I think we could be complete.

It is also the commitment to the unknown that I appreciate about this song. "No blinding light, or tunnel to gates of white, just our hands clasped so tight, waiting for the hint of a spark." We're not necessarily looking for someone willing to die with us, but just someone who is not so frightened of the unknown that they will stay and go through it. We do not know where our relationships will lead, whether they will be 'successful' or not, but to be willing to try together is an invaluable experience.

This isn't a version of the song from the actual band, but a very nice cover from three women. I chose this version because it spoke to what I feel when I sing this song to myself in the car, or rather speaks to what a want to be a part of as I harmonize with the song by myself, wanting to be a part of something complete and full and real.



This song is a representation of that glimpse we sometimes get of what it means to love.

Endorsement

Apparently, Boy George is endorsing Barack Obama. This and Colin Powell's endorsements are gonna take us to the top! I'm not sure why Amy Winehouse is in this at all...

Hope

Small Victories

I've started alternating between swimming and running in the mornings. I'm doing this for a few reasons: I'm going to soon join a soccer team and would really like not to vomit during my first game with my new team, I've wanted to start regular exercise for a while, it's cheaper than the gym, and I'd like to feel healthy. I'm not a runner. In fact, I hate running. I loathe it. But I've managed to go two mornings for the past two weeks, even when I REEEAAALLLY didn't want to. I've figured out ways to keep myself running. I talk to myself in my head, encouraging myself, frightening myself with warnings of embarrassment when I get back on the soccer field, and telling myself this is good, this feels good, you're almost done.

I got a pedometer over the weekend to keep track of my progress and when I looked at it this morning, I realized, to my surprise, that I had run for over a mile. One small victory today, a great way to start the day even before the sun came up.

My Feelings Exactly, John

I'm sure all over the internet people are swooping in to comment on the inaccurate, judgmental, shitty comments made by Governor Sarah Palin about what parts of our country are actual parts of our country:

"We believe that the best of America is not all in Washington, D.C. We believe" -- here the audience interrupted Palin with applause and cheers -- "We believe that the best of America is in these small towns that we get to visit, and in these wonderful little pockets of what I call the real America, being here with all of you hard working very patriotic, um, very, um, pro-America areas of this great nation."

She can call wherever she wants the "real America", but the reality is that we have had an incredibly brutal, bloody war to determine that no matter how drastically different separate parts of the country may be in their ideals and values, it is vitally important that we remain a united nation. This fight was about recognizing all of America and all Americans as "real" and the real power of our nation comes from our incredible diversity and plurality. Some of the most fervent patriots live in D.C. and these people are pro-American for a living, working to better our country, whether they are Senators or janitors. By discluding them and everyone else in a large city, Palin insults Americans in this sweeping generalization.

She went on to say:

"This is where we find the kindness and the goodness and the courage of everyday Americans. Those who are running our factories and teaching our kids and growing our food and are fighting our wars for us. Those who are protecting us in uniform. Those who are protecting the virtues of freedom."

As if the people not in the small, rural areas are unkind and bad and none of our soldiers come from large, urban centers of our country. There are teachers, soldiers, farmers, and factory workers everywhere and each and every one of the people she describes above is a "real" American, an important American, no matter where they happen to live.

Here's a video from an article describing Jon Stewart's response to Sarah Palin's statements and he perfectly sums up how I'm feeling about it as well. What he says is funny and not funny in that he's right, what Palin said is profane:



So eff you, divisive assholes.

Something Light

The lighter side of batman (he's not all justice and darkness):



and there's this:

Change

The thing that the United States must realize before it is able to change as a country is that we were built upon the pillars of patriarchy and racism. Thus, as members of our society, members of our country, we are a product of the many factors and values and ideals and practices that formed the country itself, meaning that we are intrinsically racist and sexist. It is a fact and though we may push it down inside of ourselves or ignore it or deny it, this will not help it go away. Our own racism must be confronted and evaluated and understood. We must realize and examine the thoughts and actions we produce that are sexist.
Just as we are products of our country’s history and values, our popular culture can be used as a barometer for the values of our country. Especially as a nation functioning through capitalism, our individual monetary power is our cultural power in many ways. We express our interest in something by purchasing it and our values are reflected in what is a lasting staple in pop culture.
Two important factors of a culture that measure its values are popular culture and religion. In some cases, the two are one and the same. Such as ancient greece, in which the epics were both the popular culture of the time and the religious communication of morality. Epic poems were entertainment and doctrine, and as the travelling rockstar bards would recite “history”, they would give shout-outs to whatever locale they were visiting, as if saying “Hello, Cleveland!”, except in a much more drawn out, lengthy way.
The epics of our day take many different forms. Heroic tales which the populus can relate to while revering the actors, characters, and personas are present in television, movies, music, and the incredibly rich. What do these figures and their epic tales tell us about ourselves? That’s what I hope to find out.