No Greater Love Is There

No greater love is there than for that to our heart always true. While I would be sincerely elated to say that the love of God and of my closest ones always accompanied me throughout the most trying of recent years, it would be tragically dishonest, emotionally remiss and spiritually facetious to do so. Like the Biblical figure Job, after all the spiritual trials indomitably endured, saying that I literally felt cursed by the highest of heavenly authorities would be a crass understatement, one unjustly unkind to and entirely unbecoming of my own religious self. But as certainty gives way to doubt, and the lost long only to be found, someone must heed their call. By way of divine intervention, during so many moments of pitch-black darkness, what so often restored my soul was my eternal love for music itself.

Although much has already been said on this topic, there are a few additional considerations that could still be made, especially when music has been such a trustworthy source of emotional support and spiritual replenishment throughout even the most unforgiving of recent years. As an illuminating source of hope, music always accompanied me through the brightest of days and darkest of nights, guiding me along a treacherous path so often beset by danger on all sides. Even while so many significant others silently bid farewell, my love for music adamantly stood by my side. As my closest companion, music has always been so inextricably related to my personal life that only through song can so many of my existential trials ever be spiritually tackled and emotionally understood. Despite so much that still conspires against my happiness, joy usually relies on music to make its presence sincerely felt.

If truth be told, music has brought such a spiritual and emotional depth to my life that only the seventh art could ever come close to rivalling it. Much more than mere entertainment, music has always been so inextricably related to my own life that the melodies, harmonies, rythms and lyrics of so many of the songs listened to directly encapsulated my personal struggles and future aspirations, empowering me to better understand my own self. Even when the most taxing of existential and spiritual trials would have brought me down to my knees, it was music that always helped uplift my spirit, empowering me to rise up and stand my own ground with unbending might and unyielding conviction. Despite the many troubling vicissitudes of the daily grind, music always inspired me to find much greater meaning in life, especially while striving to overcome significant hardship.

When it seemed that life had finally exacted a price I could no longer pay, mauling my self-esteem, confounding my mind, exasperating my heart and troubling my soul, it was music that kept me grounded and always in touch with my own emotions, spiritual values and inner self. Songs that piqued my imagination gave credence to dreams that might otherwise have bordered on the impossible. Other times, special songs expressed fears, insecurities and anxieties all universal in nature, being surely intertwined with my own life. Voicing all these existential concerns seemed like the first step taken before effectively addressing them. Technological innovation only rendered this process much more expedient than ever before.

The meteoric rise of the Information Age transformed the computer into one of the most powerful musical instruments known to man, creating and delivering sounds previously unknown to even the most imaginative of music lovers. The Digital Era brought the synthesizer into the panoply of arms of the most intrepid artists who now learned to express themselves in entirely new musical ways. The computer allowed sound to be artistically created and manipulated in a thoroughly novel fashion, giving birth to electronic music while also revolutionizing all prior genres, especially when it comes to songwriting, music recording and sound editing in the studio. Technology not only transformed the original composition, performance and recording of music, but also revolutionized its distribution.

For those of us who grew up buying records, cassette tapes, videos, compact disks and DVDs, the day the music industry first bowed before the power of the MP3 and digital streaming was truly apocalyptic indeed. In a short period of time, gone were the rich music collections that were physically tangible in their splendor, gone were the days when sheer album sales accounted for the bulk of revenue for the music industry. Music lovers were now told to broadcast themselves on youtube, especially when not drowning amid the vast music selections now available through digital streaming. How technological innovation brought to heel all major corporate record labels was a true act of revolutionary defiance. Few people ever believed that so much could suddenly change in so little time against so little opposition, even despite the many vested interests at play.

With the advent of digital streaming, all my passion for music now required was a smartphone or a tablet, a pair of high-quality earphones, internet access, and a Spotify subscription. This deceptively simple combination gave me immediate access to well over 100 million songs, a wealth of music previously unimaginable for all who were once compelled to incessantly buy records. So many were the choices in music suddenly made available that learning to navigate through Spotify just to find what I was looking for sometimes seemed to overload both my auditory and visual senses of perception. As technological innovation completely revolutionized distribution, music lovers everywhere desperately struggled to adapt accordingly.

Within this vast ocean of seemingly infinite possibilities, only a few genres of music piqued my interest and inflamed my artistic passions. Despite being seldom ever mentioned in writing, one wide-ranging, post-modern genre that has long remained close to my heart is electronic music. Although quite often associated with the club partying scene, this was never my personal experience. Having learned to relate this exceedingly rich musical genre with precious moments of deep relaxation at home, this post-modern art form has long been known to restore my soul like nothing else. The peace and tranquility that arise from moments of pure musical bliss can certainly calm the spirit in more ways than one.

When home entertainment alone did not suffice to exorcise my demons, contemplative outdoor walks and electrifying runs were also taken to commune with nature and reset my inner equilibrium. Only music could take me places I would never have ventured alone before. As the very heartbeat of life, music marked the time so often kept only by a ticking alarm clock, perhaps the most despotic of existential metronomes. Armed with an inspirational song for every occasion, this sacred art form propelled me to face down existential trials of the most challenging persuasions. The revolutionary age where music had finally become an ubiquitous and overpowering truth of life was now dawning upon us. But for someone who was raised by Elvis, and all the many rock stars who followed, how could I justify my pulsating love for electronic music as well?

What I always longed to find in this avant-garde musical genre was the freedom to lose myself in a fleeting but endless moment of spiritual catharsis where past and future collide, and only the present ever truly survives. For that ephemeral magical moment, all of life seems to make sense, and as our imagination is infinitely empowered, we become the brightest star in a resplendent galaxy of spiritual joy, soothing peace and halcyon emotional bliss. This is when a singularity is born and an entirely new protean universe begins to take shape inside of us. If true that energy is neither created nor destroyed but only simply transformed, we ourselves are forever changed by the almighty power of music.

This spiritual, contemplative, and ethereal genre of music can also be truly transcendental in helping subdue all past and future worries. The joy derived from learning to savor the present moment to the absolute fullest can briefly overpower all past spiritual grievances and all future existential anxieties. This has proven true even when facing heart-wrenching personal and spiritual trials. As Christ himself once said in St. Luke 12:25-27: "Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to your life? Since you cannot do this very little thing, why worry about the rest? Consider how the wild flowers grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even King Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these."

Electronic music has brought a liberating joy into my life that has helped restore my faith both in my ability to endure hardship and my stalwart belief in enjoying personal freedom. Music has always provided a much needed perspective to a life so often battle-scarred by unrelenting pain and relentless opposition of a spiritual nature. Teaching me to appreciate the glorious beauty of life, even despite whatever spiritual trials may inexorably come my way, electronic music has amped my ability to rise from the ashes of past difficult experiences, once again fighting  for a more welcoming and agreeable future. That so much love should be found in music is a blessing bestowed on those who still have much to be grateful for despite the most exacting challenges of life.

The certainty of knowing that no spiritual war can forever last empowers me to take the requisite time to enjoy music that not only frees my spirit but also restores my soul. No matter what vile monsters one may have to face in life, the beauty of music reminds me that this is a fine world always worth fighting for, just as Hemingway himself once said. Galvanizing the heart, mind, and soul into action, my love for music has always inspired me to face whatever evil may be conspiring against my happiness at any given time. Amid an unforgiving world always so seemingly determined to keep us down, we must often be ready to fight for and defend all that merits our most sincere love and unbound affection.

In reverence of this warrior spirit, music has also empowered me to productively channel an existential rage that could otherwise simply lead to mindless physical, spiritual, and emotional violence. Using music to focus and dissipate rage can safeguard a man from misdirecting it towards those closest to him, especially family members and friends entirely undeserving of being subjected to this most inclement of irascible emotions. While physical exercise also helps in this regard, music can boost our performance both inside and outside the gym. Even helping me better appreciate the beauty of nature during long scenic walks and runs, special songs and masterful artists have always deserved the place of honor so lovingly reserved for them in my heart, mind and soul.

Never to abandon a love to ourselves always true, no man accompanied by great music should ever complain about being alone. Special songs have a way of eliciting nostalgia for a loving past while also remaining hopeful about embracing an even more welcoming future. The beauty of a song that deeply touches ourselves reverberates through life and echoes in eternity. Perhaps writing alone can never truly honor the spiritual and emotional transcendence of music. Only the original composition, the masterful performance and the passionate appreciation of great music can truly honor it in equal and commensurate measure. Bearing this thought in mind, it's never too late to remind us of a simple verity of life. Loving someone who doesn't love you back is a regrettable waste of the person you are. No greater love is there than for that to our heart always true.