Sound Tracks to My Life

I wonder if there is such a thing as a good addiction, because I’m sure as hell addicted to music. When I think of music I think of an escape. I can be doing anything at any given moment and put in a pair of head phones and be completely in another world. Without music, my day is completely empty and boring. I wake up to music; I go to school listening to music and even eat to it. Music is a source of joy, stress, tears, camaraderie and fulfillment for me. What would life be without music? The world would be a very quiet place. Music for me is a reminder of how things once were an indication of how things are, and a view of where society is headed. Music is a direct reflection of the picture of society. Music can be a way to deliver messages, a poetic medium, a fine art, or nothing more than a source of entertainment. No matter what it is used for, music is the perfect art and my life would be that much less complete without it. Two songs come to mind when I think about all these sources of completeness for myself. First is “Proud to Be an American” by Lee Greenwood and “You and Me” by Soldier of Jah Army.

I often think of the words of Lee Greenwood’s song “God Bless the USA” in which he states:”And I’m proud to be an American where at least I know I’m free....” I wholeheartedly agree. My heart swells with gratitude to God and this wonderful land where, regardless of whom I am or what my goals are, I have that priceless gift of freedom. Freedom to pursue my dreams. Freedom to worship. Freedom to get an education. One thing that many people take for granted in this country is their freedom, life, and pursuit of happiness. Every time I listen to this song, I think of what an amazing life I have been given and that I am very lucky to be living in such an incredible place. My father, , served thirty years in the military and dedicated his life for the freedom of every American walking on this soil. My brother, , is currently serving in the Navy and wants to also follow the same footsteps as my father. My cousin, Mathew Romano, served five years in the Army and served in the War of Iraq. Matt put every aspect of his life in danger to keep what Americans have every day. Knowing he was putting his life in danger going over to Iraq at such a critical time for the United States, he never thought twice about it. Between my Father, Brother, and cousin, are three men that want/wanted to dedicate their lives in some way keeping the United States a safer and better place to live. I would like to use this quote by Elmer Davis to correlate everything that I just said. “This nation will remain the land of the free only so long as it is the home of the brave.”

When I listen to this song I get goose bumps running all through my body knowing that every word of this song is only because we have people willingly sacrificing their lives for my freedom. I find a sense of pride and joy knowing I can relax my head on my pillow at night to that. Lee Greenwood never served in the military but when he wrote this song, he did it because everything inside him believes in his military and the country of the United States. This song was never popular to me, until after, the deadly attack on the World Trade Centers in New York City. It was after that incident that I began to realize that the world I live in, is only the way it is, because of the people that fight for it.

Lee Greenwood describes the emotion involved in American self-perception in the song by saying, "I'm proud to be an American. For at least I know I'm free." Freedom is the founding pillar of the American self-perception. Self-perception is the culmination of how one views oneself. It was this song where I began to realize about the place I lived in and how important my life really is and the roles I can play in it.

“I open my eyes each morning I rise, to find a true thought, know that it's real, I'm lucky to breathe, I'm lucky to feel, I'm glad to wake up, I'm glad to be here, with all of this world, and all of its pain, all of its lies, and all of its flipped down, I still feel a sense of freedom, so glad I'm around,” lyrics of an extraordinary reggae group known as “Soldiers Of Jah Atmosphere.” When I listened to this band for the first time I was completely overwhelmed with the amount of relief and stress it took from my shoulders. It leaves you in a mind state of complete relaxation. I fell in love with S.O.J.A instantly after listening and I’ve yet to criticize such incredible men.

The lyrics come from a song known as, “Open My Eyes.” I have very strong passionate feelings for this song solely due to it being words through the way I perceive my life and world. One thing that is most important to me other than family is my life and how I live each and every day. I listen to this song over and over often and it’s like they fulfill every word and emotion I have towards my outlook and perception of the world.

“The day I am gone, and the day that I leave, I'll never regret one minute of life, I've learned from the joy, I’ve learned from the tears, I've fought through the dark, now I see the light.” I quote these specific lyrics from the song because it’s everything my mind and conscience believes in until that day the Lord decides to take me into his arms. I strive to live every day of my life like it could possibly be my last solely because everyone in this world has one chance and one opportunity. My life has consisted of a large quantity of up’s and down’s. The down’s including the loss of my Mother’s parent’s, the suicide of my Uncle off a bridge in New Jersey, pregnancy dilemmas, friendship loss, regrets, and living by myself for a few periods in time. These all sum up things that have made me a stronger person today and more self-accepting with what I have learned from rough periods in my life. “Open My Eyes” reminds me of the goals I have accomplished in life and the vast amounts of self satisfaction my body holds so tightly. Experiences and the deception of the real world are two things, that have, and always will shape the way my outlook is on life. This song is one I have always been in love with and it has opened me to many thoughts and reasoning of my accomplishments. My limits and expectations from day to day are endless and I will continue to vibe and relax to S.O.J.A, “Open My Eyes” until my days to live are there no more. Music is by far one of the most important things in my life and I wouldn’t be the same person if it wasn’t something available to me from day to day. It makes my mind and world go round and I can’t live without it. I opened my strongest feelings to two important songs in my life, “God Bless the U.S.A,” and “Open My Eyes.” These two songs have played an important role in much of my understanding towards the world I live in and the life I’ve chosen to live. “God Bless the U.S.A,” being an inspirational song to me and also much reality to actually being an American, and “Open My Eyes,” being more of a relaxed view and understanding of things. Music is my escape from any sort of situation in the world to any obstacle my mind runs across. It is through tons of music that much of myself feelings I hold are derived from. Music kidnaps my conscience while listening and there will never be a day that I live without it. Thanks to Lee Greenwood and Soldiers of Jah Atmosphere that I am so appreciative of the music I listen to.