It's gonna be a bright and sun shining day :)

Reggae is NOT dead. It may not be prevalent, but it is not dead. living on a coast, or an island one will be much more exposed than us lovelies inland and over 500 miles away from the nearest coastline. But. Look at the way people around those areas live... They are happy people! Sun is shining, the weather is sweet.. (name that artist). So i am beginning to think that music has very much to do with your state of mind. It's like the yellow lines in the road. They show you were to go and guide you, but they can't keep you from going over the lines. And they don't get pissed if you cross over the lines. Music is much less evasive though. It allows you to go wherever you would like. But it won't get pissed if you don't want to live in the lines of the genre. People will judge you based on your musical stylings, but not music, no no. That's what i like about it.

On an average day i can honestly say i listen to about 8 hours of music a day. That includes some as background music, driving, when I'm at work..etc. I have tried to limit it and 'be still' if you know what i mean, but it is increasingly difficult. It weirds me out. Music keeps me functional! If i don't start my day with a little music, or hear anything, I'm off for the entire day.

Some would insist that reggae would put me in a weird coma 'whatever dude' kind of state of mind, but it is clarity people, clarity. It clears things up for me. And also puts things back into perspective for me. Like I have fore mentioned, music affects mood and it calms me down. Lyrics are critical at this point. They remind you that 'every little thing is gonna be alright.' That there is 'so much trouble in the world' but that it is possible to remove yourself from it to keep from spreading it. Material things, hmm. If you have good company, maybe a little ganja (maybe not) it is easy to just let go and enjoy people. Which is what it is all about, is it not? It does not deny that it rains sometimes, and that things aren't always going to run smoothly and without kinks, jerks and difficulties in the road, but it's all about the journey, and 'seeing clearly now the rain is gone'.

Reggae carries with it a sort of hope. Yeah I'm positive Bob didn't know me when he wrote his lyrics and sang his songs of Freedom. But he made them applicable to me. Songs of Freedom weren't necessarily written for just the Jamaican people trying to overcome the oppression of the government or the Apartheid in South Africa. But more widely freeing oneself of hate, of judgement, and materialism. Bob's purpose was to free oneself and to 'be true to yourself' in the words of his son Ziggy.

Reggae isn't just smoking pot and removing oneself from society and being a quiet rebel. It is about being true to yourself, recognizing reality and trying to make it everything you can. Yay for reggae i say. And if you are a hater, that is too bad. Maybe one day you can understand the underlying messages, many interpretations and strategic ambiguity as well of course as the beauty of reggae.