Success
1. Nas, "I Know I Can," Hip Hip, 2002
2. Wale, "The MC," Hip Hop, 2010
3. Jay Z, "Thank You," Rap, 2009
4. Drake, "Man of the Year," Rap, 2010
5. Genesis, "Man on the Corner," Rock/Pop, 1981
Liberation
1. Phish, "Free," Alternative, 1999
2. Priscilla Ahn, "Living in a Tree," Alternative, 2006
3. Never Shout Never, "Sacrilegious," Pop/Feel Good Music, 2010
4. Bob Marley, "Freedom Time," Reggae, 1968
5. Damien Dempsey, "Colony," Folk, 2005
For Success, I picked a throw back and chose Nas because it used to get me hype and it's perfect for my personality. I believe that I am where I am today because I know who I am and what I want out of life; everything that I have done I have achieved from personally working for it. In Hinduism, success is aimed for as a goal. Success can mean many to different people, but in Hinduism success mainly relates to wealth and power. It can be achieved by opening a business or being active in one's community. I think the easiest way to achieve success is at our current stage in life as students; it is important to establish ourselves now to open doors for us to succeed later in life (and hopefully make a positive difference).
For Liberation, I really liked the song by Damien Dempsey called "Colony" because of the lyrics "You'll never kill our will to be free, to be free." It's not my first pick for the songs, but those lines represent how I'm currently feeling at the moment. I've never felt more free than I have this past year after getting out of a relationship and figuring out what it really means to be independent. Being free has really helped define my personality and who I am without worries of what other people think. I have engaged myself in activities that I never imagined that I would want to do without being forced into it. For example, I went and planted something in VCU's Rain Garden by Harris Hall on Friday morning; I saw something about it on the telegram and instead of sleeping in super late on a beautiful day, I was one with the earth and gave it some form of life. In Hinduism, the goal of spiritual liberation is called moksha. I feel like one of the best ways to achieve moksha is by turning one's back on the past and living in the present moment; I think this makes life a little more real and enjoyable. One has to turn away everything that is valued (such as family, friends, pleasure, etc.) and live freely and independently (like an ascetic). From my reading, this lifestyle focuses on removing the illusion that clouds human reality and reveals the true nature of the cosmos and one's place in that nature. I feel that liberation can and will be different for everyone, but by finding the true beauty in life and all of its simpleness, it will come a lot sooner. I suggest that everyone takes the time to really appreciate the little things and to not focus too far on the past or future. And when something's bothering you, just remember that you probably won't remember that event ten years from now anyway so just let it roll off of your shoulders. Live in the moment without getting too wrapped up in it; just go with it.
When we learned about the ascetics trying to reach enlightenment and moksha, I never thought about how they would live and view their world. I like how you put that idea into perspective and applied it to our lives as students, and how we can live like them without actually stripping down and living in the woods.
ReplyDeleteI love your selection of songs :-)
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