If earnestness is the hallmark of youth
then cynicism is the patron saint of adulthood
Let's examine this in the most organic of ways- music taste which tends to fluctuate with the listener's state of mind, being, whatever.
When I was young, flush, and in love with the notion of love, my favorite song was "Bittersweet Symphony" by the Verve.
Although the message is trite, the soaring violins and classical hook seemed to endow it with sophistication.
Night after night, I would lay in my bed listening to the song over and over in my headphones, indulging the secret fantasies that always plague the young- a crush noticing me, a moment in class where everyone realized my brilliance, a singing performance that caused the crowd to stand and cheer, finding friends that understood me, etc.
The song remains a time capsule- holding in it all the pain, awkwardness, and confusion
It's amazing what ten years can do.
The sweeping majesty of the violins have given way to the anarchic howl of guitars on my current and probably forever favorite, "Where is My Mind" by the Pixies.
If you look lyrically at the two, there is a similar core theme- the recognizing of living in a stifling intractable society.
Whereas the singer of Verve wants to change and liberate himself from the confines of reality
the Pixies actually do so
choosing absolute inebriation and obliteration of consciousness as a way to avoid coming to terms
Literally losing themselves, distancing themselves from reality
Maybe we get that way because avoidance and cynicism is an easier pill to swallow
As time escapes and we see that our lives don't match up to our grand narrative that we've constructed, as we begin to compromise our dreams, as we look at the omnipotent pillars of society that are seemingly intractable, how are we supposed to hold onto those candy-colored dreams that pervaded our inner lives?
Some choose to avoid that pain. Some choose to keep themselves in a haze of substance.
And some choose to fight.
