Turn off your mind relax and float down-stream,I've read that Lennon didn't consider himself anything -- not left nor right, progressive nor conservative, forward nor backward. But so many of the concepts he explored in his music are congruent with philosophical Taoism.
It is not dying, it is not dying,
Lay down all thought surrender to the void,
It is shining, it is shining.
That you may see the meaning of within,
It is being, it is being...
~ John Lennon ~
This song, from the Revolver album, doesn't sound all that different from the poetry of Lao Tzu or the prose of Chuang Tzu. To me, he is trying to express that which cannot be adequately expressed and, of course, he knew it.
Close your eyes. Listen to this avant-garde song. Touch your being within.
To see what other aspects of "pop culture" I've written about, go here.
I wonder as my dad was such a fan, and that I heard the songs of the beatles so very very often, that the lyrics did not in fact form my whole philosophy in my young mind.
ReplyDeleteon another pop culture note, my sister saw "eat, pray, love" and said it had some taoist themes in it. you might want to check it out if you have time.
ReplyDeleteAnother favorite of my own. I find that many song lyrics by artists I admire have become integrated into my personal ideology. I'm not sure if it's the songs influencing the person so much as the person picking up on the songs/lyrics which resonate within. I'm more inclined to lean toward the latter.
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