NB: This blog post references an essay by Jonathon Flaum called "Finding Your Howl," and a song by Mos Def entitled "Life in Marvelous Times."
In his story of Mumon the wolf, Jonathon Flaum drives home
the point that we must fight through our own flaws and leave behind the safe
and easy route in order to express ourselves to the fullest. We must suffer
through internal and external obstacles to bring forth our true selves. This is
both an inspiring and terrifying truth. It does not discourage me from my
battle to find my voice, nor does it entirely assuage my misgivings and fears.
The story simply lays down the law: to find a way to express the burning within
you, you must abandon your preconceived notions and dive headlong into the
unknown.
===
One of my all-time favorite hip-hop artists, Mos Def, has a
song called “Life in Marvelous Times,” which contains some of the most
inspirational and resonant lyrics I have ever heard:
It’s just another shot to your heart
It’s just a sure shot in the dark
It’s just another place in the stars
Wonders on every side
Life in marvelous times
In other words, what Mos Def is saying is that the world
around us is engulfed by the great unknown, but life’s meaning is in all the
wonderful things on this earth. The human experience may be insignificant in the
grand scheme of things, and we may be unsure of how to live out our days with
this in mind. But what we have done in our time is incredible, and our future
is full of possibilities.
From a young age, I have held a strong love for music. Music
has been a constant in my life, breathing mood and feeling into my every
experience. It has been there for, and even created, many of my favorite
moments. It has also carried me through some of the darkest and toughest times
in my life. I have been making my own music for about four years now, and I
absolutely love it. As a matter of fact, my dream is to become a professional
musician. I want to make music that truly expresses me, and to share it with as
many people as possible.
But even though there are so many people who have been
supportive of my dream every step of the way, there have always been people
telling me that I will never make it. I have been told that I am throwing my
life away on a gamble, that I would be better off getting a safer career, that
I run the risk of ending up homeless or addicted to drugs. And even though my
support network consoles me and tells me that I can still make it, the voices
of my detractors still manifest themselves in the back of my mind from time to
time. I worry that they are right, and that I will never succeed.
But the reason this Mos Def lyric speaks to me so much is
that it is absolutely true. My dream to make music for a living is a tough one.
The way is unclear, and to achieve what I want, I must risk everything.
Sometimes, when I look at the people around me trying for the same thing, I
feel insignificant, like I can never break through the crowd and be heard. But
I am surrounded by so many incredible things in the world, and as long as I can
express my love and be heard, that will be enough for me.
