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Why do we do this?

February 18, 2007 | Author: Joel Falconer | Filed under: Culture & Commentary, Grok

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There is nothing more powerful than an idea whose time has come.

That’s a popular Victor Hugo quote, and it seems old Victor knew what he was talking about–he used his ideas to become, by far, the most influential force in the French Romantic movement during the 19th century.

Also seen on the Free Articulator’s web site is the derivative quote “a vehicle for cultural ideas whose time have come” which clearly states that publication’s purpose for being.

These statements are powerful, and have the strength to stand on their own without need for further expounding waffle. But why should we act as a vehicle for those ideas whose time have come? Is it simply because there’s nothing more powerful, according to Victor?

Without purpose there’s no point, nor gain, in doing something. Nobody in their right mind–though unfortunately, so few of us are–would spend their time with something simply because it is powerful. A hammer is a powerful tool, for its purpose. But you wouldn’t carry one around merely for the sake of it being powerful.

Our last Tuneback (Can You Help Me?) was inspired by Aaron Stanton and you can read more about him in that post. But Aaron acknowledged that song as his theme song–we thought he might link to it, but we’re honored by the warm reception it received by the man himself and the readers of his page, a few of whom commented over here. To those visiting from Can Google Hear Me, a warm welcome is extended. Here’s something Aaron said on his site:

I haven’t heard it yet, but I don’t have to - It’s my theme song, no questions asked.

I notified Aaron before publishing the song and that was his response. When I published it, he prominently linked to the song from the top of his page. I’m telling this story because it caused me to think: why do we do this work and how do I explain that to readers?

In Midnight.Haulkerton, we believe in ideas whose time have come. Every song we write–from the quick Tunebacks on this site to the masterpieces on Violence of the Soul–comes from the power of an idea, ideas that we have a strong belief in. We’ve written songs that cover the worldwide environmental catastrophe humanity has created for itself to the violence of humanity’s soul, depicting the corrupted entity that it has become. And that’s simply because we believe in the power of these ideas and their need for exposure. The need for change, that is wrought through powerful ideas. That’s what we do. That’s why we wrote “Can You Hear Me?” and why we were so inspired by Aaron’s story–the story of an idea whose time has come, and the man who is making it happen. Thank you, Aaron, for that inspiration. And thank you for being the opposite of the corrupted humanity that we refer to in Violence of the Soul.

This is one of the principles of Grok Rock, a topic we’ll talk about another time, that makes Midnight.Haulkerton the band that it is. Ideas are important, but believing in ideas–ideas powerful enough to change the world–is even more important.

I don’t listen to the radio and I don’t watch television anymore (there are a few excellent shows that I will watch, but not on television). They have ideas, but none of these ideas have power, and they should never have come. It’s an unfortunate depiction of the state of this civilization. Do your part in rectifying this shallow society by supporting powerful ideas whose time have come.

Tell us in the comments: why do you do what you do? Or why haven’t you done what you always wanted to do?

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This entry was posted on Sunday, February 18th, 2007 and is filed under Culture & Commentary, Grok. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

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Alfadir's Piercing is the blog of Australian grok rock band Midnight.Haulkerton, bringing you free songs, tips and guides for songwriters, musicians and band leaders, and Midnight.Haulkerton news.

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