From: owner-jangle-poets-digest@smoe.org (jangle-poets-digest) To: jangle-poets-digest@smoe.org Subject: jangle-poets-digest V6 #53 Reply-To: jangle-poets@smoe.org Sender: owner-jangle-poets-digest@smoe.org Errors-To: owner-jangle-poets-digest@smoe.org Precedence: bulk jangle-poets-digest Friday, September 17 2004 Volume 06 : Number 053 Today's Subjects: ----------------- Re: [JP] Transcendentalism and TK [Gordon Nash ] Re: [JP] Transcendentalism and TK ["Chris O'Donnell" ] Re: [JP] Transcendentalism and TK [WoodellDC@aol.com] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Thu, 16 Sep 2004 00:11:40 -0400 From: Gordon Nash Subject: Re: [JP] Transcendentalism and TK I don't think that age is the issue, I am 47 and I'm guessing my friends my age are less receptive to "spiritual" themes than my younger friends in their 20s. For myself I am a died in the wool materialist. I reject irrational world views. I was also at the first show east of the Mississipi that P& M performed Namaste and told them right off how much I liked it. It has been earworming me ever since. I've heard them perform it about 10 times (I go to a lot of shows) and still love it. It has even changed the way I sign my emails as you'll notice below.You don't have to agree with art to appreciate it. In fact as in so much of art it leaves much of the meaning to the listener. To me it is not a song about spirituality per se but those things that bring people toegether. It is about respecting everyone regardless of their beliefs. On another note I just finished reading /Walden/ and was profoundly moved by it. I did think of Maura's father when I read it. Namaste, Gordon Check out the Kennedys' Official Home Page: http://www.KennedysMusic.com/ Fab photos, the Official tour diary, dashboard Buddha haiku, groovy merchandise...what more could you ask for? ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 16 Sep 2004 07:57:23 -0400 From: "Chris O'Donnell" Subject: Re: [JP] Transcendentalism and TK On Wed, 15 Sep 2004 21:48:09 -0400, Passe, Jeff wrote: > I am often baffled in trying to understand why such talented artists like > Pete and Maura are not huge successes in terms of selling cds. Perhaps it's > because the transcendental content of some of their songs is not appealing to > the masses, who tend to be so rational. (Funny how those are the songs that I > love best!) I don't think their lyrics have anything to do with it. have you listened to the lyrics in commercially successful pop? It's often gibberish. I don't think the typical person who takes their music cues from FM radio has any idea what the artist is saying most of the time. If The Kennedys put the Stand lyrics to a Hip Hop beat and had the right marketing behind it, they probably could sell 10MM copies. Although I'm not sure any of us would be among the purchasers :) Chris Check out the Kennedys' Official Home Page: http://www.KennedysMusic.com/ Fab photos, the Official tour diary, dashboard Buddha haiku, groovy merchandise...what more could you ask for? ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 16 Sep 2004 13:38:37 -0400 From: Rebecca Derry Subject: Re: [JP] Transcendentalism and TK Jeff (and all): I agree with your sentiments, but I mildly resent your connection of spirituality vs. rationalism to age. I agree with Gordon both that age is not the issue, and that it is possible to be a rational materialist and to love "Namaste" and such songs, OR vica versa. I am eighteen years old. One of my favorite books is "The Enlightened Heart," a collection of international and interreligious mystical poetry, and I love Walden. In my first semester of college, with hundreds of potential classes open to me, I am taking both a seminar on Immanence and Transcendence in Buddhism and a once-a-week on Transcendentalism. Growing up in the sixties is not a prerequisite for alternative spirituality. That said, "Namaste" is not one of my favorite Kennedys songs; I appreciate the sentiment, but for whatever reason the song doesn't resonate as deeply with me. Maybe the simplicity does put me off; I don't know. But that doesn't mean that I reject the transcendence that I agree flavors The Kennedys' songs. On the other hand, I love "Stand." There is no accounting for taste, not even one's own. ~'becca PS: I can't believe that you're seeing The Kennedys in MD and I'm not. Bah. I wonder how many strings I would need to pull to lure them out to Oberlin... Check out the Kennedys' Official Home Page: http://www.KennedysMusic.com/ Fab photos, the Official tour diary, dashboard Buddha haiku, groovy merchandise...what more could you ask for? ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 16 Sep 2004 10:18:05 EDT From: WoodellDC@aol.com Subject: Re: [JP] Transcendentalism and TK Jeff shared, > As I listened to the discussion, I realized the difference between myself > and those younger critics was that I embrace transcendentalism, which is the > recognition that true understanding goes beyond reason, certainly, and > beyond > the senses too. It transcends those methods of knowing. Thus, the name. > > I am often baffled in trying to understand why such talented artists like > Pete and Maura are not huge successes in terms of selling cds. Perhaps it's > because the transcendental content of some of their songs is not appealing > to > the masses, who tend to be so rational. (Funny how those are the songs that > I > love best!) > - --- In his song "Into the Mystery," David Wilcox opines that the truth is not "a problem to be solved," but rather a mystery to ponder. I like to use the example of the blue sky, and ask: "Why is the sky blue?" All of the "light-is-refracted-in-the-atmosphere" answers tell us how, not why. A lot of people say that spirituality is irrational, and to that, I say, duh. It is supposed to be IR-rational, aka, beyond the rational. Perhaps we should tweak the lexicon and say spirituality is trans-rational. As for the masses' aversion to transcendence and other such matters, I often think that people neglect to look within themselves, not because they are afraid of the darkness inside, but rather of living up to all the goodness inside. Deb, whose favorite quotes include: === The further in you look, the further out you see. -- Sonia Rutstein === You want a rich experience on this earth, so seek it out. -- Nicole Kidman Check out the Kennedys' Official Home Page: http://www.KennedysMusic.com/ Fab photos, the Official tour diary, dashboard Buddha haiku, groovy merchandise...what more could you ask for? ------------------------------ End of jangle-poets-digest V6 #53 *********************************