%title Caution!  Soft, good-feeling post ahead!
%date 2008-11-26 06:25:42
:diary:livejournal:fossils:

You know, in general, I try to keep an open mind about things.  And I don't mean diversity or anything, though I usually try to keep that in mind as well.  My Psychology of Music class has taught me that musical preferences are usually set by ages eighteen to twenty-two, so despite the fact that I'm currently listening - nay, rocking out to a song utilizing extended vocal techniques, pan-triadicism, free atonality, and a narrator, I can dig the fact that some people just like country.

Not only that, but I understand that there are other disciplines out there besides music.  Hell, I started college in biochemistry.  I regularly read books, watch lectures, and think thoughts pertaining to fields outside my own in an attempt to keep in touch with the things that I'm still interested in.  I do my best to keep myself up to date in copyrights as part of business, but also for fun.  I'm interested in computers, nanotechnology, biology, psychology, all that nifty stuff.

One excellent source for nifty ideas in all of those fields is http://ted.org  TEDTalks are short (10-20 minute) lectures on innovative ideas.  I highly recommend the site to ANYONE.  No matter where your interests lie, there is bound to be something there that will interest you.  They even have a free podcast, so every day, I get a brand new lecture on my iPod.

Recently (a few hours ago) I found <a href="http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/evelyn_glennie_shows_how_to_listen.html">a lecture</a> by Evelyn Glennie, a deaf percussionist, on how to listen to the whole body, and how that pertains to music therapy and music education.  I mentioned this to an engineer acquaintance of mine as an example, since I had described TEDTalks as "lectures by various people on various good ideas."  

His response was along the lines of "Oh, so not really, then.  Just soft, good-feeling ideas."  He often refers to me as 'soft', which I've always found vaguely insulting, but accepted as a term of endearment.  It always seemed to imply that I wasn't real, that I had no depth, and that the things I did and studied were of no use.

I countered with "Well, before that, I was watching <a href="http://ted.org/index.php/talks/bill_joy_muses_on_what_s_next.html">a segment</a> on designing for the future, including venture capital for carbon nanotubes and preparing for pandemics.  And before that, <a href="http://ted.org/index.php/talks/luca_turin_on_the_science_of_scent.html">a clip</a> on how research is showing that we perceive scent based on elemental frequencies, as the presenter put it, and how they designed a substitute for coumarin that isn't carcinogenic simply by finding a molecule that influenced scent perception in the same way.  So no, not all softer, good feeling things."  Which was true enough.

"Oh, good!" he replied.  "Substance!  I like substance."

I disconnected immediately.  I was in no mood to explain my emotions at that moment, figuring they'd just be viewed as 'soft, good-feeling things'.

Usually when I do something like that, I start feeling guilty after a while.  I'm pretty good at drama, but I don't relish the thought of invoking it.  However, it's been a few hours.  I've taken a long bath, eaten a giant glob of peanut butter, and listened to a lot of music.  And still, all I can think of are countless rebuttals to this comment.  'Oh, sure, just dismiss all but a small section of human knowledge and experience as insubstantial.'  'Not even my dad was as insulting when I changed my major to music.'  'I personally find music to have a good deal of substance, and since I know you don't suffer from amusia, I'm assuming you do as well.  You're not a liar, are you?'

These aren't really constructive, though.  So:

• Merry, I find radiology to be insufferably boring.
• Ryan and James (and Merry and Kiran and myself and...), I don't think guns are worth all this fuss.
• Herefox.  Painting, huh?
• Rikoshi, writing is a soft art.  Clearly not worth it.

Defend yourselves*, and in the process, teach me how to defend myself!  I get this, though rarely this blatant, about once a week, and I need to know how to convince people that music is a legitimate, substantial endeavor worth pursuing in today's world, because honestly?  I'm getting sick of this.

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* You know I'm kidding, right? c.c