Baraka_Guru

I've been thinking recently about moods and motivation, and a thought dawned on me: I spend a lot of time not thinking happy thoughts. I thought about this further and came to the conclusion that this is because I spend a lot of time feeding my brain with things that aren't so happy...actually, much of it is quite the opposite.

I read depressing news, I see neutral or depressing scenes everywhere I go, I play violent video games, I see violent shows played on TV, I hear music that is about heartbreak or anger...there are entire genres dedicated to unhappiness: action and horror films, crime dramas on TV, heavy metal music, etc. We read magazines about the follies of celebrities and about things we long for but will likely never have...material things...things that don't really matter because even in having them, would they make us happy?

Why do we feed our minds with such negativity?

I thought more about one aspect of this: music. I listen to a wide variety of music, and I enjoy most genres. When looking at what's on my iPod, it dawned on me that there is much on there that's depressing or oozing with negative emotions.

So I started thinking: Isn't music supposed to have healing qualities? I've read about psychology studies that show chemical responses to music, and there are even therapies that are based on music to help people's moods. I don't really know much about the validity of any of that, but I'm willing to believe that depressing music can bring you down, and happy music can be uplifting. I want to experiment. I want to have moments when I listen to music and all I listen to is upbeat and happy. I want to see if it influences my mood and motivation. How will listening to happy music affect my day? How will it affect my evening as I transition from work to personal time? How will it affect my mood going to bed?

So I'd like your help, and I'd love for you to participate. I've started to build a song list by scouring the Internet for any lists geared towards happy music. I've found a few good ones, but much of it is disco-heavy (go figure). I know there is a lot of happy music I like that I'm not able to remember, so I'd like your help. Tell me what happy music you like.

These aren't exclusively heartbreak-free love songs. These are uplifting positive songs that are about feeling good about life, or at least about being optimistic despite our troubles, no matter how bad they are.

I would like you to not only give me your ideas, I'd like you to also experiment by surrounding yourself with this music to see how it affects you. Please offer your ideas, and your feedback.

Some examples:

Classical:
Mozart "Symphony No. 29 in A"
Strauss "Blue Danube Waltz"

Rock/Pop:
B-52s "Love Shack"
U2 "Beautiful Day"
Katrina & the Waves "I'm Walking on Sunshine"
Beatles "Good Day Sunshine"
Beatles "Here Comes the Sun"
John Lennon "Imagine"

Reggae:
Bob Marley "Sun Is Shining"

Jazz:
Glen Miller "In the Mood"
Cole Porter "Begin the Beguine"

Dance/disco/techno:
Dee Lite "Groove Is in the Heart"
Kylie Minogue "Can't Get You out of My Head"

__________________
Knowing that death is certain and that the time of death is uncertain, what's the most important thing?
—Bhikkhuni Pema Chödrön

Humankind cannot bear very much reality.
—From "Burnt Norton," Four Quartets (1936), T. S. Eliot