NEWS FLASH!! Listening to Music is NOT a "Distraction."

@larsman I totally agree that artistic expression can take us to another destination.  I'll deduct from your comment that the form of that expression is not as important as how it moves us.  After reading the phrase "music is a distraction" multiple times on this forum, I think it might have been incident #7 that nudged me to write something.

@decooney I once read that 2 atoms cannot occupy the same space at the same time.  This would certainly align with your statement.  If you're submerged in music, you can't be fixated on "something else".

Thanks for the comments.

@mceljo "Can it stop you in your tracks while you're doing something other than intentionally listening to the music?"

Short answer to your question:  "Yes".  And, then some.

@serjio @nonoise We may have set a new record here on just how far off topic we can go? At any rate, it’s always good to read responses to a thread that I originate.

The premise of the thread was to respect music as it’s own entity and not demote it to a mere activity to deviate our attention from something else. Not sure how we got here, but we did.

Since I started this thread, a few comments on the off topic remarks.

I’m involved in 2 groups: YOUniteUSA (mine) and Braver Angels. We represent a small chunk of the "uniters" (or in my case YOUniters) and depolarizers in the country. I equate our efforts to blowing on a bowl of hot chili to cool it down while it’s still in the microwave, or trying to clear to leaves off our driveway with a leaf blower -- during an F5 tornado. We identify, acknowledge and celebrate our common interests and passions, while opening the door for conversations to bring out the "real person" inside.the individual with different viewpoints than ours. We also sponsor debates on subjects that the MSM doesn’t want us to have. (That is a topic unto itself)

We operate with the full knowledge that those above our "pay grades" yield the power of what I refer to as "weapons of mass division" and can destroy months of work by hundreds of individuals with one 5-second sound bite or a single sentence divisive statement. Any any rate, we keep plugging away. As one person said; "If you want to shave 100 pounds off of a race car, you need to find 1,600 ways to save an ounce."

It’s also been said: "Democracy only works as well as the mean sanity level of a society." We’re trying to do our part in tipping the scales toward sanity.

Forums such as things have an incalculable value in finding common interests and creating bonds. I’d say it’s upwards of 90% that A’Gon contributors agree, and when they don’t agree, they’re still friends afterwards.

My search for intelligent life on earth often starts with this forum. I am rarely disappointed.

Johnny Youniteus

@nonoise Well, that didn't go as I intended.  I was hoping to exit this discussion at a good point.

There was no conscious attempt to attach you to all the statements by others in this forum.  I felt sergio's final: "And this does not mean that everyone cannot become better " was a good place for him conclude his comments.  I thought that validating that, yes, others (including the OP) are interested in becoming better was a positive addition.  And, I felt that all those who "hit the ball back and forth over the net" a few times on the off-topic discussion needed to be invited to review those comments.  I was considering just making a blanket statement, but wasn't sure you guys were still visiting the post.  It was my way of making sure you were personally invited to read the comments.  Looking back, it probably would have been better to just throw it out there.

I was sincerely hoping we could wrap things up with some level of agreement by those who contributed.  If my comments were counter to that, then it was certainly not my intention. 

Thanks for reading, and contributing.

@ejr1953 You're welcome.  And, thanks for the response.

Hope you found a creative way to repurpose the mouthguard.

@rja I’m not good at multitasking and have a tendency to mute all outboard stimulii when doing important work.

@old_ears I could have used this advise many times in life. Failed attempts at multitasking can lead you down a serious slope. It seems quite literal in your case.

@normb I've got it to.  Some good days.  Some not-so-good days.  Anything louder than the noise is a plus.

@tylermunns Some people have more sensitive "antennas" than others.  While some music lovers are ecstatic with a course representation of a musical event, others demand nuance and full adherence to the artists' intent.

For myself, "musical wallpaper" is good enough when conversations around the fire pit are more important than the music.  Sometimes, I just don't want to be alone and queue up "old friends" just to keep me company.  Other times, music is my "comfort animal" bringing familiar themes to unfamiliar circumstances.  Then there are those moments when the rhythm and cadence of the music is perfectly synchronized with the activity (and, mood) in which I am engaged.  And, yes, there are those times when I strap myself to my listening chair and allow the beauty, power, and intimacy of music (literally) take center stage. In all the cases above, the music is never a "distraction', but ranges from an enhancement to augment the enjoyment of a pleasurable activity, a supplement to make "swallowing" a dreaded task more tolerable, to actually being "the thing".

I hope you and Matt are still friends.  Let me guess; he got off the fishing boat and opened a string of Captain D restaurants in your area?

By the way, I have to confess that my "musical wallpaper" system is made up of "tweaked" rock speakers, outdoor sub, modified source components and amplifiers.  Even at listening levels just above the threshold of hearing, it is musically satisfying.  Wonderful sounds, even in the background, make me smile.

@tylermunns My neighbors are great. I do have a simple rule of having a zero footprint on those around me. Their outdoor experiece is their outdoor experience and I have no right to effect that in any way. So, I keep the volume down.

Mr. Scorsese’s comments certainly ring true today. I have a phrase I call "the Exodus of Authenticity" where influencial forces are pulling us away from all things "authentic" and changing our "reality" to accept substitutes for those things. Or, nuliify them all together. There are various motivators in this scenario, none of which are aligned with truth or greater understanding.